Swing into Spring concert weekend

For those ready to put winter behind them, the Swing into Spring concert held next weekend both in Hinton and Jasper may be just the thing.

The concert will consist of two performances by a number of Hinton musicians. The first is by the Blue Diamond Quintet, made up of Carol Wray, Bob Udell, Paul Girard, Stacy Renard, and Kathleen Giffin.

The quintet does quite a range of genres, said Giffin, a performer in the show, including country, gospel and swing music.

The show will also include a performance by Eklekta, a seven-piece women’s group. It consists of the three women from Blue Diamond, as well as Marilyn Bulger, Deanna Alford, Priska Haering, and Crystal Davy. 

“We do a similar kind of range though we do more on the swing side of things,” Giffin said. Eklekta also performs gospel, harp and Irish folk music.

Concert-goers can expect a well put together show by musicians who have been performing for years. “We’re very polished,” Giffin said. “We work really hard getting ready for these performances... we aim to have a very polished, tight performance.”

The Swing into Spring concert is at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 27 in Hinton, at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 28 in Jasper, and at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, March 1 in Hinton again. The Hinton shows will be at the Alliance Church and the Jasper show is at the Anglican Church.

In Jasper, tickets are available at Jasper Rock and Jade Shop and are $20 per person or $50 per family.