A mutual affinity for traditional music brought Jamie Proctor and Dan Kovacek together. They met in the Vancouver bluegrass scene where they became fast friends and founding members of Stardust Stringband. Their exposure to bluegrass, country, and old-time led the pair to develop a natural fluidity in arranging music - switching between guitar, mandolin, banjo, and fiddle.

As a duo, Dan and Jamie pay homage to the "brother duet" style of close harmony singing, backed by straight-ahead melodic arrangements. While their repertoire is primarily traditional, their original songs fit comfortably in a world that encompasses old-time, country, and bluegrass. They are excited to share their music on the VBA stage.

The grand master of the mandolin returns to Victoria with his acclaimed band The Jaybirds for a special night of music in the spirit of the Christmas season.

From his early days with the Tony Rice Unit in the '80s, John Reischman has collected a Grammy Award and three Juno nominations for his impressive output of recordings, including seven with The Jaybirds, four solo instrumental albums, and numerous other projects and sessions.

His annual Christmas concert is often a sellout, with a portion of the proceeds going to Our Place Society, which supports Victoria's most vulnerable populations.

This year's lineup includes the talented guitarist Patrick Sauber (Doc Watson, Richard Greene, Peter Rowan, Tim O'Brien and John Fogerty); twice-Juno-nominated banjoist Nick Hornbuckle, whose playing has been called "downright spine-tingling" (LA Daily News); fiddle player Patrick M'Gonigle; bassist Trish Gagnon's "lilting, gorgeous voice" (Bluegrass Unlimited); and John Reischman, "one of the world's undisputed masters of the mandolin" (Bluegrass Unlimited).