2016 was a big year for the musical quintet, Hillsburn. The group released its critically-acclaimed, full-length album, In the Battle Years, won a Canadian Folk Music Award for New/Emerging Artist
Biography
2016 was a big year for the musical quintet, Hillsburn. The group released its critically-acclaimed, full-length album, In the Battle Years, won a Canadian Folk Music Award for New/Emerging Artist of the Year, and toured extensively – including a stop in Lunenburg, where they left an indelible mark on the Festival. Group members Paul Aarntzen, Clayton Burrill, Rosanna Burrill, Jackson Fairfax-Perry, and Clare Macdonald got national attention when they reached the top 10 in CBC’s 2014 Searchlight competition. Since then, they have been refining their sound and creating an identity all their own. Their energetic show takes the audience through a range of emotions – from hauntingly beautiful vocals to raucous, foot-stomping rhythms. Add to that, stunning harmonies and solid musicianship (they play, collectively, guitar, keyboards, violin, saxophone, percussion, and more) and it’s easy to see why they were audience favourites last year. Currently, Hillsburn is working on a new recording, which will feature the already-released single, “Low Light.” Named for a small town on the Fundy Shore of the Annapolis Valley, Hillsburn now calls Halifax home.