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Laila Biali never much cared for winter. Then a 2021 writing retreat at the Banff Centre changed her mind, and the songs she wrote there became Wintersongs, a holiday record made almost entirely of originals about snow, wind, and pine. It earned the Vancouver-born singer and pianist a 2026 Grammy nomination for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album, in a field that included Barbra Streisand and Lady Gaga, along with a Juno nomination at home.The big stages are familiar ground. Biali has sung and toured with Sting, Paula Cole, Chris Botti, and Suzanne Vega, played Carnegie Hall, won the 2019 Juno for Vocal Jazz Album of the Year, and hosts CBC Music’s Saturday Night Jazz, where listeners across the country know her voice before they ever see her play.
On record, Wintersongs is lush, with strings, harp, and a chamber orchestra conducted by Rob Mathes. For this holiday run she pares it down to a duo with Jodi Proznick, the BC double bassist, two-time National Jazz Awards Bassist of the Year, and a player on the closing ceremonies of the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. The pairing has history: Biali sang on Proznick’s Juno-nominated 2017 album.
Expect songs from Wintersongs alongside seasonal favourites, carried by nothing more than voice, piano, and bass. Two of the finest musicians in Canadian jazz, the quietest songs of the season, and a room close enough to catch the breath behind every phrase.
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Event venue
67 Front Street, Penticton, BC, Canada, British Columbia V2A 1H2
Tickets
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