Every Thursday, we publish live music events at pubs and restaurants in Peterborough and the greater Kawarthas region based on information that venues provide to us directly or post on their website or social media channels. Here are the listings for the week of Thursday, December 7 to Wednesday, December 13.

If you’re a pub or restaurant owner and want to be included in our weekly listings, please email our nightlifeNOW editor at nightlife@kawarthanow.com. For concerts and live music events at other venues, check out our Concerts & Live Music page.

With the exception of karaoke, we only list events with performing musicians. Venues may also host other events during the week (e.g., dancing, DJs, comedy shows).

In a perfect world, the Christmas season sees us slow down and smell the poinsettias, but the reality for most is a madcap sprint to the finish line that leaves our energy as depleted as our bank accounts.

It’s with that front of mind that electric violinist Victoria Yeh, joined by some very talented musical friends, will take to the Market Hall stage on Thursday, December 21st to present Timeless, her celebration of the winter that promises a welcome respite from all the Christmas hubbub.

Tickets to the 8 p.m. performance cost $35 ($55 for cabaret seating with VIP pre-show talk) and can be purchased in person at the Market Hall box office (140 Charlotte St, Peterborough), by phone at 705-775-1503, or online at markethall.org.

“For a lot of people, the holidays can be a very bittersweet or difficult period, especially those who have lost loved ones or are going through a difficult time in their life,” says Yeh. “It can be difficult being bombarded by holidays and Christmas. I wanted to offer something that celebrates the winter season, which is so Canadian and such a beautiful time of year, without it being just about Christmas.”

The concert takes place on the winter solstice — the day with the shortest period of daylight and the longest night of the year — which, in many cultures throughout history, has symbolized rebirth, renewal, and the return of the light.

“In this age of social media highlight reels, we live in a time where we have unreasonable expectations of happiness,” Yeh notes. “But everything in life is impermanent. I wanted to honour that by creating space for people in happiness, sorrow, celebration, and even grief to come together during the holidays. This is an evening of music to lift our spirits out of the longest night of the year.”

VIDEO: Victoria Yeh performs Vaughan Williams’ “The Lark Ascending”

Timeless, says Yeh, will be very good for her own psyche as well.

“My first husband passed away on December 23rd nine years ago and Christmas has never really been quite the same for me since,” she reflects. “Each year, I get a little more hopeful that it’ll be easier. In some ways, it is — but it’s inevitable that grief will hit me at some point. It’s a time of year I need to be kinder and gentler with myself, and try to make new traditions.”

Timeless is being presented one year to the day since Yeh headlined her first Peterborough concert at The Theatre On King, having moved to East City just six months prior to start a new chapter after remarrying.

“I really wasn’t sure what the reception would be, but it was so positive,” recalls Yeh. “It sold out in two weeks and I had a wait list of another full house. I decided to dive off the deep end this year and go for Market Hall. They’re both beautiful venues, but Market Hall is a wonderful step up for us.”

Her audience, says Yeh, will be treated to a “similar concept” as the 2022 concert “but a very refreshed program.”

“It’s essentially violin through the ages. It starts with the Baroque era with a movement from Vivaldi’s Winter from Four Seasons followed by Invierno (Winter), which was written by the famous Latin composer Astor Piazzolla, a contemporary composer who’s best know for his tangos. It’s infused with quotes from Vivaldi, which is really creative, interesting and surprising.”

Yeh will also premiere a new piece of her own, titled “Winter In Canada,” which features “elements from Vivaldi and Piazzolla but also some very Canadian elements.”

Including Yeh, 16 musicians will perform, in the form of an 11-piece orchestra and her band, both called Spirit Awakens. Among the Peterborough musicians performing are Mike Graham, Curtis Cronkwright, and John Kraus.

The result, says Yeh, will be an orchestral classical beginning to the concert followed by a more contemporary jazz fusion sound in the second half.

Timeless marks the final show of Yeh’s six-concert music series Travel By Sound that started September 23 at Showplace with an original folk musical from Shipyard Kitchen Party titled Tom Thomson’s Wake, which was reprised on September 30 at Victoria Hall in Cobourg.

Next up was Canadian drum legend Paul DeLong’s jazz-fusion quintet ONE WORD, featuring Yeh, in concert at Market Hall on October 26. That was followed, on November 4, with a concert by the Northumberland Orchestra and Choir, of which Yeh is concertmaster, at Trinity United Church in Cobourg.

On Sunday, December 17th, Northumberland Orchestra and Choir will perform a 3 p.m. matinee dine-and-dance Christmas-themed concert at Cobourg’s Best Western Plus, with Timeless closing out the Travel By Sound series four days later in Peterborough.

Each Travel By Sound performance provides ticket holders with pre-show specials at local restaurants as well as discounts for overnight stays at local hotels. For the Timeless concert, Amandala’s is offering ticket holders a three-course dinner for $75, while the Holiday Inn Peterborough-Waterfront is providing a discounted overnight stay for $155.

