International Artists to Help Locals Expand Overseas During Aboriginal Music Week 2015
With support from the Canada Council for the Arts, Aboriginal Music Manitoba (AMM) is bringing three international artists to Winnipeg for five days of one-on-one mentor meetings with local musicians and artists performing at Aboriginal Music Week 2015.
Maisey Rika and Tama Waipara will offer insights into performance markets for Indigenous artists in New Zealand, while Benny Walker will focus on opportunities in Australia.
Meet the International Mentors
Maisey Rika
A multi-award-winning Maori singer-songwriter from the East Coast of Aotearoa, Maisey Rika’s Te Reo Maori Language album, Whitiora, debuted at #1 on the New Zealand Top 40 charts, making it the highest-charting original Te Reo Maori album to date.
Tama Waipara
Of Ngāti Ruapani, Rongowhakaata, and Ngāti Porou descent, Tama Waipara is a singer-songwriter with a master’s degree in classical clarinet from the Manhattan School of Music. His album Fill Up The Silence earned multiple nominations at the 2014 Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards, winning Best Roots Album.
Benny Walker
A Victorian Indigenous singer-songwriter, Benny Walker has released five albums and performed at some of Australia’s top festivals, including Woodford Folk Festival, Australasian Worldwide Music Expo, St Kilda Festival, and Blue Mountains Music Festival.
Why This Matters
"The assumption behind many Aboriginal music events in Canada is that Aboriginal people want to see themselves reflected in the acts on stage," says AMM chairperson Alan Greyeyes. "This assumption is validated annually at APTN’s Aboriginal Day Live and Aboriginal Music Week. Bringing Rika, Waipara, and Walker to the festival will allow local artists to learn whether this is the same in New Zealand and Australia or if different approaches are needed to succeed in those markets."
Watch: Meet the Mentors
How to Book a Mentor Meeting
Dates: August 18-22, 2015
Cost: Free
Eligibility: Open to First Nation, Métis, and Inuit performing artists
How to Apply: Email alan@ammb.ca to request a meeting
Priority: Given to artists performing at Aboriginal Music Week 2015, but AMM will try to accommodate all requests.
Aboriginal Music Week 2015 Overview
Aboriginal Music Week 2015 runs from August 18 - 22 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The festival features:
Four community celebrations at:
Magnus Eliason Recreation Centre
Turtle Island Neighbourhood Centre
Austin Street Festival
St. John's Park
Four lunch-hour concerts
Three days of music workshops
Two ticketed concerts
Two networking dinners
One-on-one mentor meetings with three international artists
Nathaniel Sinclair from Mathias Colomb Cree Nation in Northern Manitoba, loves singing round dance and pow wow music. At 2-years-old he learnt how to...
