All-Manitoban Winnipeg Folk Festival Workshop Showcases the Brightest Artists in the Province

Posted on July 2, 2015

Manitoba is home to some of the best musicians in Canada and the Winnipeg Folk Festival strives bring their music to new audiences. The Festival is committed to helping local artists advance their careers and, as a result, presents many Manitoban artists on stages around the city year-round as well as at the festival every July. This year, once again, the Winnipeg Folk Festival, along with Manitoba Music and Manitoba Film & Music, has set the stage for an all-Manitoban celebration.

Slow Leaves, The Reverend Rambler, Leonard Sumner, The Mariachi Ghost, and Brandy Zdan are playing throughout next week’s Winnipeg Folk Fest, running July 9-12, but you can find all of them jamming together on Sunday, July 12 from 3 to 4:30PM on the festival’s largest daytime stage, Big Bluestem. The all-Manitoban workshop – this year titled “Manitoba, That’s My Home” – is a festival tradition and hosted in partnership with Manitoba Music and Manitoba Film & Music in order to foster the rich talent this province offers and bring their music to new audiences.

“Manitoba has been home to countless artists who’ve made a name for themselves on the world music stage, many of whom drew inspiration from the Winnipeg Folk Festival,” said Manitoba Music's executive director, Sean McManus. “We’re excited to be partnering with the Winnipeg Folk Festival and Manitoba Film & Music once again this year to highlight some of the stellar talent coming from our province and to help introduce them to new audiences.”

Brandy Zdan is one such Manitoban who’s built a name for herself internationally. She established her career in the province, burning up barroom stages with fellow Manitoba artists such as Scott Nolan, and as part of the Winnipeg Folk Fest's Stingray Young Performers Program. She now calls Tennessee home and tours extensively with David Quanbury under the name Twilight Hotel. The Juno-nominated duo has played the festival twice before and now Zdan is back to lead the workshop of these up-and-coming Manitoba artists.

“We are thrilled to be working with the Winnipeg Folk Festival to shine a spotlight on local acts,” said Carole Vivier, CEO & Film Commissioner at Manitoba Film & Music. “This workshop is a great opportunity for our musicians to gain new fans, and for festival-goers to see amazing home-grown talent.”

You can catch all the local artists on stages throughout the weekend, including indie popsters Royal Canoe's Saturday night set on Big Blue @ Night and sets by children's acts Seanster and the Monsters and LuLu and the TomCat at the Chickadee Bigtop.