Week of activities in partnership with APTN, Canada’s Music Incubator, Indigenous Resilience in Music, and Sled Island
(May 28, 2019 — Calgary AB) Join the National Music Centre (NMC) for Indigenous Music Week at Studio Bell from June 19 to 22, featuring music and activities that celebrate the cultural diversity of Indigenous music in Canada.
The music of Canada’s Indigenous people is as broad, complex, and dynamic as the communities and traditions from which it originates. With support from TD, NMC will present performances from folk-rock act Black Belt Eagle Scout and singer-songwriter Ansley Simpson, workshops for emerging musicians Bebe Buckskin, Diyet & The Love Soldiers, Carolina East, Ziibiwan and Dan Auger, school programs for Indigenous students, along with a drum and dance workshop with Thundering Nations, and live art installation by Jesse Gouchey.
Indigenous Music Week at Studio Bell will coincide with events happening across Canada in recognition of National Indigenous Peoples Day on June 21. To support accessibility, NMC will be extending free admission on June 21 to visitors who identify as Indigenous or of Indigenous descent. Reception will accept identification or declaration upon entry.
In the lead up to Indigenous Music Week, NMC will also unveil a new permanent exhibition on June 14. Titled Speak Up!, the exhibition showcases Indigenous artists making social and political impacts in Canada, including Jeremy Dutcher, iskwē, Northern Cree, Tanya Tagaq,and more. More details on Speak Up! will be released soon.
“The National Music Centre is committed to reconciliation through music and programs that inspire dialogue,” said Adam Fox, NMC’s Director of Programs. “Indigenous Music Week is not only a celebration of music, but also an opportunity to initiate positive change.”
Indigenous programming and content at the National Music Centre is generously supported by TD.
INDIGENOUS MUSIC WEEK SCHEDULE
Indigenous Music in Canada Guided Tour
June 19-22, 2019, daily
Included with admission
Specialized tours will be offered during Indigenous Music Week that shine a light on the Indigenous artists and trailblazers featured inside Studio Bell, concluding at NMC’s latest exhibit, Speak Up!, showcasing Indigenous artists making social and political impacts in Canada, including Jeremy Dutcher, iskwē, Northern Cree, Tanya Tagaq, and more.
NMC, APTN and Canada’s Music Incubator present: Creators’ Circle
June 20, 2019, 1:00 pm
Included with admission
Three emerging Indigenous acts, Bebe Buckskin, Diyet & The Love Soldiers and Carolina East, will receive a customized three-day mentorship program designed to develop their careers. Get a behind-the-scenes look at the artists and their creative process during a public workshop. You can also see them perform live during Indigenous Day Live 2019, hosted by APTN, on June 21 at Fort Calgary.
Indigenous Music Week: Free admission for Indigenous people
June 21, 2019, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
Free admission for Indigenous people
Free admission on June 21 will be offered to visitors who identify as Indigenous or of Indigenous descent. Reception will accept identification or declaration upon entry.
NMC, IRIM, and Sled Island present: AiR Workshop and Performance, Isitsiipotaako
June 21, 2019, 1:00 pm
Free admission for Indigenous people
Indigenous Resilience in Music (IRIM), National Music Centre (NMC) and Sled Island are pleased to present Isitsiipotaako, an Artist in Residence workshop and performance. Isitsiipotaako is a Blackfoot word that translates to “a song or sound that breaks silence.” IRIM pairs Indigenous musicians with youth to inspire and encourage through music and traditional practices. Emerging electronic artist/producer Ziibiwan and Calgary guitarist Dan Auger (also of industrial-punk act DRI HIEV) are the participating artists.
NMC, Sled Island and IRIM present: Black Belt Eagle Scout, Ansley Simpson, and guests
June 21, 2019, 6:00 pm (doors), 6:45 pm (showtime)
$19 General, $14 NMC Members, or included with a Sled Pass
The National Music Centre (NMC), Sled Island and Indigenous Resilience in Music (IRIM) are pleased to present Black Belt Eagle Scout, Ansley Simpson, Ziibiwan, and DRI HIEV for a very special night of music. Saddle Creek Records helped announce a new, vital voice in music when it re-released Black Belt Eagle Scout’s debut Mother of My Children in 2018. The solo record by Portland’s Katherine Paul (born in the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community) is a tidal wave of grief—for a lover, a friend taken too soon and the ongoing colonization of ancestral land—through imploring lyrics, hazy but tense guitar and Paul’s achingly tender voice. Singer-songwriter Ansley Simpson’s roots run deep. Her lyric-driven indie-folk tunes showcase the muscular warble of her voice and picturesque storytelling. Meanwhile, her composition runs anywhere from plaintive plucking to flourishes of experimental wash. She’s full of surprises, even when the surprise is how good she sounds with no frills added. Ziibiwan and DRI HIEV will open the show, and performances will be preceded by short film, A Love Letter to My Unborn Child, directed by Danni Black.
Indigenous Music Week: Saturday Celebration
June 22, 2019, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
Included with admission
Enjoy music, art, and dance that celebrate the cultural diversity of Canada’s Indigenous Peoples. Local Indigenous artist, Jesse Gouchey, will be onsite to complete a live painting and showcase some of his film and fashion work. Thundering Nations will perform drum and dance workshops, and Studio Bell will offer a tour focusing on Indigenous artists who’ve made an impact on music in Canada.
Tickets for all Indigenous Music Week events are on sale now. Please go to studiobell.ca/whats-on to purchase your tickets in advance.
NMC Members receive discounted or free admission to all Indigenous Music Week events, so purchase your membership online today! Details at studiobell.ca/members.
About Studio Bell, home of the National Music Centre
Studio Bell, home of the National Music Centre (NMC), is much more than a museum. A national catalyst for discovery, innovation and renewal through music, NMC is preserving and celebrating Canada’s music story inside its home at Studio Bell in Calgary’s East Village. With programming that includes on-site and outreach education programs, performances, artist incubation and exhibitions, NMC is inspiring a new generation of music lovers. For more information, please visit studiobell.ca.
