The Prince Albert Winter Festival cannot be complete without the talent-filled production, Voices Of the North (VOTN).
This year’s show was held at the Prince Albert Exhibition Centre on Feb 14 from 6:30 p.m.
“It feels very good to be here because we are celebrating Indigenous talents and all that we can be and all that we are,” VOTN producer Sheryl Kimbley said. “We are everything from Frank Sinatra to Daughtry, we have lots of country music, everything that you can think of.”
Sheryl has been in this business since 1993. The production began a few friends met and agreed to create a platform to showcase the abundance of Indigenous musical talent in the region.
Dillon Gazandlare performed during the Saturday night performance of the 2026 Voices of the North at the Prince Albert Exhibition Centre.
It’s been a Prince Albert Winter Festival staple almost every year since.
“Prince Albert is home, (and) it will always be a home,” she said. “This is where we began. They always welcomed us and made us feel like we deserve to be here.
“The Prince Albert Winter Festival has welcomed us as an event. We feel welcomed and we feel good. we are grateful to all our sponsors for standing by us and making this happen year after year.”
The night had about 17 different artists performing numerous and diverse songs to the excitement of the audience.
“It feels absolutely exhilarating to be here,” said Alex Powalinsky, one of the performers. “I love Voices of The North. This is my third time singing in the show and every year it keeps getting better and better.
Duane Kimbley performed during the Saturday night performance of the 2026 Voices of the North at the Prince Albert Exhibition Centre.
“I’m just really grateful to get to be here. Thank you Sheryl, LJ, the band and the wonderful Audience. Thanks so much for coming out and supporting indigenous artists.”
Powalinsky said the show is special because the musicians have family and friends in the audience offering their support.
“Absolutely it feels really good knowing that my parents are here, my family is here, members of my community, people from the Metis Nation are all here. It feels really good that you have got people cheering you on,” said Powalinsky, who performed “Total Eclipse of the Heart” by Bonnie Tyler and “the Giver” by Chappell Roan.
Alex’s father and Prince Albert mayor, Bill Powalinsky, was on hand for the evening.
“This takes me back to the 70s when we used to be on stage,” he said. “Seeing my daughter following in the steps, I love these musicians. It’s is such a classic show. For a minute, I thought I was in Vegas, in New York then in Woodstock. It was all fun.”
Talking with fatherly joy about Alex’s performance, he said “as I was seated here I remember her being two-years-old sitting on my shoulder with a microphone set up for me and one up for her. She started singing then. Her first public performance was at age 4.
The evening was kicked off with a dance by Renee Mirasty during the Saturday night performance of the 2026 Voices of the North at the Prince Albert Exhibition Centre.
“She had it locked down and it brought tears to my eyes. I am loving it and this is one of the highlights. PA is incredible, the north is incredible, the diversity, the love, it’s amazing.”
Samantha Beatty, who goes by the stage name Sammii, also lit up the stage with her songs.
“It’s so so fun,” Beatty said. “I love the audience, it’s a bigger audience, I feed off the energy.”
Beatty started performing at age 10 but actually started singing at age 6. She will also be performing at the upcoming Prince Albert Winter Festival Rock Show Experience.
Her debut single titled ‘Her Love’ has just been released, produced by her husband Travis Beatty.
Other singers included Fionnlagh McDonald, who performed Blue Moon by Frank Sinatra to the admiration of the audience. McDonald has been performing for about 10 years, but this was his first time at VOTN.
Guitarist Dillon Gazandlare was another artist who performed during the three-day show. He said Voices of the North is a great experience for the artists as well as the fans.
“It is incredible being here,” he said. “It feels great. I love performing. It feels surreal being back and more experienced.”
The night was truly a night filled with sweet voices from the north.
LJ Tyson performed a tribute to his late Grandfather Lawrence Joseph during the Saturday night performance of the 2026 Voices of the North at the Prince Albert Exhibition Centre.
“We are all a family and we are giving our talents, ourselves, our brothers and sisters the stage to dream and continue,” Kimbley said. “It’s not just me doing it. It’s everybody here who has contributed to make this a success.
“Next year we’ll keep getting stronger. We keep getting the word out for our talents to come through. We support all those that cross the stage and we continue to look for new talents to join our family.”
For more photos, please see page 18.
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