Home Routes concert series at Birds Canada

By Wanda Backus-Kelly

Any visitor to the Birds Canada office on Front Road will agree that the building is beautifully positioned, looking out over marshland and roving trails. Floor to ceiling windows seem to bring the outside in. The large gathering space in the gallery is comfortable and well-appointed. That’s where Ruth Frost, office organization manager for the group, got a great idea!

Having learned of a cancellation, Ruth approached tour organizers Home Routes/Chemin Chez Nous, the Winnipeg based non-profit organization that was created to promote artists in small and intimate settings across the country.

“In May of 2024, the venue for a concert had to cancel, which left the tour organizer scrambling for a place for the concert to be held,” explained Ruth. “I offered Birds Canada’s space and we ended up with a full house!”
Building on the success of that first evening, Birds Canada went on to become a venue for the 2024–2025 season, hosting five concerts.

A concert series for the upcoming season is being considered. A final concert for the winter season is planned for the evening of March 30, when Birds Canada will host Suzie Vinnick—2024 Canadian Folk Music Award winner for Contemporary Singer of the Year.

Vinnick has also earned a 2024 ECMA for Blues Album of the Year with her trio A’Court, Spiegel & Vinnick, 12 Maple Blues Awards, two Canadian Folk Music Awards, and three Juno nominations. Tickets are available through the Birds Canada events page at www.birdscanada.org.

Originally printed in The Good News, April  2025.