Inspired by the beloved Grand Ole Opry and CBC’s Tommy Hunter Show, this authentic production presents Old Time, Country Western, Hillbilly and Old Mountain Music interpreted by the Island’s finest artists. The show explores the early sounds of Jimmy Rogers, Kitty Wells, Hank Snow, Ernest Tubb, Bill Monroe, Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline, George Jones, Loretta Lynn and many others, in an era when voices and stories were at the forefront of music – Old school songs with three chords and the truth set to twangy telecasters, crying steel guitars, fiddle and banjo, the thump of an old beat up doghouse bass and a sprinkle of hillbilly dust.

With an all-star professional cast, special guests, dazzling step dancers, and captivating storytellers, each performance is recorded live in front of a studio audience here at its home at the prestigious Florence Simmons Performance Hall and edited into an exciting syndicated radio broadcast showcasing the Island’s brightest stars.

A legacy of the 2023 Canada Winter Games, the Island Jubilee launched its very first show on Sunday February 26th 2023 as a partnered stage event of the IllumiNation Festival at the Florence Simmons Performance Hall.  A 300 seat centrepiece at the heart of Holland College’s Prince of Wales Campus in Charlottetown, it provides the perfect authentic atmosphere to present and record this live down home Island show.

“The Island Jubilee will be a lasting entertainment legacy of people coming together during the 2023 Canada Games, a hallmark premier stage celebrating our Island story.” – Ray Brow, Chair, Island Jubilee Inc.  

“We are very proud that the Island Jubilee is calling the Florence Simmons Performance Hall their home.  This authentic old time live radio show will provide wonderful learning opportunities for our students here at Holland College” – Dr. Alexander (Sandy) MacDonald, President & CEO, Holland College.

“An authentic Opry Experience” – Ron Bickle, Radio Broadcaster, Tantramar 107.9FM CFTA.

“The continued support from this talented group of musicians through the years has been a wonderful gift to support medical equipment priorities which directly benefit patients and families across Prince Edward Island. But not only is that amount very significant, what also is quite meaningful is the spirit in which this gift has been given. Music gives us all hope, it lifts our spirits, it brings us together, and connectedness is very much to the heart of the QEH Foundation and a community event such as this reminds us how powerful it is when we come together “ – John Scales, Chair, QEH Foundation

The Island Jubilee show is owned and produced by Island Jubilee Inc., a registered not-for-profit organization with goals to

• Cultivate and preserve our Island’s rich musical, step dancing, and storytelling landscape;
• Promote and help develop the Island’s vibrant musical landscape;
• Promote Island tourism during the shoulder and winter seasons;
• Provide real life learning opportunities for Holland College’s School of Performing Arts (SOPA) students in the areas of musical production, sound, lighting, video and photography;
• Support the SOPA programme through fees collected from ticket sales;
• Support the QEH Foundation through the sale of 50/50 tickets at each show and a guitar raffle to be drawn at the end of the season;
• Provide meaningful work opportunities to an inclusive roster of Island talent, growing our music industry here at home on Prince Edward Island.

The Show embodies the good-natured fun-filled spirit and artistic talent of Islanders.  Each show includes a roster of the Island’s brightest stars and singer songwriters supported by an all-star house band, as well as story tellers and step dancers, exploring a diverse and east coast infused musical landscape including Country, Folk, Maritime, Bluegrass, and old-time fiddle music for all ages.

Co-producers Serge Bernard & Janet McGarry hope to recreate the warmth and genuine Canadian spirit of those beloved CBC shows by presenting each artist in their brightest light on a world class professional stage. Each show will be punctuated with toe tapping fiddle tunes, engaging artist interviews, jingles, birthday shout-outs, inspirational segments, and of course great music!

The Jubilee House Band provides the musical support and arrangements for each artist, as well as jingles and segways that professionally bundles up each show into a toe-tapping energetic, smooth and tightly continuous package just like an old time radio show. They are the Island’s finest musicians including Jason Burbine (bass), Thomas Webb (steel, banjo, dobro), Serge Bernard (house band leader, guitar, banjo, mandolin), Johnny Ross (keys), Bobby McIsaac (electric guitar), and Courtney Hogan-Chandler (fiddle). Co-Hosts include Janet McGarry, Serge Bernard and CFTA 107.9FM radio personality Randy Geddes. Together they will join forces to produce and present a fresh, engaging, relevant and authentic show.

The show is owned and managed by Island Jubilee Inc., a non-profit community-oriented organization lead by business and music industry luminaries whose goals are to rally community support around Island artists and enhance social well-being through music, curating Island stories, comedy, and step-dancing.

Members of the Board of Directors are:

• Chair: Ray Brow
• Secretary: Emma Gamble
• Director: Martina MacDonald