Solstice was founded in 1976 (under the name Seven A Side) by James Hawn. A teacher at Evan Hardy Collegiate in Saskatoon, he wanted to create a venue for Hardy graduates to keep singing. He used his network to find gigs for the group outside of the school setting. The name soon changed to Solstice, even though Gregg wanted Aurora Borealis.

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Music in those early years was largely pop and show tunes. However, Hawn quickly realized the need to keep challenging the vocalists in the group and the focus shifted to vocal jazz. Not only was the music more challenging, it was also very fulfilling. 

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In 1986, Hawn left for a teaching assignment in Germany and Jean Currie and Karen Evjen-Kowalenko  took over the leadership role. After Evjen-Kowalenko's departure, Currie has continued leadership of the group to the present day.

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In 1996, Solstice was honoured to receive the Special Recognition Award from the Saskatchewan Jazz Festival.

 

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