Live!@WestPlains is pleased to present an outstanding season of Six Cozy Concerts In A Cozy Space ~ please join us and enjoy six wonderful afternoons surrounded by the rich sounds of world-class music performed in our intimate sanctuary by celebrated Canadian musicians! West Plains is a small venue with 185 seats so get your tickets early!
GET YOUR TICKETS BELOW!
~ Artistic Director Lianne Tan
All of our concerts are livestreamed! A livestream ticket gives access to the concert video for 14 days, for those from afar or who are unable to attend on the concert date. In-person Ticketholders also receive video access to the full concert for 7-14 days after the concert, for your further enjoyment!
*For select concerts, a limited number of VIP Front Pew Reserved Seats are available – with a VIP Front Pew seat, you have infinite legroom, a cushion, and no obstructions in front of you! Plus, VIP status mean no waiting in the line-up at the door – come right in and be seated!
Subscriptions with irresistible perks are available until October 25th. Click here!
Concertgoers enjoy 10% OFF on concert day at our local favourite dining partner!
(1) VIRTUOSIC HARP
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 28th, 2025, 2:30-4:15 PM [live & ticketed livestreamed]
TANGLED STRINGS ~ Sunshine Quan, harp & zither (guzheng), and Django Klumpp, guitar
THIS EVENT WAS THE EPITOME OF COZY, INTIMATE, AND EXQUISITE! SORRY YOU MISSED IT!
Sunshine Quan is back for her 5th concert at West Plains by persistent request from our audience! This time, she will be tangled with long-time collaborator Django Klumpp on guitar. The two were last here in 2023 and are thrilled to return to our intimate space!
Sunshine Quan was a featured performer in the 2025 Toronto International Harp Festival. Sunshine is completing her DMA degree in Harp Performance and Literature at the Eastman School of Music. Sunshine was the 1st prize winner of the scholarship audition at the Toronto Harp Society in 2015 and a National Gold Medalist for her ARCT performance recital at the Royal Conservatory of Music in 2021. A passionate advocate for new music, Sunshine has composed and arranged for solo harp and harp ensemble and has worked diligently with composers on new works for harp. Besides the harp and classical music, Sunshine also plays the Chinese zither (Guzheng), and performs traditional Chinese music and Irish/Celtic music. (The zither will be featured in a solo and duet at this concert!) Watch Sunshine on YouTube
Django Klumpp was a semi-finalist in the 2024 Louisville Guitar Competition and 2025 Philadelphia Guitar Competition, and a two-time winner of the Mansfield Solo Competition. He has performed throughout North America with chamber groups Silverwood Duo (flute and guitar) with flutist Eric Bergeman, and a guitar and harp duo with harpist Sunshine Quan. Django’s activity in the music scene also extends beyond strictly classical music, having collaborated with musical theater presentations, local rock and pop outfits, and international pop artists such as Korean musician Heize. Visit Django Klumpp
Tangled Strings, Music for Harp and Guitar, will feature works by well-known harp composers Alan Hovhaness, Xavier Montsalvatge, Maximo Pujol, and Gary Schocker.
(2) SPANISH GUITAR ON FIRE!
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 26th, 2025, 2:30-4:30 PM [live & ticketed livestreamed]
JOHANNES LINSTEAD ~ ‘From Spain to Cuba’ CD Release Candlelight Concert!
with Jordan Abraham, accordion, and Geoff Hlibka, guitar
🔴 TICKETS :
General Admission Tickets : $35 in Advance or $40 at the Door/$20 Video for JOHANNES LINSTEAD. Only 185 seats are available!
CLICK HERE FOR YOUR TICKET!
Juno-nominee and Guitarist of the Year (Canadian Smooth Jazz Awards), legendary Latin guitar sensation Johannes Linstead is internationally recognized as one of the best-selling guitarists in the Instrumental, Latin Jazz, and World Music genres. Garnering over half a billion streams, seven top-10 US Billboard charting albums, and the “People’s Choice” award in the UK, Linstead and his collaborators, Jordan Abraham (accordion) and Geoff Hlibka (guitar), will leave a sizzling trail at West Plains with music from Spain to Cuba!
