A powerful tribute to a Canadian songwriting legend hits the Strathcona Performing Arts Centre this January.

One of Canada’s most respected and influential songwriters is being honoured on stage in Bonnyville.

The Gift: The Words & Music of Ian Tyson comes to the Strathcona Performing Arts Centre on Friday, January 16, 2026, bringing together the musicians who helped shape Tyson’s legendary sound and the singers now carrying his music forward.

A legacy that shaped Canadian music

The end of 2022 marked the passing of Ian Tyson, a songwriter whose career spanned more than six decades and left a permanent mark on Canadian folk, country, and cowboy music. From Four Strong Winds to Navajo Rug, Tyson’s songs captured wide-open landscapes, working lives, and a distinctly Canadian sense of place.

After relocating from Toronto to the foothills of Alberta in 1976, Tyson became a mentor and collaborator to countless musicians across the province. Many of those musicians are now at the heart of The Gift.

The New Chinook Arch Riders

Five longtime members of Tyson’s bands continue his music as The New Chinook Arch Riders, performing under the direction of pianist and singer Stewart MacDougall.

The group includes:

• Stewart MacDougall – piano and vocals

• Calvin Vollrath – fiddle

• Gord Matthews – guitar

• Thom Moon – drums

• Julian Kerr – bass

Together, they bring more than 60 years of combined experience working with Tyson in studios and on stages across Canada. MacDougall also co-wrote songs with Tyson, including the title track of Yellowhead to Yellowstone, while Tyson recorded MacDougall’s Wind In The Wire on his 1989 album I Outgrew The Wagon.

Outstanding voices take centre stage

Joining the band are three acclaimed singers:

• Tracy Millar, a favourite on the rodeo and country festival circuit

• Ian Oscar, formerly of One Horse Blue

• John Wort Hannam, winner of two Canadian Folk Music Awards for Solo Artist of the Year and Contemporary Album of the Year

Hannam describes the show as more than a tribute. “The Gift is also a celebration of something that is uniquely Canadian,” he says, as he takes on classics like 18 Inches of Rain, Saddle Bronc Girl, and Land of Shining Mountains.

A show audiences across Canada are praising

The Gift has played to sold-out theatres across Alberta and Saskatchewan and has appeared at major events including Big Valley Jamboree, Dauphin Country Fest, the Edmonton Folk Music Festival, and the Alberta Scene Festival at the National Arts Centre.

Calgary Blues Festival producer Cindy McLeod calls the show “top-drawer,” praising the vocal arrangements and musicianship. CKUA broadcaster Allison Brock has described it as “a must-see show for all fans of Ian Tyson.”

Tyson himself attended several performances before his passing and deeply appreciated both the live show and its companion album, which features artists like Gordon Lightfoot, Blue Rodeo, Corb Lund, and Jennifer Warnes interpreting his songs.

What Bonnyville audiences can expect

Concertgoers can expect to hear more than two dozen Ian Tyson songs, including well-known favourites like:

• Four Strong Winds

• Someday Soon

• Summer Wages

• Alberta’s Child

• Navajo Rug

Alongside deeper cuts such as La Primera, Cowboy Pride, MC Horses, Casey Tibbs, Elko Blues, and The Gift itself.

Ticket information

Tickets for The Gift: The Words & Music of Ian Tyson are available now at
https://bonnyvilletheatre.com/
or by calling the Strathcona Performing Arts Centre box office at 780-812-7315.

The performance takes place Friday, January 16, 2026, at the Strathcona Performing Arts Centre in Bonnyville.