NMC Presents: A Songwriter’s Solstice

Seats are first come, first served. Please review the terms and conditions.

Join two of Alberta’s finest songwriters,  John Wort Hannam and  Mallory Chipman, for an intimate night of songs and stories in support of the National Music Centre.

Canadian Folk Music Award winner John Wort Hannam and rising folk-rock superstar Mallory Chipman will perform a set of festive collaborations with wintry roots, including favourites from Gordon Lightfoot, Merle Haggard, and more. Give back this holiday season, and enjoy some live Alberta-grown talent in the cozy King Eddy.

VIP tickets include a pre-show reception with exclusive access to the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio, guided by the National Music Centre’s studio engineer, and a deliciously crafted holiday cocktail.

About John Wort Hannam:

John Wort Hannam has been on his folk and roots-fueled troubadour journey for two decades, spinning song writing gold from the chaff of the lives he has encountered and those within his fertile imagination. Twenty-two years in, he shows no sign of slowing down. In fact, he’s gaining both momentum and a wider audience, winning two 2023 Canadian Folk Music Awards for Solo Artist of the Year and Contemporary Album of the Year. Add to this a Juno Award nomination, a Kerrville New Folk Win, a previous Canadian Folk Music Award, and it’s easy to see why audiences and critics alike hear something special in his narrative and lyrically driven songs. Effortlessly mixing rich and clear timbered vocals with lyrics that tug at the heart, his sound is both unique and familiar.

Born on the island of Jersey in the UK, he immigrated to Canada at the age of nine. He discovered the guitar and his knack for writing songs in his early thirties while working as a teacher on the Kainai Nation in Blackfoot country. In 2001, John quit his teaching job and made himself a promise – he would try his hand at writing songs for 10 months or until his employment insurance ran out. When time was up, he had a handful of songs. They became his first recording, released in 2002. Twenty-two years later, John is recognized as one of the best folk roots songwriters in Alberta and has released 8 full length recordings.

About Mallory Chipman:

With 5 records to her name and successful tours across Canada, Europe, and Japan, Canadian singer-songwriter Mallory Chipman is forging new paths on the music scene. Her genre-bending tendencies, powerful sound, and story-driven songwriting has been described as “some of the finest folk rock currently being made” (Amplify Music Magazine) and has set her apart as “a rising light in Canadian music” (NewTec Radio).

Also known as one half of the rising alt-country duo The Goddamsels, Mallory Chipman is a true raconteuse, praised for her work as both a solo artist and collaborator, and for her skills as a songwriter, arranger, producer, and music scholar.

Mallory makes music about life, about place, about experience — in this sense, her compositions reflect humanity, while remaining vulnerable and personal. Her catalogue seamlessly traverses styles including folk, jazz, country, pop, rock, and experimental music, and has garnered attention from audiences and industry alike.

Her recently released LP, Songs to a Wild God, has been praised for the way it explores thoughtful impressions on the environment we inhabit, and our place amidst the wild. It hit #1 on CKUA Radio, and was one of the only independently released albums to debut in the Top 50 on the Canadian National Charts.

Sound production equipment for the King Eddy provided by PK Sound.