“Overall, I’ve received great feedback,” says Yeh of the all-inclusive full night out offering, noting “Some people, who have travelled quite far for the shows, having taken up the offers.”

VIDEO: Victoria Yeh performs Jean-Luc Ponty’s “Cosmic Messenger”

The Travel By Sound series aside, Yeh is one very active performer, with her concert itinerary since moving to Peterborough dotted with performances not only in the city but also across central and southern Ontario, Quebec, and British Columbia. Add to that her musical score contributions to countless film and television projects, and her teaching of music students. If that’s not enough to keep her busy, she and Hesselink are in the midst of building a new house.

“It has been challenging to juggle everything,” admits Yeh. “I probably spend 60 per cent of my time doing administrative things and organizing and practicing and all that stuff.”

“My husband is in his second year of a one-year sabbatical,” she laughs. “He designed our home and is the project manager and general contractor. What I can contribute is vendor management and budgeting, and a little light labour where I can. We work really well as a team. Luckily our kid is a teenager and gaining independence.”

Reflecting on their move to Peterborough, Yeh says she left behind “a very established career in Toronto that I spent 16 years building.”

“We had planned to move to Georgian Bay. I spent about five or six years slowly building a fairly loyal audience there. Then we decided Georgian Bay wasn’t where we wanted to land after all, and made the choice to move to Peterborough. I was faced with the daunting prospect of having to restart my career from zero. I had no personal or professional contacts here. I knew I had to put in a lot of effort to hit the ground running to make anything of my career here.”

A year and a half later, mission accomplished.

“I’ve been so pleased with our move here — I feel like everything that I have done has been welcomed,” assesses Yeh. “The artistic community has been very welcoming. The business community has been helpful as well. I’ve been involved with the Chamber of Commerce and the DBIA. I also received a grant from EC3 (Electric City Culture Council), the local RBC Dominion Securities, and Kawarthas Northumberland Tourism to fund my concerts. There’s a long list of partners and sponsors that have gotten on board for this concert and the series. It’s been a huge blessing.”

Raised in Edmonton, Yeh recalls waiting for the school bus “in minus-32-degree weather, when your tears freeze on your face.”

“Ontario winters are a fairly pleasant breeze for me. We’re very into outdoor winter activities. Last winter, we were able to ski from right outside our front door over to Beavermead, and we skated in our backyard on the canal. We’re so thankful to be in this pedestrian-friendly city. It’s a really wonderful change from the anonymity of Toronto.”

As busy as life is for herself and her family, Yeh says her focus “is always on live performance.”

“It brings me so much joy, and so much energy, to be able to share space with an audience and really connect with them. I really enjoy that. But I’m an introvert, so I do find it tiring as well. I need to retreat back home and spend time totally alone, locked in a room.”

Besides holding down three downtown Peterborough residencies at Jethro’s Bar + Stage, Amandala’s Restaurant, and the Black Horse Pub, Yeh is composing the soundtrack for Grist, a proof of concept for a three-part mini-series filmed at Lang Pioneer Village by Peterborough-based Paradigm Pictures.

“I’m also doing a really cool thing with South Georgian Bay Media Association in Collingwood,” she says. “I filmed the first thing with them last August, which was a test on augmented reality and virtual reality. They filmed me in 3D and then built a virtual reality avatar of me performing. We’re trying to secure some grant funding to present that as a live augmented reality concert experience.”

“This year I’ve played the biggest and most ambitious shows of my career, but the Jethro’s residency reminds me of how much I still enjoy playing really small listening rooms where I can actually see and connect with every single person in the room. I can do really intimate shows with a very unique set list. I’m looking forward to maybe doing more house concerts next year and more small rooms as well.”

For more information about Victoria Yeh, including Timeless and her other upcoming performances, visit victoriayeh.com.

This branded editorial was created in partnership with Victoria Yeh. If your organization or business is interested in a branded editorial, contact us.

With its beautifully decorated Christmas trees, its ‘hysterically funny’ panto, and its December line-up of concerts for all tastes, Port Hope’s Capitol Theatre is a destination for your holiday season enjoyment.

Whether you’re coming to the theatre to see a show or just want to immerse yourself in the spirit of the season, the 27th annual Festival of Lights and Trees encompasses the lobby with adorned Christmas trees for free viewing by the entire family. Viewings are available until December 17 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays to Saturdays as well as from 12 to 1:30 p.m. on Saturdays, with additional viewings from 12 to 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, December 15 and from 12 to 2 p.m. and 4 to 7 p.m. on Sunday, December 17.

A community favourite and holiday tradition in Port Hope, the festival is also a fundraiser for the not-for-profit theatre. During display times, guests have the option to purchase a raffle ticket and enter to win a wreath, or all of the decorations on a tree, plus a Capitol Theatre 2024 summer season subscription. The prize draw takes place at the Capitol on Monday, December 18 at 11 a.m.

Along with the Festival of Lights and Trees, a highlight of this year’s holiday season at the Capitol Theatre is Jack – A Beanstalk Panto, running until December 23 with both “naughty” performances and “nice” family-friendly matinees.

