Canada Council for the Arts and Manitoba Hydro’s
Indigenous
Summer Tour 2022
Strengthening relationships with
Indigenous peoples throughout Manitoba.
WITH SPECIAL GUEST JERRY SEREDA
home>Indigenous Summer Tour
The Manitoba Arts Network is thrilled to announce that we have received funding from Canada Council for the Arts over the Next three years to bring diverse, inclusive, and accessible live events to 10 Indigenous communities and 5 MAN member communities each year. This tour is also supported by Manitoba Hydro who will help us strengthen our relationships with Indigenous peoples throughout Manitoba.
ABOUT THE TOUR
Strengthening relationships with Indigenous peoples throughout Manitoba.
To continue our goal of providing diverse programming for rural Manitoba communities, Manitoba Arts Network (MAN) is excited to introduce Jerry Sereda as the touring artist scheduled for July/August 2022.
Jerry Sereda, a Canadian country musician of Métis descent originally from Ethelbert, Manitoba, currently resides in Alberta, so we are pleased to be bringing him back to Manitoba for this summer tour.
What to expect?
7 Dates for Northern Communities
8 Dates for Southern Communities
Southern Tour – July 24-31
Northern tour – August 9-18
Each tour will feature two Indigenous artists alumni from our RBC emerging artist mentorship program who will perform and be mentored by Jerry Sereda.
Each performance can range from 80-120 minutes, where each community will receive a participatory arts activity before the concert led by Jerry Sereda.
Community Outreach &
Audience Engagement
Jerry Sereda will offer each community a participatory arts activity (youth music class, masterclass, pre-concert talk to the audience, songwriting workshop, etc.) before each concert.
Marketing Support
MAN will be providing poster and social media graphics and run radio ads on NCI radio to help communities spread the word.
Future Touring Artists
2023 featured artist will be R&B singer-songwriter Sebastian Gaskin based in Winnipeg, who grew up in Tataskweyak Cree Nation, or Split Lake. Gaskin is the recipient of the 2021 Western Canadian Music Award for R&B Artist of the Year.
2024 featured artist will be Anishinaabe country singer Gator Beaulieu from Sandy Bay Ojibway First Nation and Ebb and Flow First Nation. We are so proud of Beaulieu’s success being a 2019 Indigenous emerging artist mentorship program alumni
Concerts to Indigenous communities will be free and we ask that the community provide accommodations for the artists. While we ask for a $500 contribution plus provision of accommodations from MAN member communities. The concerts will provide a wide range of music styles, entertainment, and experiences.
Each concert is valued at $3,500 CDN.
We are so proud of Gator Beaulieu’s success being a 2019 Indigenous
emerging artist mentorship program alumni.
Meet The Artists
Rhonda Head
Touring Coordinator Rhonda Head has received 15 nominations in total and won nine international music awards since she began her music career in 2010. Rhonda has had the opportunity to perform in some of the most amazing venues – Carnegie Hall, the Lincoln Centre, the Viper Room, the Opening and Closing Ceremonies for the 5 Lands Walk Festival in NSW, Australia, and numerous other venues. Rhonda also recently released an autobiography called Mezzo-Soprano – Memoirs of a Rez Girl. It wasn’t always an easy road for Rhonda, she was diagnosed with a brain tumour when she was 22. Rhonda took a year off to recuperate from the 11.5 hour surgery. When she thought her life was back on track she received devastating news when she was 30 that the tumour grew back. Once again, she took time off and took care of her health. Despite the setbacks and challenges, Rhonda continued to follow her passion of music.
Jerry Sereda
Year 1, 2022 artist
Growing up in the Parkland region (Treaty 1) of Manitoba, Jerry Sereda learned how to hunt, fish, trap, and live off the land. This is where he also learned the importance of hard work, family, and music. After spending time writing songs in Nashville with many successful writers, Jerry moved to Treaty 8 lands in Alberta (although he continues to return to Manitoba each summer) to continue writing and recording with award-winning songwriter and producer Troy Kokol. As a multi-award winning Metis/Cree Canadian country singer, Jerry pays homage to his Indigenous heritage with the release of his fourth studio album, Classic Country Couple, on National Indigenous Peoples Day, has now won “Best Country Album” and has released his new music video on August 2nd, 2021.
