Native Women in the Arts invites you to join us for a virtual concert presented in partnership with the Music Gallery. This Indigenous circumpolar showcase features performances by celebrated Inuit and Saami artists: Silla and Rise (Nunavut/Ottawa) and Nannaam (Finland). The FREE stream will be available to view on Saturday, March 20, 2021, at 7pm and can be accessed here.
Silla and Rise
Juno nominated act, Silla and Rise blend Inuit throat-singing and futuristic dance floor beats. Silla are Cynthia Pitsiulak (Kimmirut, NU) and Charlotte Qamaniq (Iglulik, NU) their name comes from the Inuktitut word “Sila” meaning weather. In respecting and honouring the need to preserve Inuit culture and paying homage to our land and the strong connection to its spirituality, they experience and perform the sounds of traditional and contemporary throat songs. Rise is Ottawa’s Rise Ashen, a Juno Award nominated global-grooves producer, DJ and dancer who has spent his life pursuing the intersection of traditional and futuristic music.
Nannaam
Nannaam, comprised of singer Heli Huovinen, an Inari Sámi artist from Finnish side of Sápmi, has worked with Sámi media and theatre since 2007. Joined by creative collaborator Urayakq, a greenlandic electronic musician/producer and DJ, the two perform Pop music in Inari Saami language.
Native Women in the Arts
Established in 1993, Native Women in the Arts (NWIA) is a not-for-profit organization for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis women, and other Indigenous gender marginalized folks from diverse artistic disciplines and communities.
NWIA supports multi-disciplinary artistic expression by connecting, training and presenting emerging, mid-career and established artists whose work reflects a commitment to art, culture, community, and the advancement of Indigenous people. NWIA serves as a site of artistic exchange, encouraging dialogue between artists and audiences about social, cultural and political issues and their relationship to artistic expression. Our programming connects to a diverse participant and audience base, predominantly in Toronto and Northern Ontario.
The Music Gallery
Established in 1976 by members of the Canadian Creative Music Collective (CCMC), the Music Gallery occupies a unique position within Toronto’s musical ecology that allows us to present, encourage and promote leading-edge contemporary music in all genres. For over 40 years, our mandate to foster innovation and experimentation in music has remained constant, and today, we are Toronto’s pre-eminent presenter of genre-defying concert music.
