Skip to content

A Prairie Christmas spirit in Coquitlam

The Janelle Nadeau Ensemble performs a traditional festive show on Dec. 1.
janelle
Vancouver harpist Janelle Nadeau heads to Coquitlam on Dec. 1 for a traditional Christmas concert with fellow musicians Kim Robertson and Joaquin Ayala.

When Vancouver harpist Janelle Nadeau sat down with medieval instrumentalists Kim Robertson and Joaquin Ayala to devise a Christmas show, she wanted to make one thing clear: The concert would evoke memories of growing up in her native Manitoba.

Nadeau, who will be at Coquitlam’s Evergreen Cultural Centre on Dec. 1 as part of the TD Music Series, said her childhood was filled with idyllic festive scenes of running in from the cold and warming up with a nice cup of hot chocolate by the fireplace. 

“My holiday experience was about people getting together and creating joy,” she said. “For me, having a gathering in the home and sharing stories is my happy place.”

For their Prairie Christmas tour, which launches in Burnaby on Thursday and includes six more gigs in B.C. and Manitoba, the trio will honour Nadeau’s Canadian traditions but also hit on elements from Robertson and Ayala’s U.S. and European backgrounds.

(Robertson, a Celtic harp player, hails from Milwaukee while Ayala is from Spain.) 

Together, they will play songs such as God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen and I Saw Three Ships as well as Celtic jigs and Spanish pieces. 

And, Nadeau said, each will talk about family holiday traditions and how those stories weave into their touring production.

Nadeau, who in mid-December is in the orchestra for the Goh Ballet Nutcracker, said she looks forward to returning to the Evergreen, where she has performed twice, and to Coquitlam, where she regularly plays at care homes under the Health Arts Society, a non-profit that delivers professional music and theatre shows at healthcare facilities.

• Tickets for the Janelle Nadeau Ensemble: A Prairie Christmas on Dec. 1 start at $15. Call the box office (1205 Pinetree Way, Coquitlam) at 604-927-6555 or visit evergreenculturalcentre.ca.

 

jcleugh@tricitynews.com

@jcleughTC