Manitoba Artists and Industry Land Western Canadian Music Awards in Kelowna

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Attica Riots
Apollo Suns
BreakOut West
Fred Penner
Kelly Bado
Keri Latimer
Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra

Locals Acts Win Top Honours in Recording of the Year, Live Music, Children’s, Classical, Instrumental, World, and Visual Media Composition Categories

Artists and industry from Manitoba picked up hardware in 10 categories at this year’s Western Canadian Music Awards (WCMA) in Kelowna, taking top artistic honours for children’s, classical, instrumental, world, and visual media composition while highlighting Manitoba’s strong live music community.. Celebrating the accomplishments of some of Western Canada's best and brightest, the envelopes were opened at a concert on October 11 that kicked off the BreakOut West festivities and at an industry brunch on October 13.

High energy indie rock outfit Attica Riots brought home Recording of the Year for its debut, Love, Sunshine & Hysteria. Music legend and Western Canadian Music Hall of Fame inductee Fred Penner won for Children’s Artist of the Year, his second award in that category. Psychedelic rock outfit and first time nominees Apollo Suns won for Instrumental Artist of the Year. Bilingual songwriter Kelly Bado for World Artist of the Year, following up two nods last year. Composer Keri Latimer for Visual Media Composer of the Year for her work on This is Not Paris, her first for composition. The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra won its first WCMA for the Classical Artist/Ensemble of the Year award.

Manitoba’s industry entrepreneurs and music companies earned accolades at the Industry Awards. A double winner again this year, venerable venue West End Cultural Centre picked up a Community Excellence Award for the third year in a row while landing its first win for Impact in Music Marketing. Roberta Landreth of Treehouse Design won for Excellence in Visual Design. Interstellar Rodeo's final fest in Winnipeg helped win it the award for Impact in Live Music along with the Edmonton edition. 

The awards are part of BreakOut West, which features a professional development-focused conference and export development showcase festival. Participating artists and other music professionals have the chance to meet key industry stakeholders creating opportunities for new waves of exciting industry developments from business deals to international tours. This year’s showcasing acts include Manitoba artists Efflo, Jérémie & The Delicious Hounds, Lanikai, Malcolm-Jay, Micah Erenberg, The Mariachi Ghost, The Middle Coast, viisi, Warming, and Yes We Mystic.

Many of this year’s Manitoba nominees have participated in Manitoba Music’s professional and market development programs during their careers, accessing assistance to develop their business skills, showcase in new markets, and make critical industry contacts. Manitoba Music’s programs are supported by the Province of Manitoba, FACTOR through the financial support of the Government of Canada and Canada's private radio broadcasters, and Manitoba Film & Music.

BreakOut West presents an important opportunity for emerging and established artists to be a part of the Western Canadian music community. Participating artists and other music professionals have the chance to meet key industry stakeholders, creating the opportunity for a new wave of exciting industry developments from record deals to international tours.

For a complete list of 2018 Western Canadian Music Award winners, please visit breakoutwest.ca

2018 WESTERN CANADIAN MUSIC AWARDS

ARTISTIC WINNERS

CHILDREN’S ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Fred Penner

CLASSICAL ARTIST/ENSEMBLE OF THE YEAR
Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra

INSTRUMENTAL ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Apollo Suns

VISUAL MEDIA COMPOSER OF THE YEAR
Keri Latimer, This is Not Paris

WORLD ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Kelly Bado

INDUSTRY WINNERS

COMMUNITY EXCELLENCE AWARD
West End Cultural Centre

EXCELLENCE IN VISUAL DESIGN
Roberta Landreth, Treehouse Design

IMPACT IN LIVE MUSIC
Interstellar Rodeo

IMPACT IN MUSIC MARKETING
West End Cultural Centre

RECORDING OF THE YEAR, STINGRAY RISING STARS
Attica Riots

Updated: October 14 to include industry winners

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