An array of musical talent will be on display in Forest over the coming months as part of the second annual Kineto Concert Series.
Organizer and musician Jesse Grandmont said the idea behind the concert series started two years ago.
He, along with Mark Payne and Michael Vanhevel, rented the Kineto Theatre's stage for their show, Three of a Kind. After noticing an opportunity for the facility to host more concerts, Grandmont spoke with theatre spokesperson Ruth Illman.
"It's such a great space and Forest is such a cute little town," he said. "It was a shame there wasn't more stuff happening, more concerts happening, and so we decided to put on the series. It was such a great success that we're on round two now."
The 2026 concert series will kick off on January 24 with Three of a Kind. But Grandmont said the show sold out quickly.
Tickets are still available for the three other scheduled shows.
Shane Cook & the Woodchippers will take the stage on February 21. Their music draws on different styles such as Celtic, folk, bluegrass, and swing.
"Shane is an internationally recognized fiddler and step-dancer. He's from London but he tours all over the world. He's won tons of awards and goes to tons of festivals," Grandmont said. "Everyone in that group is a phenomenal musician and performer, so we're really excited to have them coming in February."
In an effort to provide variety, Grandmont said he wanted to feature jazz musicians for the third concert, scheduled for March 21.
A local group, Jukebox Jazz, will perform an opening set before The Seth McNall Sextet takes the stage. The six-piece ensemble, originally formed in the London area, started by performing the works of musicians around southwestern Ontario, and later evolved to perform original arrangements.
The final show of the concert series is scheduled for April 25 and will feature The Crew, which is made up of the Ballagh family kids: Paige, Matthew, Michael, and Devan.
"Basically, they toured with their family band -- with their parents, for a long time and the kids formed their own group to do some of their original music," Grandmont said.
They're known for bringing a high-energy performance of folk, pop, and Irish influences with a variety of instruments.
Each show will begin at 7 p.m.
Tickets are $30 each, plus tax and can be purchased online through Eventbrite.
Grandmont said they received great sponsorships this year, including Geo-Teck, Arkona Hearing Clinic, VanValkenburg and Son Jewellers, and Williamson Farms.
