Overview
Tkaronto Music Festival returns for Summer Solstice 2022: A celebration of Indigenous Music and Culture.
Tkaronto Music Festival’s marquee event hits Harbourfront Centre June 21 for an all-star lineup of Indigenous talent. Summer Solstice 2022 will feature: Adrian Sutherland, Blue Moon Marquee and Celeigh Cardinal.
Tkaronto Music Festival is Canada’s premiere Indigenous Music Festival, founded with one goal: putting Indigenous Music on the main stage.
Artists
Adrian Sutherland
Cree singer-songwriter Adrian Sutherland steps into the spotlight with his debut solo album When The Magic Hits. After four successful albums with Midnight Shine, Adrian embarked on his solo project just before the pandemic hit in March 2020.
Adrian is currently working on his first book for Penguin Random House Canada about growing up in Attawapiskat, Ontario – the northern, remote and sometimes harsh place he chooses to call home. Attawapiskat First Nation is located on the shores of James Bay, Ontario. Adrian is an insightful and resilient advocate who brings a first-hand perspective to the challenges faced in Attawapiskat and other First Nations. Sutherland is a respected cultural leader, fluent in Mushkegowuk Cree and is regarded as a traditional knowledge keeper.
Celeigh Cardinal
Discovery is the beauty of music. It reveals itself in layers. Such is the evolution of Celeigh Cardinal. With a confident voice and boundless energy Cardinal owns a stage, connecting deeply with her audience through humour, passion and love. In 2020, Cardinal achieved one of Canada’s highest musical accolades, a JUNO Award for Indigenous Artist of the Year. She also received two Western Canadian Music Awards nominations, including Indigenous Artist of the Year and Songwriter of the Year. With two full-length albums completed and her third release slated for Fall 2022, Celeigh’s voice is quickly becoming one of the great Canadian voices that make up the fabric of the Canadian roots music scene.
Blue Moon Marquee
Blue Moon Marquee is a swinging blues band born of the wild rose country, Alberta. In 2021, The Canadian Folk Music Awards nominated them for Songwriter of the Year, the Western Canadian Music Awards nominated them for Blues Artist of the Year and were selected to participate in the International Indigenous Music Summit’s documentary series “Giiwewizh” (To Carry Home) which premiered in June 2021.
Appreciated for their authenticity, their songs have a heavy dose of atmosphere with a penchant for poet characters and gritty settings. It is their connection to the working class that draws so many people to their music, crossing many of the usual genre, age and cultural bounds. The result is an infectious mix of early blues, jazz, country and swing, with a contemporary and relevant feel. Blue Moon Marquee’s passionate performances and smouldering onstage chemistry is their trademark that enthralls audiences from back-room bars, to festival stages, to the velvet-seated theatres.
Featuring DJ Classic Roots
Classic Roots brings the sexy heartbeat of the boreal north to life with his unique brand of Electronica and pow wow techno. The Thunder Bay native is an award winning producer and DJ who is impacting the music community with his fresh sound and meaningful collaborations with diverse artists.
Drawing inspiration from his life and culture, Classic Roots established his original sound by integrating First Nations songs with Electronica music. He navigates the unique sound of techno/house music while dancing to the beat of traditional Anishinaabe sounds, establishing a sense of cultural freedom that echoes throughout the electronic music scene.
Classic Roots is determined to continue producing his own music and share it with the world. His beats tell a story that embodies the bold spirit of the North. Through the inclusion of First Nations drumming and singing in his electronic compositions, he acknowledges the continued resilience of his nation. Ultimately, Classic Roots reminds people that they have the power to realize their dreams.
Hosted by Sarain Fox
Sarain is Anishinaabe from Batchawana First Nation, just outside of Sault Sainte Marie, Ontario. She is passionate about empowering Indigenous communities and amplifying their voices, especially those of the youth. She is a multifaceted artist and activist who comes from a long line of storytellers. Her mother and great aunt are the oral record keepers of the family. They have passed down ancient teachings from generations of knowledge-keepers and have raised her to be proud of her Indigenous roots. As a result, Sarain has become a powerful and vibrant voice for the Indigenous community.
She is a dancer, choreographer, stylist, activist, brand ambassador, television host and content producer. A storyteller at heart, Sarain has combined these various mediums to create a compelling social platform for amplifying the voices of her people. She uses her platform to celebrate the immense knowledge and talent of Indigenous people, designers and brands.
Sarain’s screen highlights include the award-winning series, RISE (Viceland), Cut-off (Viceland) and APTN’s Future History.
Sarain has trained at some of the most highly acclaimed faculties such as Quinte Ballet School, The Canadian Children’s Dance Theatre and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, and has starred in music videos and on stage with artists such as Buffy Saint Marie, Digging Roots, A Tribe Called Red, Once a Tree, Kahawaii dance Theatre, Untld. Collective and Ajkun Ballet Theatre . Sarain was the choreographer and lead in Theatre New Brunswick’s’ The Eighth Fire and premiered her solo work, The Red Road Block, at Toronto’s Harbourfront Centre.
Sarain uses various mediums and social platforms to prove that Indigenous representation matters…and is desired!
Dates & Times
June 21
7:30pm – 11pm
Venue
Indoors
Wheelchair accessible
235 Queens Quay West
Toronto ON M5J 2G8
Canada