Highway 19 Concert Series
tamar ilana & ventanas
saturday, february 7, 2026 | 7:00pm
Willow Point Lions Hall (2165 S Island Hwy)
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“The sound of Toronto” Tamar Ilana & Ventanas perform original and traditional material in over 20 languages, weaving in and out of fiery Flamenco dance and music, Greek, Turkish and Sephardic love songs, upbeat Bulgarian dance tunes, and lyrical original melodies.
Lead singer Tamar Ilana is Ashkenazi Jewish and a member of Pasqua First Nation (Treaty 4 Territory, SK) with some Scottish and Roma-Romanian ancestry mixed in. She grew up on the road performing and traveling with her ethnomusicologist mother, Dr. Judith Cohen, which deeply influenced her life and career.
"Tamar has a power in her performance that is completely joyful and transportive. Her singing and dancing are deeply naturalistic and she’s transfixed me with her capacity to unravel a song. I’m a huge admirer." - Leslie Feist
The members of Ventanas (which includes Quadra Island raised fiddle master Jaron Freeman-Fox) draw from various backgrounds including Greek, Italian, French Canadian, and Indian and all grew up playing music and performing since they were children.
The project originally formed in 2011 when Tamar moved back to Toronto from Seville, where she had been living and studying Flamenco. Ventanas, meaning “windows” in Spanish, merges the members’ musical and cultural backgrounds together, creating their own sound which in turn reflects the sound of their city, Toronto.
As house band for FabCollab’s Women in Song series Tamar Ilana and Ventanas have collaborated with internationally renowned artists such as Meesha Shafi, Measha Bruggergosman-Lee, Tia Wood, Zeb Bangash, Eliana Cuevas, Amanda Martinez, Joanna Majoko, OKAN, Sintayehu “Mimi” Zenebe, Rosary Spence, Cotee Harper, Seanna Bailey, Ooldouz Pouri, Athina Malli, Leen Hamo, Tara Moneka, Suba Sankaran, and Paromita Kar. They’ve performed at Koerner Hall, the National Arts Centre, the Vancouver Folk Music Festival, the Aga Khan Museum, Calgary Folk Music Festival, Shambhala, and countless other theatres and festivals around the world, but this will be their first performance in Campbell River!
The Highway 19 Concert Series is supported by the Province of BC through BC Arts Council and BC Live, and the Government of Canada’s Department of Canadian Heritage.
General admission tickets are $30 with a limited number available for $20 to be accessible for those with limited income. Youth tickets are only $5.
J. Plank
Friday, January 30, 2026 | 7:00pm
Rivercity Stage (1080 Hemlock St)
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A Campbell River resident since 2020, Plank built his career in the Austin, TX roots music scene collaborating with loved and respected singers and songwriters like Ruthie Foster, Jimmy Lafave, Ray Wylie Hubbard, and Eliza Gilkyson. He launched his solo career in 2016 with the release of his acclaimed album Soulslide, and has since put out three more including 2023’s BC coast influenced Alone At Sea, produced by Colin Linden. His latest solo acoustic record The Bend showcases Plank’s distinct soulful voice and songwriting nuance, accompanied only by his own accomplished playing on acoustic and steel guitars, and a little piano, much the way he’ll be featured for this solo concert.
While he continues to tour the US often and Europe occasionally, earlier this year he launched a local concert series called The Ramble, taking place at the Big Yellow Hall in Merville every 3-4 months where Plank and his all-star Vancouver Island band back up two local singer-songwriters and guest headliner. For Plank, music is about bringing people together, creating community, and sharing in the joy and connection that a great song can deliver.
Plank’s annual winter solo show at Rivercity Stage has sold out for two years in a row, so don’t delay getting tickets to this intimate night of songs and stories.
The Highway 19 Concert Series is supported by the Province of BC through BC Arts Council and BC Live, and the Government of Canada’s Department of Canadian Heritage.
General admission tickets are $30 with a limited number available for $20 to be accessible for those with limited income. Youth tickets are only $5.
Two Pianos no rodeo: bob wiseman & mike boguski
thursday, march 5, 2026 | 7:00pm
Painter’s Lodge (1625 McDonald Rd)
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This isn’t a concert. It’s a piano séance in two acts.
