Boreal…

…is the magical musical collaboration of Tannis Slimmon, Katherine Wheatley and Angie Nussey. These three hard-working singer-songwriters, each with their own longstanding, award-winning careers, simply love playing music together. In the winter, Boreal shines their collective light on Canada’s coldest months with their show “Songs for the Snowy Season”. The brighter/warmer months are reserved for “Songs of Renewal”, a show that combines sun-loving, moon-watching, finger-snapping, heart-touching and deeply uplifting songs.

The trio’s spell-binding harmonies, combined vocal prowess and tour-de-force songwriting make for a powerful musical event. With humour, storytelling and heart-melting honesty, Boreal takes their audience on a journey of friendship, laughter and connection. 

Boreal began in 2006, when singer-songwriters Katherine Wheatley, Tannis Slimmon, and Jude Vadala gathered around Jude’s kitchen table with the idea to create a show that would kickstart the winter with excitement and joy. Since each member of the trio was busy with their solo career, their idea was to perform a small tour (literally a “two-er”) together each December. The audiences were enthralled and so the harmonious trio expanded their touring and took their show “Songs for the Snowy Season” to soft-seat theatres across Ontario.

Their stage show eventually turned into a masterfully recorded album called “Winter’s Welcome” which was released in 2014. In 2019, Jude Vadala lovingly retired from Boreal and was replaced by singer-songwriter/producer Angie Nussey, who enjoyed one tour with Boreal before the world started to change. 

In the more isolated months of 2020 and with the momentum of learning to work ‘together-alone’, Boreal began recording individual parts on songs from their respective home studios. Their first release was Katherine’s “Snow Falls Down. With Angie now living in Orillia, and Tannis and Katherine in Guelph, the trio continues to work both together and alone. They will release a new winter CD in December 2024. It will be their first full recording with Angie, whose songs “Shepherd of The Road”, “Snowball Fight of ‘92” and “Warm Hands” bring a robust dose of first-hand winter experience. 

With the 2023 winter tour all wrapped up, a pocket full of new material, a spring tour kicking off on March 9th, 2024 with the Mariposa Folk Concert Series, and a new, winter-themed album on the way, 2024 is shaping up to be a busy year for Boreal. 

Powerful live performances, beautifully recorded songs, and genuine on and off-stage camaraderie make these three singer-songwriters a shining example of teamwork, compassion, musical integrity…and, of course, good old-fashioned fun! 

“Not sure there’s another 3 women band in this country that could dream of sounding that good together. Maybe y’all should do more than a Christmas tour!” – John Law (Presenter, Kingsville Music Society, ON)