This is the first official CD release concert for Johannes’ new album, From Spain to Cuba! CDs will be available for sale, and Johannes will meet the audience and sign copies following the concert!
Visit Johannes Linstead
(3) BLUEGRASS CHRISTMAS
*SATURDAY*, DECEMBER 13th, 2025, 2:30-4:30 PM [live & ticketed livestreamed] *note the day – Saturday, not Sunday
THE BARREL BOYS ~ Back for the Holidays!
🔴 TICKETS :
General Admission Tickets : $30 in Advance or $35 at the Door/$20 Youth under 16y/$20 Video for THE BARREL BOYS. Only 185 seats are available!
CLICK HERE FOR YOUR TICKETS!
Come celebrate the holidays with carols sung in tight 5-part harmony by the Barrel Boys! With a brand-new album out, the Boys are excited to return to West Plains again after a nearly sold-out show their first time here in 2023! This time, we’ll fill the house!
A bluegrass powerhouse featuring rich vocal harmonies, killer picking, and a fun-loving, down-to-earth stage presence, Ontario’s The Barrel Boys are a unique staple of Canadian roots music. Informed by the deep traditions of bluegrass, country, old-time, and Americana, The Boys have crafted their unmistakable sound into an exuberant and soulful experience. The Barrel Boys’ music has taken them to festival main stages and concert halls across Canada, and their last album Mainline earned them a nomination for Vocal Group of the Year at the Canadian Folk Music Awards. The Barrel Boys deliver rich vocal harmonies and virtuosic instrumental playing that will leave you pumped and ready for the holidays!
The Barrel Boys, from Fergus, Hamilton, and Smith’s Falls, are: Nathan Smith (Fiddle); Rob McLaren (Banjo); Ben Wright (Guitar); Kyle Kirkpatrick (Dobro); and Tim O’Reilly (Bass).
Follow the Barrel Boys on Tour at The Barrel Boys. Bring money for exciting new merch!
(4) LIFE IN SONG
SUNDAY, JANUARY 25th, 2026, 2:30-4:15 PM [live & ticketed livestreamed]
COLOUR FILM ~ Dundas’ proud export!
with opening act, Mylissa Tom
🔴 TICKETS: $20 in Advance or $25 at the Door/Youth 16y & under FREE/$15 video for COLOUR FILM. CLICK HERE TO GET TICKETS!
Colour Film is Matthew deZoete, a dad, a farmer’s husband, and a seasoned performer who has toured the world. After a near-fatal injury, Matthew has returned to reclaim his music. Mixing a storyteller’s eye for detail with a knack for melody and beautiful harmonies, Colour Film’s latest album Half An Hour presents snapshots of everyday life that illuminate the underlying currents. For this concert, Colour Film will be a trio, with Matthew joined by Kori Pop (keys and harmonies) and Andrew Barbisan (lap steel, percussion, and harmonies).
Colour Film concerts are communal experiences, engaging audiences with stories and sing-alongs. Here’s a recent review from a SOCAN exec: “He sounded great, gentle but intense, while his backing singer offered sublime harmonies. As haunting as the music is, his onstage banter is the exact ‘equal-but-opposite’ – funny, self-deprecating, and utterly charming.”
Visit Colour Film.
With opening act, Burlington’s own Mylissa Tom, an emerging singer-songwriting talent with deep soul.
Known for her distinctive voice and introspective lyricism, Burlington indie folk singer-songwriter, Myl, explores themes of grief and complicated relationships with self, love and family through song. Songwriting became a lifeline for her during the last years of her studies in Statistics at the University of Waterloo, especially while she lived and studied abroad in Odense, Denmark, and later when she returned home for the final months of her father’s battle with cancer. Now a recent Seneca IMP graduate and Darkspark Versions Fellow, she is currently recording and producing two projects to be released in 2026.
(5) CELTIC CELEBRATION
SUNDAY, MARCH 1st, 2026, 2:30-4:30 PM [live & ticketed livestreamed]
JOELLE CRIGGER
🔴 TICKETS: $25 in Advance or $30 at the Door/$20 Youth 16 & under/$20 Video for JOELLE CRIGGER. CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS!
