By Matthew Liebenberg
The Swift Current Arts Council has organized a diverse Stars for Saskatchewan concert lineup for its 60th anniversary season.
All performances in the 2026-27 concert series will take place at the Living Sky Casino Event Centre from October to May.
The new season follows after one of the most successful seasons in the organization’s history during 2025-26, when several shows were sold out.
“Artist selection makes a huge difference in the types of crowds we’re seeing,” Swift Current Arts Council Administrator Helen Arnold said. “We’re starting to see different demographics attending the shows and that’s what we’re after is a little bit of audience succession planning.”
The selection of artists for the 2026-27 concert series followed the same approach of providing quality entertainment that will have wide appeal.
“We’re trying to still maintain our current subscribers, but attract some younger subscribers as well,” she said. “We’re including concerts that would look inviting to every demographic.”
The Swift Current Arts Council already began its 60th anniversary celebrations with two standalone events as a way to recognize loyal subscribers and a longtime partner.
A sold-out cabaret style event featuring the music of classic rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival took place in June. The Arts Council also hosted a concert in September as a fundraiser for the Dr. Noble Irwin Regional Healthcare Foundation, because the Foundation provides office space for Arts Council meetings.
The 2026-27 Stars for Saskatchewan concert lineup will feature 10 regular shows and three extra shows for the 60th anniversary season.
The regular season kicks off on Oct. 7 with a performance by Vancouver-based indie folk/rock singer-songwriter Dan Mangan, a two-time Juno award winner who has toured extensively on an international level. His festival performances include the Glastonbury Festival in Britain and an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live.
“We’re very excited to be bringing him in for our season opener and ticket sales are going very well for that performance,” Arnold said.
Kellie Loder, a Juno-nominated singer-songwriter from Newfoundland and Labrador and winner of two East Coast Music Awards, will perform on Oct. 26. The show in Swift Current is part of a Saskatchewan tour featuring Loder’s distinctive sound that blends Americana, folk and indie pop.
“In our last season, we had quite a few folk pop artists that the audience really embraced,” Arnold noted. “We’re trying to mix a few in there again to please the audience and Loder would be one of those.”
The Prairie Debut concert on Nov. 21 will feature Ménestrel, a Canadian early music ensemble that combines music from the Middle Ages and Renaissance with Canadian oral folk traditions to provide a unique musical experience.
The ensemble was co-founded by Janelle Lucyk, a singer from Regina, and Kerry Bursey, a tenor and plucked string instrumentalist from Montreal. They will be joined by guest artist Vincent Lauzer, an acclaimed recorder player from Montreal. Their performance will also include a guest performance by Swift Current choir Prairie Spirit.
“We’ve been trying to incorporate local talent in a few of our shows,” Arnold said. “For example, last season we asked Al Hudec to be an opener for one of our shows. It was very well received by the audience and it’s just another strategy that we’re using to attract audiences. It’s always a bit of a treat for our audiences to see some local talent on the stage.”
Musicians featured in a Prairie Debut concert will also do a performance out in the community, for example at a local school or a long-term care facility. The intention is that Ménestrel will do such a performance during their time in Swift Current.
The first of the extra shows will take place on Dec. 2 with a tribute to the Eagles, a legendary American rock band. The show will feature the band Hotel California, an acclaimed Eagles tribute band. Arnold noted that tickets for this show is already selling fast, even though it has not been promoted yet.
The first half of the 2026-27 concert series will conclude with the annual Christmas show on Dec. 6. It will feature acclaimed country artist Amanda Hagel, who grew up on a farm near Lancer in southwest Saskatchewan. She will take audience members on a musical journey of country, folk and Americana that includes her re-imagined rendition of the John Denver song Take Me Home, Country Roads.
The concert series will continue on Jan. 29 with a performance by Last Birds, a husband-and-wife duo from the small Saskatchewan village of North Portal. Lindsay Arnold and Mike Davis formed Last Birds in 2019 and their debut album won the alternative country album of the year award at the 2024 Saskatchewan Country Music Awards.
“Their banter on the stage is hilarious, but they’re also great entertainers and everybody will be sure to enjoy that,” Arnold said.
Sitruc James, a talented illusionist and magician based in Regina, will perform at the Feb. 27 show. He will provide an immersive experience to the audience with a range of complex illusions combining elements of comedy, storytelling and audience participation.
Arnold noted that magician shows during previous Stars for Saskatchewan concert seasons were very popular and this family-oriented show was therefore included to this year’s lineup.
Burnstick, a JUNO nominated folk duo, will perform on March 13. The Manitoba-based husband and wife duo features Plains-Cree guitarist Jason Burnstick, who uses Weissenborn lap slide guitars, and francophone-Métis vocalist Nadia Burnstick. They have a distinct musical style that resonates with audiences.
Burnstick was among the groups who performed at the annual Organization of Saskatchewan Arts Councils Showcase weekend, which takes place each October to give arts councils an opportunity to preview performers while they plan their upcoming seasons.
“We loved them and Burnstick was one of our first picks,” Arnold said. “It’s their unique vocal harmony and that instrument was quite beautiful. It’s an inspirational kind of music storytelling.”
The second extra show of the concert season on March 19 features The Arrogant Worms, a Canadian musical comedy trio that has been performing since 1991. They have released 14 albums and one of their most popular songs, The Last Saskatchewan Pirate, has been covered by many other bands.
A New Brunswick-based folk trio that will take audience members back to the 1960s Greenwich Village folk scene will perform on April 9. The group consists of vocalist Jessica Rhaye, guitarist Bill Preeper and multi-instrumentalist Sandy MacKay. They have developed a Maritime Appalachian folk sound through the use of a mix of acoustic and electric instruments.
The Fugitives, a Vancouver-based acoustic folk-roots group will perform on April 28. The Juno-nominated group has appeared at the Glastonbury Festival in Britain and they have received a best folk album of the year award from the German Music Critics’ Association.
“They have beautiful complex harmonies and their storytelling is captivating,” Arnold said. “It’s also just their musicianship with a variety of instruments. They’ll be a treat.”
The 2026-27 concert season will conclude with two performances by the Johner Brothers. They enjoyed huge musical success from 1991 to 2002, when Ken retired from the music scene and Brad continued with his solo career. They are back together and playing shows across western Canada.
The first show on May 13 is for Swift Current Arts Council subscribers only and the extra show on May 14 will offer an opportunity to non-subscribers and the general public to experience two icons of Saskatchewan country music.
Tickets for the Stars for Saskatchewan concerts are available at www.ticketpro.ca or by calling 1-888-655-9090. For more information about the 2026-27 concert season, visit the Swift Current Arts Council Facebook page or website (www.scartscouncil.ca).
