The Diamonds Band - Next Generation

Saturday, January 12 @ 12:00 pm
The Hearth

Saturday, January 12 @ 2:00 pm
Northern Lights Beer Garden & Ice Bar

The Diamonds Band - Next Generation is a new and exciting sound with Ben Christiani (Violin) and Rick Chomyn (Lead and Rhythm Guitar) as new members who joined the band in 2016. Working with the original members, Craig Repchuk (Accordions, Piano and Vocals) and Chester Chodzicki (Bass Guitar), the Diamonds Band has maintained the old time style music with traditional Ukrainian, Latin, and classic country with a new flare of violin and guitar.

The Diamonds Band also features Nestor Worobets on trumpet as one of his last recordings with the band. Nestor played 12 years with the Diamonds Band and has now retired at the age of 81.

With changes in musicians, the band has developed a new music repertoire and has progressed to playing an exciting style of music. The Diamonds Band CD compilation exhibits the new and upbeat music that you will enjoy listening to with a little twist of Irish, Ukrainian, Latin American, traditional eastern Canadian, classic country and old time music. This is the next generation for the band and we are happy to present the new music to our dancers and listeners. Enjoy!

Facebook: The Diamonds Band

The Vinok Orchestra

Saturday, January 12
Northern Lights Beer Garden & Ice Bar @ 12:00 pm
New Moon Pavilion @ 1:15 pm
The Hearth @ 3:00 pm
The Carrot Community Arts Coffeehouse @ 6:15 pm

The Vinok Orchestra is the live music component of the Vinok Worldance shows. They play traditional multi ethnic music with traditional instruments for our live theatre shows with our dancers.

Their performances are often tailored to reflect specific regional cultures. The Vinok Orchestra has also performed diverse styles of traditional music from various cultures at home a abroad with various Ukrainian dance groups.

Website: Vinok Worldance

Sangea

Sunday, January 13 @ 4:00 pm
New Moon Pavilion

Sangea performs west African Traditional music and dance that dates back hundreds of years. Sangea is the award winner of the Fil Fraser Award, Outstanding Performance (2015), winner of the Afro Canadian Heros, Artist of the Year (2014), and also the winner of the Excellent Community Initiative Group Award (2013, 2014, 2015). Sangea uses energetic music (Drumming, Singing, Poetry & Dance) as a tool to build cultural bridges in the community.

Website: Sangea Academy
Facebook: Sangea Academy

The Gadjo Collective

Saturday, January 12 @ 3:00 pm
Northern Lights Beer Garden & Ice Bar

Saturday, January 12 @ 5:15 pm
The Carrot Community Arts Coffeehouse

The Gadjo Collective was formed in 2012 as a Balkan dance band featuring original music composed during eight years of traveling the Roma trail from India to Spain, as well as traditional songs from the Balkans. The Gadjo is a collective of up to 10 players drawing on some of the best players in the Edmonton scene, including players from Romania, Iraq and Syria.

Website: The Gadjo Collective

Chaika Orchestra

Saturday, January 12 @ 12:15 pm
Nina Haggerty Centre for the Arts

Saturday, January 12 @ 2:15 pm
The Carrot Community Arts Coffeehouse

Saturday, January 12 @ 4:30 pm
Nina Haggerty Centre for the Arts

CHAIKA performs a broad range of arrangements of Ukrainian traditional Folk, Ritual, Seasonal, Classical, Popular and Contemporary selections. CHAIKA’s repertoire is scored as three (or more) part ensemble and orchestral arrangements based on Ukrainian themes and genres.

Website: Chaika Band
Facebook: Chaika Band

Calvin Vollrath

Saturday, January 12
Northern Lights Beer Garden & Ice Bar @ 1:00 pm
New Moon Pavilion @ 4:00 pm
The Hearth @ 5:00 pm

Sunday, January 13 @ 4:15 pm
Northern Lights Beer Garden (Igloo) @ 1:00 pm
New Moon Pavilion (kitchen Party) @ 3:00 pm
The Hearth @ 4:15 pm

Calvin Vollrath has composed nearly 600 tunes, many of which have become standard contest and dance tunes across North America & Europe. His influence in the fiddle world is very evident. To his credit, he has 65 of his own albums and numerous music books of his original compositions. Vollrath was commissioned to compose 5 fiddle tunes for the Vancouver Winter Olympics 2010 Opening Ceremonies to represent the various styles of fiddling our country has to offer.

