A pair of volunteers have breathed life back into a cultural organization in the town of Hinton.

Brian Carnell and his wife Lois have revived Hinton on Stage, a not-for-profit organization that operates in conjunction with the Yellowhead Rotary Arts Festival Society (YRAF), by putting together a spring series of live music performances.

Though Hinton on Stage has been around for quite a while, the organization suffered volunteer burnout four or five years ago and has been on hiatus, Carnell said. 

When Carnell and his wife hosted a home concert series in the fall, they found not only that the audience was really keen to support live music, but also that there are a number of people interested in helping out, so the two decided to get Hinton on Stage rolling again.

“Since we’ve restarted it, Lois and i have been doing it ourselves because if you’re going to have volunteers my experience is they have to have a specific job,” Carnell said. “You can’t just say ‘Come to a meeting and we’ll talk about it’.” Once they can quantify roles, the pair will start to recruit volunteers.

Putting it all together may seem like a lot of work for just two people, but Carnell said he and his wife love music. “I guess those who can, should,” he said. “We just like sharing music, it gives us a lot of pleasure.”

At the beginning of the first series after a few years off, it’s too soon to tell whether Hinton on Stage will take off, said Carnell. “It’ll stay going as long as we can keep the volunteers going and as long as people support it,” he said.

The first show will include Stony Plain singer/songwriter Karla Anderson and Calgary musician Tim Leacock on Jan. 19. The second concert of the season will feature John Reischman and the Jaybirds on March 23, and Calgary duo Lewis and Royal will perform the third concert on April 20. 

All shows start at 7:30 p.m. at the Hinton Alliance Church, and tickets are available at the Hinton Library.  A season ticket for all three concerts is $60, single seats are $25, and after Jan. 19 all tickets will be $25 each.