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Voices of the North celebrating 20 years

Feb 16, 2012 | 5:25 AM

The 48th annual Winter Festival kicked off Tuesday and with it comes the anticipation of the Voices of the North show, which features some of Saskatchewan’s top First Nations and Métis musical talent.

This year’s show will see some changes as they celebrate the 20th anniversary since the show began.

“We’re going to be doing a past performers reunion show. So we have a list of performers who have been on the show previously who have agreed to come down and they are just going to come down and jam for the second show (at) 10 o’clock on Friday,” said Trina Joseph-Bear, who will be co-producing the show.

Another side event to the show will be the Northern Spirits showcase, which gives First Nation and Métis youth in Saskatchewan the opportunity to perform and produce their own show. That event will take place Saturday afternoon.

The main show itself will feature some returning artists as well as a few fresh names. Bands like Black Rain, New Horizon, and Just the Boyz will be playing at the cabaret on Saturday night, as well as fiddle and jigging groups.

“I’m going to go out on a limb here and say (it) may be one of the biggest cabarets … of the year,” said Grant Kimbley, bass player for New Horizon who is playing the show for the fifth time. “One of the most well attended Aboriginal events that we’ve been to.”

The event is an all-ages show, with all different types of music played by each performer.

“Anything from Lady Gaga to Merle Haggard on our show,” said Sheryl Kimbley, the shows other producer. “It’s really family-oriented. We try to cater to the people that wouldn’t normally come to the city of Prince Albert. They come in to spend the weekend to enjoy the cabaret that we have, as well as all the different kinds of performers every year and support Aboriginal talent.”

Opening night for the show is Thursday. Tickets are $10 for adults and five dollars for kids. However, the quickly-diminishing cabaret tickets go for $25.

Attendees will also need a winter festival button which cost three dollars and will be sold at the door. One dollar from every button will be donated to breast cancer research.

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