Website: Calvin Vollrath

Stefan Shewchuk

Saturday, January 12 @ 12:15 pm
The Carrot Community Arts Coffeehouse

Saturday, January 12 @ 4:00 pm
Northern Lights Beer Garden & Ice Bar

Stefan Shewchuk is an Edmonton-based guitarist and educator. He holds a Bachelor of Music from the University of North Texas, and has studied under many renowned guitarists. He has toured across Western Canada playing live on the radio at many stations, including 840 CFCW and 620 CKRM.

Website: Stefan Shewchuk

Zemlia Vocal Trio

Saturday, January 12 @ 1:15 pm
The Carrot Community Arts Coffeehouse

Saturday, January 12 @ 2:30 pm
Nina Haggerty Centre for the Arts

The voices of Zemlia Trio are Natalia Onyschuk, Irena Tarnawsky, and Ksenia Maryniak.

These lifelong friends first performed as a trio in September of 2013 at an event organized by Myrna Kostash and Sharon Anne Pasula. "Zemlia-Nanáskomun" celebrated the relationship of the Ukrainian pioneers and Aboriginal people in Alberta, to each other and to the land. The trio formalized their name after that performance. Trio presents diverse acapella repertoire in various languages, entertaining with goodwill performances and at a variety of community events and private bookings. The singers of Zemlia trace their roots back through several waves of Ukrainian immigrants arriving in Alberta, including Chipman, Plain Lake, and Two Hills.

Shumka School of Dance

Saturday, January 12 @ 5:00 pm
New Moon Pavilion

Since 1989, Shumka School of Dance (SSD) has trained thousands of dancers & helped them achieve a broad dance-focused skill set, performance excellence, & a strong work ethic. With its family-like atmosphere, the School is a welcoming and safe place for youth to establish and achieve their artistic dreams. It is also a place where they are given the tools & the experience to become future community leaders & builders. They create Ukrainian dance that is traditionally accurate, superbly entertaining, & recognizably Shumka.

Website: Shumka

Jay Kuchinsky Trio

Saturday, January 12
The Hearth @2:00 pm
New Moon Pavilion @3:00 pm
Northern Lights Beer Garden & Ice Bar @5:00 pm

Jay Kuchinsky is a well established fiddler and music educator in Edmonton for almost 40 years. He is well versed in Ukrainian, Irish, and Métis fiddling and is passionate about learning and transcribing music in these genres. He is currently working on a music book entitled Ukrainian Fake Book; the dance music of North Central Alberta, as well he has taught Métis fiddle for 11 years at Ben Calf Robe school. His trio provides lively and dance-able instrumentals and songs.

Website: Jay the Fiddler

Ukrainian Cheremosh Society

Saturday, January 12 @ 12:30 pm
New Moon Pavilion

The Cheremosh Ukrainian Dance Company & Cheremosh School of Dance has earned phenomenal success as a semi-professional Ukrainian dance company. Rich in intensity, energy and spirit, Cheremosh has a reputation of bringing an amazing entertainment spectacle to the stage. It presents to its audiences an art form that appeals to a broad range of people, entertaining them with complicated choreography and the grace, energy, and enthusiasm of its dancers.Their outstanding skill and discipline has brought them many adventures and successes throughout their forty year history, including numerous national and international tours.