“It was hysterically funny,” writes Janine Marley of A View from the Box. “There were times I could barely catch my breath from laughing so hard.”

That reaction is not surprising, considering the show is written and directed by award-winning Canadian actor, improviser, and playwright Rebecca Northan (Alice I Think, The Joe Blow Show, Blind Date, Goblin: Macbeth) and performed by Christy Bruce, Paul Constable, Robbie Fenton, Madison Hayes-Crook, Clea McCaffrey, Zoe O’Connor, Hal Wesley Rogers, and Steve Ross.

VIDEO: Jack – A Beanstalk Panto promo

“Because Northan is a masterful comedienne and improviser, she knows the minutiae of crafting and creating a joke or realizing a funny moment based on an audience’s reaction,” writes Lynn Slotkin of The Slotkin Letter. “Her gifted cast is a collection of equally smart actors who know how to float a laugh line for the biggest laugh. As with all good comedians, every joke, every reaction is played absolutely straight — no joke is telegraphed.”

“The stellar cast of Jack: A Beanstalk Panto deliver incredible performances, most taking on more than one character during the course of the story and each of them getting to show off their incredible singing voices,” Marley writes.

Pantomine (panto for short) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for families that originated in England and is performed around Christmas and New Year’s. Usually based on a well-known nursery story or fairy tale, a panto features songs, gags, slapstick comedy, magic, dancing, gender-crossing actors, topical humour, and audience participation. British pantos include risqué double entendre that go over the head of children in the audience but, in North America, pantos usually include separate “nice” family-friendly performances and “naughty” performances intended for adults.

“Make it a nice day out and take the kids or grandkids to this show, or be a little bit naughty and head out for an evening of off-colour jokes,” writes Mary Alderson of Entertain This Thought. “You’ll be laughing either way.”

“Nice” performances of Jack – A Beanstalk Panto take place at 2 p.m. on December 9, 11 a.m. on December 10, and 2 p.m. on December 16, 22, and 23. “Naughty” performances run at 8 p.m. from December 4 to 9, December 12 to 16, and December 19 to 23, with a 2 p.m. matinee performance on December 13.

Tickets are $48 and can be purchased online at capitoltheatre.com or in person at the box office.

In addition to the holiday panto, during December the Capitol Theatre is presenting two Christmas concerts and two concerts to cap off 2023.

Celebrated Canadian tenor John McDermott will perform a family Christmas show with his band on Saturday, December 10th at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $55.

Good Lovelies (Whitby’s Caroline Brooks, Port Hope’s Kerri Ough, and Cobourg’s Susan Passmore) will be bringing their songwriting and multi-instrumental talents and their gorgeous harmonies to the Capitol stage for two performances of their Christmas tour on Saturday, December 17th. Tickets are $45 for either the 2:30 p.m. or 7:30 p.m. shows.

VIDEO: Elton Rohn promo

For the last weekend of 2023, the Capitol Theatre is presenting Toronto tribute band Tommy Youngsteen who will perform Bruce Springsteen’s classic album “Born in the USA” at 8 p.m. on Saturday, December 30th. Named one of Toronto’s best cover bands, the band includes members and alumni from The Sam Roberts Band, Stars, The Stills, The Dears, Sloan, The Trews, Lowest of the Low, Serena Ryder, and The Arkells. Tickets are $55.

At 8 p.m. on New Year’s Eve, Elton Rohn will return to the Capitol Theatre for the fifth time, with Ron Camilleri and his band of some of Canada’s finest musicians performing all of British rocker Sir Elton John’s most well-loved hits. Don’t delay getting your $65 ticket, as all previous Elton Rohn appearances at the Capitol have sold out.

Tickets for all concerts can be purchased online at capitoltheatre.com or in person at the box office.

Two veteran Peterborough musicians have launched a new book of poetry for children — about vegetables.

The Radish is Reddish and Other Vegetable Poems contains short poems about vegetables written by Hank “Washboard Hank” Fisher with illustrations by Willie “Catfish Willie” Lindsay.

“The Radish is Reddish is a humorous celebration of vegetables aimed at children, who as we all know should eat their vegetables,” reads a media release.

This is not the first collaboration between Washboard Hank and Catfish Willie, who have performed together for over 10 years in the western swing cartoon and western band Catfish Willie and the Buckle Busters.

As an entertainer of both children and adults, Washboard Hank is well known for producing jingles and thought-provoking songs that convey a serious message in a funny way.

He has performed at numerous children’s festivals across Canada, and has also appeared on television shows including The Elephant Show, Mr. Dressup, and Shining Times Station.

A graduate of three art schools in Toronto, Catfish Willie was a natural choice to illustrate the book.

“His illustrations perfectly convey the humour and whimsy of Hank’s poems,” reads the media release. “The purpose of this book is to spread the long-held love of vegetables that both Willie and Hank enjoy.”

Copies of the book can be purchased at The Toy Shop 180 Charlotte Street in downtown Peterborough (705-742-6294), or you can contact Washboard Hank through Facebook.

This story has been updated with details about where you can buy the book.