It’s been a superlative year for Noeline Hofmann. Seemingly overnight, she was plucked from her ranch-hand chores in Southern Alberta and into the limelight of a country scene that is all too eager to welcome her authentic voice with open arms.

A twin artistic partnership with Zach Bryan, her debut at the Grand Ole Opry, and leading the chorus of Ian Tyson’s “Four Strong Winds” to close this year’s Edmonton Folk Fest all attest to her steadfast strength behind an acoustic guitar and her deep connection to the Western culture that brought her up.