Bob Wiseman and Mike Boguski, two of Canada’s most unpredictable keyboard minds are taking turns dismantling and reimagining what a solo piano set can be. One piano. Two artists. Zero cowboy hats.
BOB WISEMAN Founding member of Blue Rodeo. Punk pianist. Lo-fi provocateur. Think Monk meets Burroughs at a Toronto dive bar. Expect sound collage, biting satire, sonic left turns. Nothing’s off limits.
MIKE BOGUSKI Current Blue Rodeo pianist. Ambient soul explorer. A master of restraint and reverie. Piano as landscape. Melody as memory. Quiet storms and cinematic swells. Musical cliff jumping.
Each artist takes the same piano and launches in opposite directions - solo, stripped down, wide open. One piano. Two deeply personal journeys. No safety net. No genre crutches. No rodeo.
Come for the clash of styles. Stay for the communion. This is piano as protest, as prayer or as whatever they feel that night.
"Two Pianos, No Rodeo" is for those who like their art live, unexpected and slightly dangerous. Think of it less like a show and more like two sonic postcards from different planets sent through the same grand piano.
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For more than 20 years, guitarist Christine Tassan has led this gypsy jazz and swing combo at the forefront of the Quebec wave of enthusiasm for this timeless and iconic music made famous by Django Reinhardt. Pioneers in a domain usually reserved for men, Christine Tassan et les Imposteures continue to reinvigorate the repertoire with new ideas and influences, and virtuosic flair.
Tassan is an outstanding guitarist, classically trained, but dedicated since 1998 to the legacy of the music of Django Reinhardt, learning from masters like Angelo Debarre, Emmanuel Kassimo and Yorgui Loeffler. In addition to leading her own group, Tassan has contributed to numerous projects notably as a guest with The Lost Fingers, Paul Kunigis, Le Trio Martin Bellemare, and Canto Tango.
Anything but imposters, the band is comprised of Martine Gaumond on violin, Francis Tétu on rhythm guitar, and Mathieu Gagné on bass, all accomplished and in-demand Montreal jazz musicians, who all also contribute with vocals and arrangements.
They’ve released seven albums and performed in more than 600 festivals and venues in Quebec, Canada, Europe, United States and China, picking up accolades and awards along the way including a 2022 Juno nomination for Jazz Album of the Year.
The Highway 19 Concert Series is supported by the Province of BC through BC Arts Council and BC Live, and the Government of Canada’s Department of Canadian Heritage.
General admission tickets are $30 with a limited number available for $20 to be accessible for those with limited income. Youth tickets are only $5.
christine tassan et les imposteures
saturday, April 18, 2026 | 7:00pm
Willow Point Lions Hall (2165 S Island Hwy)
elham manouchehri & amir amiri: ma ensemble
tuesday, march 17, 2026 | 7:00pm
Rivercity Stage (1080 Hemlock St)
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"MA" evokes the Zen concept of "ma," the space between things, or the Farsi word "ma," meaning "us." This dual interpretation perfectly encapsulates the essence of the collaboration between Persian instrumental masters Elham Manouchehri and Amir Amiri, while also drawing from the initials of their surnames. The name "MA" serves as a reflection of their partnership, with the beginning letters of Manouchehri and Amiri symbolizing the creative fusion of their artistry.
Amir Amiri is a santur (Persian hammered dulcimer) player, composer, and cultural inventor who inhabits a unique musical universe where ancient inspiration, dazzling virtuosity, and bold creativity meet. He composed the soundtrack for Matthew Rankin's film Universal Language, which was short-listed to represent Canada at the Oscars 2025 and won the Directors’ Fortnight Audience Award at Cannes Festival 2024. His latest album Ajdad / Ancestors : Echoes of Persia has been at the top of world music charts since last September. Amiri performs and tours regularly with a vast spectrum of ensembles, enchanting with his signature down-to-earth style and connection with audiences.
