SOUND & COLOUR: Manitoba Music and Creative Manitoba Team Up for Music Marketing Mentorship Project

Aspiring Music Industry Professionals Curate Showcase May 6 at The Handsome Daughter Featuring Up-and-Coming Manitoba Talent and Interactive Digital Media Art Display

Winnipeg, MB – Whether you’re a musician, an aspiring producer, or have dreams of running your own indie label or promoting shows, mentorship and real-world experience is critical for anyone exploring a career in the music business. Twelve youth have had the opportunity to build their knowledge and skills on the way to becoming the next generation of music industry talent in Manitoba through a project dubbed Sound & Colour.

Run under Creative Manitoba’s Careers in the Arts Mentorship Program, the project is produced by Manitoba Music. Over the span of three months, the youth had the opportunity to expand their knowledge of the industry and develop their own music business skills. Students participate in a series of mentor sessions facilitated by local industry professionals covering different aspects of the business, from concert curation and event production to recording to marketing and publicity.

Led by experienced local event producer Andrea Burgoyne, the mentor sessions featured the expertise of industry pros Carlos Vela (Mid-Ocean School of Media Arts), Chloe Chafe (Synonym Art Consultation), Erin Lebar (Winnipeg Free Press), Jared Falk (Killbeat Music), Jason Smith (Canada Summer Games Festival, 2014 JUNO Awards, Smallman Records), Julien Desaulniers (Festival du Voyageur), Stephen Carroll (Manitoba Film & Music), Tao-Ming Lau (The Billions Corporation / Pride Toronto), Tim Jones (Pipe & Hat Music Group), and Tyler Sneesby (The Good Will Social Club / DJ Hunnicutt).

While the mentor sessions helped students learn firsthand about working in the industry, they also had the chance to develop their practical skills putting on a concert that is coordinated, programmed, marketed, and promoted by the students themselves.

Sound & Colour will take over Winnipeg music hotspot The Handsome Daughter on May 6 to showcase an eclectic lineup of young Manitoba acts. The event will feature performances from pop punk trio The 1221, singer/songwriter Taylor Janzen, R&B/contemporary singer/songwriter Louise K, singer/guitarist Preston Tanghe, and pop/funk rock’n’rollers Free Morgan.

A collaboration between two art forms, Sound & Colour is a joint event with another of Creative Manitoba Careers in the Arts Mentorship Program groups, led by Sara Wilde and New Media Manitoba. The evening will feature a musical showcase and a new media art display of the Interactive Digital Media students’ final character design projects. Sound & Colour is an opportunity to discover up-and-coming local musicians and new media talent while supporting youth in Winnipeg’s community.

“Passion, creativity, determination, and talent are all part of a career in music, and so are opportunity and community,” says Manitoba Music’s executive director Sean McManus. “We’re always blown away by stellar young people joining us for this project, by their passion and their talent. It’s a great feeling to be able to help them build their networks and offer them a chance to discover more about our exciting industry.”

Creative Manitoba’s Careers in the Arts youth and young adult mentorship programs provide opportunities for youth and young adults to be exposed to careers in arts and culture. Creative Manitoba’s Careers in the Arts Mentorship Program is made possible by the Province of Manitoba.

Find artist bios, music, and more at manitobamusic.com/soundandcolour.