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This article was published 13/12/2018 (2724 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Heather Rankin

The youngest member of Nova Scotia singing sibling group the Rankin Family, Heather Rankin released her seasonal album, Imagine, in 2017, but she’s taking the holiday tunes on the road this year with the Picture Perfect Christmas tour, which hits the West End Cultural Centre on Thursday, Dec. 13, at 8 p.m.

The tour is named for the album’s second single, Picture Perfect, a contemplative song inspired by a visit Rankin made to the abandoned farmhouse where her mother’s family once lived. (The first single, Wrap It Up, released last Christmas, was a much more upbeat affair, a good-time country tune about a party kicked into high gear by some extra-strong eggnog.)

The album features a mix of traditional carols (Silent Night, Once in Royal David’s City) and original holiday tunes, drawing on Rankin’s memories of the midnight masses of her youth and inspired by the spirit of the season.

She’ll be performing songs from Imagine (which is named for the John Lennon classic), as well as yuletide favourites she recorded with her sisters Raylene and Cookie for their Christmas album, released more than 20 years ago.

Tickets for the concert are $30, available at Into the Music locations, the WECC and online at ticketfly.com.

— Jill Wilson

 

Christmas with the Phil

For some people, the holidays aren’t complete until you’ve experienced a Christmas concert. The Winnipeg Philharmonic Choir, directed by maestro Yuri Klaz, is happy to scratch that itch every year with its annual presentation of beloved carols. With two shows on Sunday, Dec. 16, at 3 and 7 p.m. at Crescent Fort Rouge United Church, 525 Wardlaw Ave., the Phil delivers inspired arrangements of some of the most beautiful songs of the season.

This year, in addition to selections from John Rutter’s Magnificat, the choir will perform Herbert Howells’ A Spotless Rose; Georges Moineau’s Noël nouvelet; John Rutter’s arrangement of John Jacob Niles’ I Wonder as I Wander; Benjamin Bolden’s I Saw Three Ships; and David Willcocks’ arrangements of See Amid the Winter’s Snow, Infant Holy, Infant Lowly and Ding-dong! Merrily on High, among others.

It’s another holiday tradition to invite a local school choir to perform with the Phil. This year, the Stevenson-Britannia Singing Sabres choir, under the direction of Julianna Rempel, will join the Phil in performance, as well as perform some of its own pieces.

The audience singalong portion of the concert creates all the fun of carolling without having to brave the elements. This year’s selections include Hark! the Herald Angels Sing, The First Nowell and the finale to Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus.

Tickets are $30 (adults), $25 (seniors) and $15 (under 30) and are available at McNally Robinson Booksellers, by calling 204-896-7445 or visiting thephil.ca.

— Jill Wilson

 

Michael Bolton

The long flowing locks he sported in the 1990s may be gone, but Michael Bolton’s inimitable, almost-smoky voice remains as pitch-perfect today as it did when he first burst in to the adult contemporary pop scene so many years ago.

On Wednesday, Dec. 19, Bolton returns to Winnipeg with a show dubbed “Greatest Hits & Holiday Favourites” that is sure to please his legions of longtime fans. The 65-year-old crooner is bringing a 16-piece band along to the Club Regent Event Centre (1425 Regent Ave. W.) to flesh out his most recognizable tunes — originals and classic covers such as How Am I Supposed to Live Without You, When a Man Loves a Woman, Soul Provider and How Can We Be Lovers — as well as some festive faves.

Bolton is no stranger to seasonal songs. In 1996, he released This Is the Time: The Christmas Album, which featured traditional Christmas favourites such as Silent Night, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, White Christmas and Joy to the World.

And while Bolton has sold tens of millions of records based on songs that explore love and heartbreak, he’s been able to approach his status as swoon-worthy crooner with self-deprecating humour. His appearance in the Lonely Island’s Captain Jack Sparrow music video on Saturday Night Live in 2011 saw him belting out a chorus about his addiction to the Pirates of the Caribbean movie franchise in a song that otherwise would be considered “serious.” The video has been viewed hundreds of millions of times on YouTube.

Bolton’s last Winnipeg appearance was at Bell MTS Place in September 2016 as part of the Miracle Gala and Concert in support of the David Foster Foundation, alongside artists such as Seal and Carly Rae Jepsen.

Tickets for Michael Bolton’s Greatest Hits & Holiday Favourites show start at $73.74 plus taxes and fees, and are available via Ticketmaster and casinosofwinnipeg.com.

— Ben MacPhee-Sigurdson

Cannes Lions

In an era defined by PVRs and streaming services, ads are often thought of as annoyances to skip over to get to the good stuff.

But, as the annual Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity consistently proves, the ads are the good stuff. Nearly 40,000 entries from close to 100 countries are showcased and judged at the festival, all of them vying for the coveted Lion trophy, the most prestigious international advertising award. A compilation of the world’s best ads is then screened for audiences around the globe.

The winning ads will entertain, to be sure, but they also offer a unique opportunity to see the world from a theatre seat. A lot about a country can be revealed through advertising, from its sense of humour to its social and cultural norms.

The 2018 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity premières in Winnipeg on Thursday, Dec. 13, at 7 p.m. at the Muriel Richardson Auditorium at the Winnipeg Art Gallery. If you can’t make tonight’s screening, not to worry: encore presentations will be held Dec. 20-22, and Dec. 27-29 at 7 p.m., with an additional 3:30 p.m. matinee on Saturday, Dec. 22.

Doors open one hour before showtime, and seating is rush. Tickets are $15 at wag.ca or at the door. These shows often sell out, so it’s recommended to purchase tickets in advance.

— Jen Zoratti

Fred Penner

Festive Fred-Heads unite! Fred Penner’s Concert for the Season is back at the Burton Cummings Theatre on Saturday, Dec. 15, for an afternoon of music and merriment.

The show features a collection of holiday tunes, as well as a few selections from Penner’s vast catalogue, and he will share the stage with five backup singers (his four children, as well as Dan Wiebe) and a four-piece band that includes Marc Arnould and Mitch Dorge, who just wrapped up a tour with the Crash Test Dummies.

Penner — who still calls Winnipeg home — is the winner of four Juno Awards and the recipient of both the Order of Canada and the Order of Manitoba, among numerous other honours. The skilled and versatile musician has been entertaining families for more than four decades and has long been considered one of Canada’s most beloved performers.

The show starts at 3 p.m. and tickets start at $19.50, available at Ticketmaster.

— Erin Lebar