Master of several traditional Persian instruments such as Tar, Setar, Shourangiz, and Robab, Elham Manouchehri has collaborated with a variety of musicians from multiple backgrounds and performed across Canada including featuring with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra. A resident of Montreal since 2014, she has since immersed herself in the city's cultural fabric and cultivated her musical talents receiving accolades and awards including from the Conseil des arts de Montréal and the Canada Council for the Arts.
Together, Elham and Amir embody the spirit of "MA" through their collaboration, creating a space where Persian tradition and contemporary expression converge, celebrating the power of unity and the beauty found in the spaces between. The project’s name is a perfect metaphor for their artistic bond, emphasizing the harmony between sound, silence, and the connection between their musical voices.
The Highway 19 Concert Series is supported by the Province of BC through BC Arts Council and BC Live, and the Government of Canada’s Department of Canadian Heritage.
General admission tickets are $30 with a limited number available for $20 to be accessible for those with limited income. Youth tickets are only $5.
ramble at the big yellow hall
friday, february 27, 2026 | 7:30pm
Merville Community Hall (1245 Fenwick Rd)
featuring paul pigat, sue decker, aj lontayao & maya mccutcheon w/ j. plank and the one-spot ramblers
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The third installment of the Ramble presented by Highway 19 Concerts and hosted by J. Plank (Jeff Plankenhorn).
Inspired by the late, great Levon Helm’s legendary Midnight Ramble in Woodstock, NY, each Ramble shines a spotlight on three songwriters from emerging and established local talents to show stopping guest headliners, all backed by the One Spot Ramblers, a stellar Vancouver Island house band led by Plank. The Ramble is all about building musical community, and creating unique and unforgettable nights of song and music in our region.
Featuring:
Paul Pigat – guitar, vocals & songs
Sue Decker – guitars, vocals & songs
AJ Lontayao – guitar & vocals
Maya McCutcheon – vocals
J. Plank – musical director, host, guitars and vocals
G. Lee Worden – guitars, keys and vocals
Rick May – bass
Dallas Carrie – drums, vocalsIn addition to leading his rockabilly powerhouse trio Cousin Harley, Vancouver’s Paul Pigat has quietly spent a career creating sweet sounds for some of the best artists in the country. Over the years his distinctive guitar playing has graced albums and stages of none other than Jeff Beck, Jackob Dylan, Michael Kaeshammer, Albert Lee, James Burton, Brian Setzer, The Reverend Horton Heat, Neko Case, Jim Byrnes, The Sojourners, Carolyn Mark… and on and on! Blessed with a jazz man’s sheen, a rockabilly heart and a hobo’s soul, there aren’t many genres of music that don’t pull at Pigat’s wayfaring imagination like a magnet. In many ways, it’s a mystery why Paul Pigat isn’t a household name yet. Maybe he’d be a lot easier to pin down if he wasn’t so darn good at so many different things.
Victoria singer-songwriter Sue Decker’s rich and warm voice, distinctive slide guitar playing, and authentic songwriting make for a powerful combination. Ever since learning to play her first guitar chords in a bluegrass jam at the age of thirty-five, Sue has been discovering her truth in song. In 2024 she released her second album “Keeping Time” with producer Steve Dawson which drew comparisons to Ry Cooder and Lucinda Williams.
Still in their teens, multi-instrumentalist AJ Lontayao and vocalist Maya McCutcheon have establishing themselves as tremendous talents to watch in the Campbell River music scene. On guitar and vocals, Lontayao leads the rock band Exit 30, winners of battle of the band accolades all over the Island. Both are regulars at Highway 19’s high school open mic nights and Georgia Strait Jazz Society jams, they also perform as a duo and with their jazz quartet Mood Swings where McCutcheon’s Winehouse-esque pipes are on full display.
J. Plank (Jeff Plankenhorn) is a highly respected musician known for his skill as a slide guitarist, songwriter, and vocalist, both as a solo artist and as a sought-after session musician. After years in the Austin music scene, Plank now calls Campbell River home while he continues to tour across North America and Europe. Lee Worden, Rick May, and Dallas Carrie round out the house band of Island aces.
The Ramble is a family friendly, licensed event. Kids are free with a paying adult, teens pay what you can at the door.
The Ramble is supported by the Province of BC through the BC Arts Council and BC Live Performance Network.