Celebrate the month of St. David and St. Patrick with high energy Celtic music! Tap your heels to some serious fiddle & piano playing and step-dancing by award-winning violinist Joelle Crigger and her band, ALCHEMY, with Julie Fitzgerald (fiddle, piano, step-dance) and Andrew Dawydchak (fiddle & mandolin). We are proud to present these young artists!
A versatile musician, Joelle Crigger is a multiple winner of the Canadian Open Fiddle Championship, and was honoured to receive the 2023 Stingray Rising Stars Award. A receipient of numerous scholarships, Joelle completed her undergraduate degree in Violin Performance at the University of Toronto, studying with Jonathan Crow. Joelle is now a graduate student on full scholarship at the Glenn Gould School of Music. She has served as concertmaster of the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra, and recently performed as a soloist with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the Oakville Chamber Orchestra, the North York Concert Orchestra, the Cathedral Bluffs Symphony Orchestra, and the Burlington Symphony Orchestra. A highlight of her musical career was playing Andrew Norman’s Gran Turismo with the TSO Chamber Soloists as part of an octet led by virtuoso violinist James Ehnes at Roy Thomson Hall.
Follow Joelle Crigger.
(5) CHAMBER CLASSICS
photo: Karen E. Reeves
SUNDAY, MAY 17th, 2026, 2:30-4:30 PM [live & ticketed livestreamed]
GEMMELL & SMITH ~ Violin and Piano Duo
🔴 TICKETS: $30 in Advance or $35 at the Door/$20 Youth 16 & under/$20 Video for GEMMELL & SMITH. CLICK TO BUY YOUR TICKETS!
Our acclaimed Live!@WestPlains Season Anchor Artists, Corey Gemmell and Benjamin Smith, violin and piano, return by popular demand, with a programme that is part artist choice and part audience choice, plus a new collaboration. Gemmell & Smith will once again infuse their deep intensity and passion into masterworks of chamber music, entwining both music and audience in an unforgettable experience.
Programme : Ysaÿe Poème élégiaque, Op.12; Prokofiev Violin Sonata No.2 in D Major; Schubert Piano Trio in B-flat major, D.898, with special guest, Paul Widner, cello.
Corey Gemmell, violin, is the highly sought-after concertmaster of Sinfonia Ancaster, Burlington Symphony Orchestra, Mississauga Symphony Orchestra, Esprit Orchestra, and Orchestra Toronto. This season, Gemmell will perform Ravel’s Tzigane with the BSO, as well as Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 1 with Orchestra Toronto. Benjamin Smith, piano, is in high demand in Toronto as the musicians’ pianist. Smith teaches young professionals at the Glenn Gould School of the Royal Conservatory, and performs and records with many artists. In November 2025, Gemmell & Smith perform the Complete Violin-Piano Sonatas of Ludwig van Beethoven over three concerts, hosted by the Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Music Society.
Visit Gemmell & Smith.
This concert is generously sponsored by Nadine McLean.
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GENERAL INFORMATION
Our venue is fully accessible with ample parking at the church and across the street.
All of our concerts are livestreamed! A livestream ticket gives access to the concert video for 14 days, for those from afar or who are unable to attend on the concert date. In-person Ticketholders also receive video access to the full concert for 7-14 days after the concert, for your further enjoyment!
Subscriptions with irresistible perks are available until October 25th. Click here!
Not keen to purchase tickets online? Tickets are also available by cash/cheque from Wendy at the West Plains United Church office, 549 Plains Road West, Burlington, on Tuesdays/Wednesdays/Thursdays, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Please call 905-529-4871 for the church office, and ring the doorbell when you arrive.
We would love to have new Sponsors! As our concert series evolves and takes on more ambitious programming, we endeavour to offer our artists fair fees reflective of their incredible effort, energy, and time in presenting a concert for our enjoyment. If you would like to consider sponsoring an artist or a concert, in this season or in the future, please call Lianne at 905-320-4989, or email westplainsconcerts@gmail.com. We would love to talk together with you! Thank you!
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For more information and to join the Live!@WestPlains email list, please contact westplainsconcerts@gmail.com or call 905-320-4989.
All welcome! Enjoy music by talented artists in an intimate space with warm acoustics!