Sebastian Gaskin
Year 2, 2023 touring artist
Sebastian Gaskin is a multi-instrumentalist R&B singer-songwriter based in Winnipeg, Canada, who grew up in Tataskweyak Cree Nation, or Split Lake as it’s better known. Sebastian writes and self produces music that is anything but formulaic, thanks to his eclectic musical tastes in R&B, Hip Hop, Metal,and Punk. Following the release of his debut EP, “Contradictions”, on his own imprint, LieBoy Concepts, Sebastian made some impressive strides. He headlined a cross-Canada club tour, and made appearances at established festivals throughout the country. Sebastian Gaskin’s newest single “Snakehold” is the beginning of a new sound from this exciting young artist who is quickly finding his footing and his voice on the R&B stage.
Gator Beaulieu
Year 3, 2024 touring artist
Gator Beaulieu is an Anishinaabe Country Singer from Ebb and Flow First Nation in Treaty 2 Territory and Sandy Bay First Nation in Treaty 1 Territory, Manitoba, Canada.
Beaulieu’s official music video for his latest single “Highway Number Six” is now available on YouTube and has been receiving a lot of press coverage including CBC. “Hard Hearted Woman”, a single Gator had collaborated with blues great Billy Joe Green recently hit #1 on the Indigenous Music Countdown that’s airs on NCI FM The Spirit of Manitoba and aired on Sirus XM every Saturday.
2022 Emerging Artists
Sherri Shorting
Sherri Shorting is an Anishinaabe singer and songwriter from the Little Saskatchewan First Nation. Her love and passion for music comes from the admiration for such artists as; Shania Twain, The Dixie Chicks, Patsy Cline and Johnny Cash. Their soulful, charismatic twist on country music has inspired her to be creative when it comes to her style of music which has a touch of folk, country, rock, and reggae. Sherri’s songwriting talent comes from her own life experiences and looking through the eyes of others. She brings forth these stories with raw energy and emotion and has the gift for expression. Her first single Confessions was released in May 2021 and is played worldwide. Stay tuned for future single releases coming soon.
Ivy Venin
Ivy Venin is an indigenous singer-songwriter from Winnipeg, Manitoba, and is a member of Lake St. Martin First Nation. Ivy started teaching herself to play guitar when she was 16. She started learning cover songs, and within a couple years, she was writing her own original music. But, due to anxiety and stage fright, Ivy spent almost 2 decades at home honing her skills, and evolving her own unique style of alternative folk pop rock. Last year, Ivy was one of the women chosen to perform as part of Indigenous Music’s “Iskwewak Nikamowak” Virtual Concert for International Women’s Day. She was also selected to be a part of the 2021 RBC Emerging Artist Mentorship and Showcase program through Manitoba Arts Network.
Mitchell Makoons
Mitchell Makoons (He/Him) is a Roots/Rock musician from Brandon, Manitoba. Mitchell started playing guitar at the age of seven to accompany his grandfather and brother playing Metis fiddle tunes. Mitchell continues to be an active member of the Manitoba Metis community.
The songs Mitchell writes incorporate traditional Ojibway music and culture with modern influences from Roots and Rock.
Kris Paul
Kris Paul is an emerging singer-songwriter hailing from the small Métis community of San Clara, MB. After closet writing for many years and silently strumming guitar in the shadows; he brought forth his music in 2018. Kris broke the ice with an online venue through social media called 52 songs. Preforming a song a week for 2018 in dedication to his late Grandpa. He instantly gained a strong following which continues to grow today. Kris was honoured to be selected by jury and invited to the participate in the 2018 Manitoba Showcase through Indigenous Music. He made many industry connections from across Canada and learned about the music industry.
“As an Artist this was my first time showcasing. The opportunity to showcase has given me access to an incredible network that I would have otherwise needed years of effort to reach. It was really and trly a game-changer for someone who has put in serious time developing a show, but just didn’t have the reach and relationships to turn that into a viable business.”
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