RBC Touring & Showcasing Program

The RBC Touring & Showcasing Program by Manitoba Arts Network provides emerging artists with valuable opportunities to perform and connect with audiences across Manitoba. Through this program, artists gain exposure, build professional networks, and showcase their talents in diverse communities, enhancing Manitoba’s cultural landscape with fresh voices and new perspectives.

Touring and Showcasing Program: Empowering Emerging Musicians

A unique opportunity for six emerging musicians, with preference given to Indigenous and equity-seeking artists. Participants will gain invaluable insights from experienced music professionals, covering essential aspects of touring, showcasing, and live performance.

The program includes a live showcase event where participants will perform for an audience of 20+ industry presenters and buyers. This opportunity allows musicians to build lasting relationships with renowned mentors and acquire the skills needed to grow and thrive in the music industry.

MJ Dandeneau is a French Anishinaabe / Métis kwe born in Treaty 1 Territory (Winnipeg, MB). Her tours and studio work have literally taken her all over the globe, and nationally recognized with recording awards such as Canadian JUNO, WCMA-Award & CFM-Award. MJ’s deep-seated roots to her French-Canadian and Métis heritage are translated and embodied in the music she creates.

Over the past 15 years, MJ has created a fiercely independent musical history as a professional touring bassist , including numerous TV performance productions, studio session recordings, producing and performing worldwide (Europe, UK, North America, Scandinavia, Asia, Australia, New Zealand). Her musical path has led her to play with many international artists, including Buffy Saint-Marie, The Violent Femme, Xavier Rudd, Digging Roots, Crystal Shawanda, Rose Cousins, The Good Lovelies, and Don Amero, just to name a few, ultimately attributing to her ability to be versatile and well versed in many genres of music.

“MJ is one of the hardest-working freelance musicians (for studio work and touring) in this part of the world. She is phenomenally versatile. able to perform in any genre of music you can name, and has recorded and toured with musicians/bands representing a wide variety of musical stylings across the world. She has developed quite a reputation for the quality of her musicianship, her consistency and dependability, and has been very much in demand for session and touring work.”  –Winnipeg Free Press

Learn more about MJ: mjdandeneau.com & mjentertainment.ca

Rik Leaf is a Creative Director and Content Strategist with over 20 years of experience in arts in education. Rik Leaf has toured Canada writing, recording and performing songs with students for over 10 years. Rik uses his background in music, TV & Film to produce multi media projects that highlight the creative process. 

Rik produces projects and resources that inspire and empower students to learn through writing, performing, and recording school anthems, creating videos and slam poetry courses. Rik works with Tribe of One, a national collective of Indigenous and settler artists, musicians, dancers, painters and poets, as the Poet Laureate and the project coordinator for multicultural performance workshops, online digital resources, and mentorship programs for Indigenous youth.

His passion is to use his skills as a professional songwriter, music/video producer and editor, published author and motivational speaker to create meaningful and memorable learning experiences for students and teachers. He has invested in over 60,000 students across Canada and abroad, and received multiple awards and recognition for his contribution to the growth and development of arts programming. He is always looking for new opportunities and challenges to expand my creative horizons and make a positive impact in the world.
https://rikleaf.com/

Rhonda Head has received 15 nominations 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 unique 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.

Learn more about Rhonda: rhondahead.com

• Tips and tricks for showcase applications
• How to showcase & network
• Preparing for your Showcase recording (includes mock showcase performance)
• Marketing, branding and creating Electronic Press Kits (EPKs)
• Planning and booking shows
• Contract negotiations, tech info sheet & pricing
• Finding & building an audience
• Funding & sponsors
• Touring on the road & digitally

• Gator Beaulieu 11 concert tour as part of our Indigenous Spring Tour
• YBK Shakur, Orvis and Sadie Cyr each received 5-6 concerts each for our 2024 spring tour
• Mic North, 3 concerts and 3 workshops in 3 different Northern Indigenous communities in 2024 and another 5 in 2023.
• Kwiat opened for Jim Cuddy, in January 2023 in two member communities.
• Jesse Bandura booked for the Royal Winter fair 2023.
• Ethan Lyric toured to 4 Indigenous communities opening for Don Amero and Troy Kokol in October 2023

• Initial meet & greet
• Online weekly group mentorship meetings (8 in total)
• Perform a 15 minute live showcase at Manitoba Showcase Conference in Portage la Prairie, MB Oct. 27-30 (expenses paid by program)
• Participate in a live Q&A with all the other participants to an audience of 20+ buyers at Manitoba Showcase Conference
• 2 hours of one on one mentorship

Touring is an industry valued at over 4 million in Canada. There are networks in each province across Canada that produce an annual conference that showcase multidisciplinary artists. A showcase is on stage with full lighting and sound in front of an audience of presenters/buyers. The artist sings for 15-20 minutes which gives the presenters/buyers an idea of what they would be buying.

Following a showcase there is opportunity to speak directly to the buyers who just watched their showcase, and the artist tries to sell their show. Following the conference, within each province 100’s of performances are booked as a direct result of these showcases. Presenters/buyers offer full negotiated artist fees for shows ranging from $500 (emerging artist) to $3000 (mid-level career) per show, depending on the size of the venue and the size of the band.

Touring is when an artist or band wants to get their show booked for a tour of consecutive show dates within a given province (a tour could consist of 3-10 performances scheduled consecutively, all in different communities). In some provinces such as Manitoba, the Manitoba Arts Network acts as a liaison between the artist and communities/presenters/buyers to coordinate or block book the tour dates and negotiate contracts).

For more information, please contact:

Rhonda Head, Program Coordinator

email us

Testimonial

“It was a pleasure being a part of the 2022 Emerging Artists Program through the Manitoba Arts Network. I loved the ability to connect with other Indigenous artists from across Manitoba and learn about the music industry together. The team at Manitoba Arts Network were wonderful and went above and beyond to provide resources and tools to help develop our careers. I appreciated the opportunity to showcase and share the stage with other fantastic artists while connecting with talent buyers and rural community leaders. I look forward to applying what I’ve learned in the future and am excited to see what opportunities come out of this mentorship experience.”  2022 participant Kwiat

“It was great experience. I really enjoyed the conference and mentorship and would recommend it to anyone.”  – 2022 participant Mic North