Jocelyn Pettit & Ellen Gira

Joining forces in Glasgow in 2018, Jocelyn Pettit & Ellen Gira were already two well-established musicians, who found together a kindred musical spirit. With Jocelyn on fiddle and Ellen on cello, they push boundaries between traditional and contemporary genres to create a powerfully uplifting and soulful performance. 

On stage, their instruments weave a rhythmic, textured sound with nuanced fiddle-cello interplay. Complemented with vocal harmonies and lively stepdancing, they bring life and fire into original tunes, and high-energy repertoire from Scotland, Ireland, North America, and Scandinavia. FolkWorld Magazine calls them “A dazzling duo!”. 

Jocelyn & Ellen have been captivating audiences in North America and the UK with their album, All It Brings. Fresh off a 37-show tour, they received a nomination for "Traditional Album of the Year" at the 2024 Canadian Folk Music Awards. FolkWales Magazine calls the album “Wonderful, captivating... the most joyous and uplifting album in the entire galaxy.”

From the West Coast of Canada, Jocelyn Pettit is a vibrant fiddle player, stepdancer, and singer.  With grace and passion, she has delighted audiences and ignited stages across Canada and worldwide, appeared on national television and radio, and released three multi-award-nominated albums.

From the East Coast of the USA, Ellen Gira is an accomplished cellist who has performed throughout North America and the UK.  She has collaborated and recorded with numerous acclaimed traditional musicians, and is currently pursuing a PhD in Scottish Music at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

 Photo: Justyna Krzyżanowska

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 Paul Laforge and Lead-drummer Cyrus Felstrom-Stenka, and are the recent winners of Grade 2 events at both Calgary and Canmore Highland Games.