We’re excited to welcome Home Routes back to Winkler Arts + Culture for our first full season of live music!
This year’s series brings artists from across Canada and beyond to our gallery for six unique evenings of music, stories and connection. From folk and blues to traditional Scottish and Québécois music, there’s something different to experience throughout the season.
Home Routes concerts offer a chance to experience these artists in a smaller, more intimate setting, right here in Winkler.
Tickets
$25 per person, per concert which can be purchased online the links below or to check them all out on our Eventbrite page click here!
Tickets can also be purchased in person at: Winkler Arts + Culture 547 Park St., Winkler – 204-312-7991
September 19 | When We Became Folk Fest
We’re kicking off the season with something a little different!
Winnipeg filmmaker Kevin Nikkel joins us for a screening of his feature documentary When We Became Folk Fest, exploring the first two years of the Winnipeg Folk Festival through archival footage filmed in 1974 and 1975.
The film captures the early days of what would become an important part of Winnipeg’s cultural landscape, including Home Routes co-founder Mitch Podolak at the beginning of his career as a presenter and festival director. Watch the preview here!
Following the screening, Kevin will stick around for a conversation and Q&A about the footage, the beginnings of the festival and the community that formed around it.
And it wouldn’t be a Home Routes evening without some live music! Winnipeg blues singer and musician Debra Lyn Neufeld will also join us for a short live set.
October 18 | Dan McKinnon
With a rich baritone voice and a love of storytelling, Dan McKinnon brings the musical traditions and stories of Atlantic Canada to our gallery.
Growing up in Halifax, Dan was surrounded by family stories and music, eventually discovering the guitar and the music of Stan Rogers, an influence that helped shape his own approach to songwriting.
Over more than 30 years of performing, Dan has taken his songs from coffeehouses and the Halifax Farmers’ Market to audiences across Canada and around the world.
November 24 | Melissa Chilinski
Banjo, fiddle, blues, jazz, old-time and bluegrass all find their way into the music of Melissa Chilinski.
A multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and vocalist, Melissa pairs articulate clawhammer banjo with rich vocals influenced by jazz and blues, creating music that feels rooted in tradition without being stuck there.
Her connection to folk music extends beyond performing. Melissa is also the founder of Salt Lake City’s Trash Moon Collective, bringing musicians and audiences together through concerts, dances and workshops.
Expect an evening of great musicianship, storytelling and a fresh take on traditional sounds!
February 5 | Nicolas Pellerin
We’ll start the 2027 portion of our season with Québec singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Nicolas Pellerin.
Nicolas is well known as the frontman of acclaimed progressive-traditional folk group Les Grands Hurleurs, whose music brings traditional Québécois sounds together with influences from folk, rock, jazz and classical music.
For this Home Routes performance, Nicolas joins us solo, giving us the opportunity to experience his musicianship in the intimate setting of our gallery.
March 10 | Ryan Young
Scottish fiddler Ryan Young brings the traditional music of Scotland to Winkler for our March Home Routes concert.
Ryan has built an international reputation for a style of playing that puts melody, expression and emotion at the centre of the music, drawing from both Scottish and Irish traditions.
His career has taken him across the UK, Europe, North America and Australia, earning multiple award nominations along the way, including a 2025 nomination for Musician of the Year at the MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards.
His newest recording, released in 2026, was produced by renowned Irish fiddler Martin Hayes.
If you love traditional music, fiddle, or simply seeing an exceptional musician up close, this should be a special evening.
April 15 | Tragedy Ann
We’ll close out the season with Tragedy Ann, the Guelph, Ontario folk duo of Liv Cazzola and Braden Phelan.
With pump organ, singing saw, guitar, accordion and closely blended harmonies, Tragedy Ann creates songs built around stories and questions about love, grief, community and the small moments that connect us.
Their music has taken them across Canada and internationally, from living rooms and backyards to festivals and venues including the National Arts Centre and Scotland’s Celtic Connections Festival. In 2025, their work received two Ontario Folk Music Award nominations.