Canada Day Concert Celebrates Canadian Music and Pride

by Johannes Bosma

Sometimes a good place to start is at the end.

This year’s Canada Day Concert, featuring The Villagers Chorus, will conclude with a powerful message. The grand finale is “This Is My Canada,” written by Jeanette Arsenault—Canada’s answer to all that “51st state” nonsense.

When Arsenault watched a video of The Villagers performing her song at the Kin Centre in 2025, she emailed the group:

“I just watched this and have tears rolling down my cheeks. Oh, how you all sang it—played it—so beautifully! WOW! Thank you for honouring my song. BRAVO—no wonder you got a standing ovation. There was passion and pride in each singer’s voice singing out your love for Canada—we didn’t just hear it, we felt it. You made my day! Thank you. Thank you.”

The Villagers, along with special guests the Miramichi Fiddlers, Melissa Barry, Eugene Somers, Aaron Young, and emcee Susan Butler, will perform an evening of Canadian music at the Miramichi Kin Centre on July 1 at 7pm.

One selection, “Canadian Pacific,” takes the audience on a musical train ride across Canada as it rolls through valleys and forests, slowing down and speeding up from Newfoundland to British Columbia.

You’ll be invited to sing along to Ian Tyson’s “Four Strong Winds,” Gordon Lightfoot’s “Early Morning Rain” (also recorded by Peter, Paul & Mary and Elvis Presley), and spend some time in your home province with “The Land of New Brunswick.”

Enjoy two of Anne Murray’s beloved hits, “Could I Have This Dance” and “Snowbird,” and don’t be surprised if you find yourself singing along once again.

The concert will also feature “Believe Your Eyes,” a recent song written by an American songwriter who shares many Canadian values, along with two songs by our Canadian cousins, Australian folk group The Seekers: “Morningtown Ride” and “I’ll Never Find Another You.”

Travel to Canada’s North through the haunting beauty of “Song of the Land,” made popular by Susan Aglukark, and enjoy the inspiring “This Land Is What I Am.” If you’ve ever lived away from home, Donna Rhodenizer’s “Come Home” is sure to strike a chord with its reminder that you can leave the Maritimes, but the Maritimes never leave you.

Guest performances include toe-tapping tunes by the Miramichi Fiddlers, two of Paul Anka’s classic hits performed by Aaron Young, and “Proud to Be Canadian,” written and performed by Susan Butler with backing vocals by The Villagers.

Find a premium parking spot and begin your Canada Day celebrations at the Miramichi Kin Centre on July 1 at 7pm. Sponsored by A1 Business Services and the Kinsmen Club of Miramichi, admission is by free-will offering, with a portion of the proceeds supporting Vondy House and Percy’s Place. After the concert, step outside and enjoy the Canada Day fireworks.

Posted by: Johannes Bosma for The Villagers