Canadian singer-songwriter Susan Aglukark is set to bring her love of the holiday season to Grand Bend with two matinee Christmas shows this weekend at the Huron Country Playhouse.
Aglukark, a three-time Juno award winner and the first Inuk artist to win both a Juno and a Governor General’s Performing Arts Award for lifetime artistic achievement, shared her deep connection to Christmas.
“Christmas is probably one of, if not the only, time where, globally, we give ourselves permission to just be, to just let everything go and just exhale . . . this big collective global exhale,” she said.
The December performances stem from a conversation between Aglukark and Huron Waves Music Festival artistic director John Miller after her sold-out show in Exeter in June. During that performance, held at Trivitt Memorial Anglican Church, Aglukark expressed her vision of creating a Christmas show. The result is This Season of Magic, which will include appearances by her band and the Stratford-based Flight Children’s Choir, performing classics such as Little Toy Trains and Silent Night.
“They’re just beautiful pieces of music,” Aglukark said of the selections. “To hear children’s voices, and to give children that opportunity to participate, it’s just a very special moment on stage. So having a chance to do that kind of stuff, especially with Christmas music. . . It’s just a joy to do that. Christmas has always been very special that way for me.”
The show will also feature hits from her career, including O Siem and Hina Na Ho.
“I think you’ll love the band,” she said. “We have a lot of fun playing together, but Christmas is one of our favourites to do together. . . . We all get the spirit of Christmas and we have a lot of fun with it.”
Aglukark’s June concert in Exeter, titled Unsung Heroes and Big Feelings: Honouring the Indigenous North, was part of Indigenous Peoples Week. She praised Miller and the festival’s board for fostering a supportive environment.
“That made performing and sharing those stories more meaningful,” she said. “People were receiving the information, receiving the history for what it was, and that’s how we heal. So it makes it, as a performer, feel more honest, and as an Indigenous artist that’s very important.”
Miller described Aglukark’s June performance as “very special.”
“People were moved by it,” he said. “The atmosphere of Trivitt was just absolutely beautiful.”
Huron Waves board president Paul Ciufo highlighted her a cappella rendition of Amazing Grace in Inuktitut as “one of the most beautiful performances I have ever heard.”
“I was incredibly moved by Susan’s performance,” he said. “I was amazed at the grace, at the positive message that Susan put forward of ‘Let’s go hand in hand forward together. Let’s heal.’ I find that incredibly generous.”
Looking ahead, Aglukark plans to mark the 30th anniversary of her breakthrough album, This Child, with a tour and is preparing a Christmas tour for next year.
Her This Season of Magic shows will take place at 2 p.m. on Saturday, December 14, and Sunday, December 15, offering an afternoon of warmth and holiday cheer.
“This is truly an event for all ages,” Miller said. “Susan’s warmth, combined with the choir’s angelic voices, will make for an unforgettable afternoon that will resonate with families, friends and fans.”