West of Mabou Trio

With a nod to their East Coast heritage, West of Mabou carries on the tradition of Celtic musicianship with an animated and boisterous flair.

Described as having a “sound all their own,” West of Mabou has seductively blended traditional tunes and new music with a hearty helping of a good ol’ western rhythm. With an arsenal of instruments at their disposal and room to explore, their sound keeps finding new horizons.

The band’s beginnings are simple enough - a few folks on prairies getting together to play a few “chunes” on a chilly winter evening. What they found was an alchemy that led them to audiences across North America.

West of Mabou unites the talents of Scott Benson (fiddle), Jared Dormer (percussion), Justin Easton (guitar/bass/vocals), Alex Rasmussen (pipes/whistles), and Roberta Wallace (fiddle). Each of the band members is an experienced musician in their own right, having performed around the world.

Ten years strong now, they have received multiple nominations. Their first album, self titled West of Mabou, received a 2016 Western Canadian Music Awards nomination. The Bridge, the next album released by the band, was nominated for both a 2018 Canadian Folk Music award as well as a 2018 Western Canadian Music award. Most recently, their latest album, Horizons, was nominated for Instrumental Artist of the Year at the 2024 Western Canadian Music Awards.

West of Mabou Trio is Alex Rasmussen (pipes, whistles), Justin Easton (guitar) and Roberta Wallace (fiddle).

Emily Dubois

Emily Dubois is a musically ambitious fiddler from little Langbank, Saskatchewan.

Emily’s affection and affinity for the fiddle started early; regularly attending youth fiddle camps like the Kenosee Lake Kitchen Party, Emily was exposed to multiple fiddling styles from a variety of notable Canadian players such as JJ Guy, Gordon Stobbe, Ivonne Hernandez, Shane Cook, John Arcand, Calvin Vollrath, Karrnnel Sawitsky, Stephanie Labbé, Troy MacGillivray, Tim Chaisson, Mairi Rankin, and Liz Carroll.

Over a ten-year span, fiddle-camps and the connections they create have nurtured Emily’s passion for collaboration, performance, and her own evolution to mentoring and teaching young fiddlers. A significant connection was made early with Vancouver Island’s own Ivonne Hernandez, and followed her to Victoria to further her own growth as a player, performer, and instructor, working alongside Hernandez in a variety of projects.

Since her shift from flatland to island, Dubois has completed the a diploma in Contemporary Music Performance under Daniel Lapp, competed in the 2019 Canadian Grand Masters Fiddling Championship, and post-pandemic graduated from Capilano University with a certificate in Arts and Entertainment management.

Emily continues to explore her own career in the arts, and the art of musical entertainment and education. She is committed to her own role in the rich tradition of Canadian fiddling, and has taught privately, out of Long & McQuade, the Victoria Conservatory of Music, and Vancouver's Open Door Music Studio. She also works administration for the North Shore Celtic Ensemble and the Serena Eades Academy of Music.

Since September 2023, Emily has moved back to Saskatchewan, and are located out of Regina. It is here where the Flatland Fiddling Studio was finally able to come to fruition, and has successfully finished its first year. She is beyond excited be back SK fiddling scene and do her part to sustain it!

The City of Regina Pipe Band

The City of Regina Pipe Band has been Saskatchewan's champion pipe band since 1992, and has represented Regina and Saskatchewan at Highland Games and Festivals in Canada, the USA and Scotland. The band has won prizes in Grade 2 at Maxville, in BC and the Pacific Northwest, Montreal, and at events in Scotland. 

As well as it's significant competition and performance schedule, the band plays a key roles in teaching the Conservatory of Performing Arts Pipe Band, and in organizing the Saskatchewan Highland Gathering and Celtic Festival, the Mid-Winter Celtic Festival,  and the Saskatchewan Pipe Band Association's annual summer school "Sound Advice," held each summer at the University of Regina.

The band performed at Piping Live!, The Glasgow International Piping Festival in 2005, 2006, 2010 and 2012, and has performed at Celtic Festivals in Scotland, Washington State and North Dakota. In August 2013, the band played in front of over 44,000 home-town fans as a backing to Sir Paul McCartney for his "Mull of Kintyre."

The band worked to stay active and engaged during two years with almost no public performances or competitions due to covid, and in 2022 came back to compete with new members and enthusiasm for keeping pipe bands a part of Regina's cultural scene. The band is under the direction of Pipe-major Iain MacDonald and Lead-drummer Cyrus Felstrom-Stenka.