Manitoba Music Launches Sound Waves Music Meeting + Showcase, June 23 - 25

Registration Now Open for New Artist-Focused Meetup, Eight-Band Showcase to Take Place at the West End Cultural Centre

Manitoba Music is ready to dive into the music business this summer with the launch of Sound Waves Music Meeting (SWMM), a new artist-focused meetup. Running June 23 - 25 at the West End Cultural Centre, the event will host music industry mentors from across Canada and beyond for specialized masterclasses, interactive performance coaching, discussion groups, panels, and networking, including dedicated programming for Francophone artists. 

Building on the foundation of the long-running January Music Meeting and last year’s virtual Catalyst Music Meeting, SWMM is an opportunity for the local music community to learn from a cross-section of experts and peers, build new connections, and share experiences. This edition will cover critical music topics on the road to pandemic recovery and offer concrete advice for music workers on how to grow their creative skillsets and careers.

Mentors include Andrea Shipka and Brandon Cathcart of Little Symphony Records, Aven Hoffarth from Indoor Recess, Vocal Coach/Vocologist/Producer Carol-Lynne Quinn of CQ Voice, Dorothée Parent-Roy of House of Supercool, music supervisor Kaya Pino, performance coach Luther Mallory, Hallie Anderson and  Hana Mogulescu of Rareform, Martina Turczynowicz of APCM, Michael Powell of Dine Alone Records, Yan Bienvenue of Coup de Cœur Francophone, and more to be announced.

Early bird registration is now open at swmm.eventbrite.ca at $15 for Manitoba Music members until June 9. General registration opens June 10 at $25 for members and $50 for non-members, with an option for participants to pay what they can.

Live music will be on deck with a free SWMM showcase at the West End Cultural Centre and its patio on Saturday, June 25. Hitting the two stages during the Ellice Street Festival, the packed lineup of emerging local acts features the expressive and ethereal Diaphanie, singer/songwriter JC Campbell, bilingual singer/songwriter Kelly Bado, indie-pop singer/songwriter/producer Lana Winterhalt, hip hop artist Len Bowen, indie folk act Sam Singer, alt-country outfit Show Pony, and power pop punk trio The 1221.

“The last two years have been a challenge across the music sector, and artists in particular have faced disruptions to their revenue, their career momentum, and their connections to community,” says Sean McManus, Manitoba Music’s executive director. “We’ve been inspired by the resilience and determination of artists and music companies in Manitoba and are thrilled to return to in-person programming to support them and do what our community does best: bring people together.”

SWMM is made possible by the support of FACTOR and the Government of Canada, Musicaction, the Province of Manitoba, and Manitoba Film & Music. 

Find out more about SWMM at manitobamusic.com/swmm

The West End Cultural Centre requires that all patrons wear facemasks and show proof of vaccination for all events in the venue.