June 30

We had the pleasure of attending the last night of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra's 2nd Annual Indigenous Festival on June 24th. The evening was called "Celebration" and it really was! Don Amero opened the evening with his sweet voice. Three songs weren't enough. It was so evident that playing with the Symphony was a real big deal for him. It was for the audience too. Juno Award winners, Digging Roots entertained us next. We became instant fans and loved their unique style. The extremely talented Shy-Anne Hovorka took the stage after the short intermission and performed a haunting rendition of Ancient Voices accompanied by the WSO and Ray Stevenson. Very cool! Crowd pleasers and Juno Award winners Eagle & Hawk ended the evening with four songs and an encore that brought everyone to their feet. Accompanying all these top aboriginal performers was the WSO. There was something so cool about taking these world-renowned musicians away from the Centennial Concert Hall. Put them on the Burton Cummings Stage, throw a pair of jeans and sandals on them all and they were transformed. We all were!

-Karen