Website: Cheremosh Ukrainian Dance

Chris Kyrzyk

Saturday, January 12 @ 1:15 pm
Nina Haggerty Centre for the Arts

Saturday, January 12 @ 3:15 pm
The Carrot Community Arts Coffeehouse

Chris Kyrzyk plays a traditional Ukrainian folk instrument called the bandura as a hobby. This year, Kyrzyk is playing on a concert style bandura which adds greatly to the sound quality and range of song selection. Three years ago, Kyrzyk began to play solo in public with the goal of sharing this beautiful relaxing instrument. He plays a blend of Ukrainian, baroque classical, and popular folk rock music.

Rumba Caliente Canada Band

Saturday, January 12 @ 7:30 pm
The Hearth

One of Canada's premiere bands, Edmonton Latin Beat, gives all the live mixing show an experience they will not forget. Young and old from any culture feel the beat in their feet and jump up to dance salsa, pop, funk, dance, cumbia, reggae, latin rock, chacha, or merengue even if they don't know how! if you have ever had that feeling when you feel like your body needs to get up and dance away all your stress and worries, then you know what Rumba Caliente is all about. This multicultural band brings diverse styles to the stage. A mix of all these rhythms with sweet vocal harmonies and hot horn lines is a recipe that will leave you begging for more.

Website: Rumba Caliente Canada Band
Facebook: Rumba Caliente Edmonton Latin Beat

Manny V. Y Su Esquina Latina

Saturday, January 12 @ 7:15 pm
Big Bear Yurt Stage

As band director of Esquina Latina, Manny Valencia is active in the Latin music industry as a DJ and musician. He has performed at On The Rocks Bar, Heritage Fest, Latin Fest and Edmonton Carnaval. Edmonton has a huge Latin dance scene where he has been able to develop working relations with dance instructors and schools to host Salsa events.

Harmonic Flamenco

Saturday, January 12 @ 6:30 pm
The Hearth

Saturday, January 12 @ 8:15 pm
The Carrot Community Arts Coffeehouse

Harmonic Flamenco is a traditional Flamenco troupe. They are comprised of a guitar and 3 dancers/singers. Their repertoire is traditional Flamenco music and dance, and they are all active in the Alberta Flamenco community. They have performed at The Works Festival, WEM center stage, The Beats drum festival, Alberta Arts Days and private events. Harmonic Flamenco bring a high energy, creative performance to the stage. In addition, their show offers an educational opportunity about Flamenco tradition.

Facebook: Harmonic Flamenco

Erasmo Coco

Saturday, January 12 @ 7:15 pm
The Carrot Community Arts Coffeehouse

Saturday, January 12 @ 9:45 pm
Big Bear Yurt Stage

Erasmo Coco is local Edmonton musician. Coco plays blues, roots, and traditional music using home made instruments as well as harmonica and guitar.

Website: Erasmo Coco

Robert Walsh

Sunday, January 13 @ 5:15 pm
The Carrot Community Arts Coffeehouse

Robert Walsh has worked in Montréal, Toronto, and Edmonton as a solo artist, songwriter, composer, producer, arranger, teach and student. Since settling in Edmonton, Robert has released three solo albums — with two albums as a member of an ensemble Allez Ouest, Two Blue, and has collaborated with many other independent artists as a producer, co-writer, arranger. He has also worked with great musicians either as a for-hire guitar player or as a member of the Edmonton Symphony. Highlights include being featured with the Pointer Sisters, Renée Fleming, Petula Clark, Tom Cochrane, Luck Mervil, and playing the music of Frank Zappa with two ex-Zappa-band members.

Website: Robert Walsh

Daniel Gervais

Sunday, January 13 @ 12:30 pm
Nina Haggerty Centre for the Arts

Sunday, January 13 @ 2:00 pm
Northern Lights Beer Garden & Ice Bar

Daniel Gervais has been playing the violin since the age of five. He plays a variety of fiddle styles and classical violin. Gervais had the opportunity to perform at the 2012 London Olympics as a cultural ambassador of Alberta. He is the first and only Albertan to win the Canadian Grand Master Fiddle Competition. Gervais first competed in the Canadian Grand Masters in 2003 and returned to this competition in 2004 and again in 2008, finishing in the top eleven both times.

Website: Daniel Gervais