The Indigenous Music Office welcomes its inaugural cohort in the Cultural Cadence mentorship program to Vancouver for the 2025 JUNO Awards. Workshops, speakers and industry events will take place alongside the national music industry gathering as the culmination to the four-month professional development program launched in 2024. The IMO is grateful to be hosted by the Squamish, Musqueam and Tsleil-Waututh nations.
The IMO is pleased to introduce its First Nations, Inuit and Métis participants, a dynamic and enterprising group of emerging Indigenous entrepreneurs from different communities and roles with a shared dedication to the growth of the Indigenous music ecosystem.
Cultural Cadence Participants:
– Cassidy Mann (Sagkeeng First Nation, MB)
– Curtis Clearsky (Anishinaabe and Nitsitapii, BC)
– Dawn Ferguson (Metis-Cree, AB)
– Gerard Wolfe/Mahihkan (Muskowekwan First Nation, SK)
– Gladwyn Badger (Neyhiyaw, AB/ON)
– January Rogers (Six Nations of the Grand River, ON)
– Leanne Goose (Inuvik, NT)
– Malaya Bishop (Iqaluit, NU)
– Tess Ray Houston (Red River Métis, MB)
– Evan Syliboy (Millbrook First Nation, NS)
Cultural Cadence mentors and presenters who will join the cohort in Vancouver this week include Tessa Balaz, Jason Burnstick, David Cox, MJ Dandeneau, Mike Denney, Tara Di Giuseppe, Alan Greyeyes, Noel Habel, Angelika Heim, Tewanee Joseph, Shoshona Kish, Joelle May, Margaret McGuffin, Amanda Rheaume, Mauricio Ruiz, Sun Sun, Amie Therrien and Kim Wheeler.
“The majority of Indigenous artists in Canada don’t have managers or teams,” explains Alan Greyeyes, IMO chairperson. “I’m excited about this project because it supports the development of managers and administrative talent who know just how daunting the road travelled by Indigenous artists is because they’ve had to walk it too.”
Created to support career advancement for emerging Indigenous music industry professionals, the new program reflects the IMO’s commitment to building capacity and creating pathways for professional development. Cultural Cadence program partners include Music Managers Forum Canada (MMF Canada) and Full Circle: First Nations Performance.
