Manitoba Music
Sound Waves Music Meeting
Dive into your music career at Sound Waves Music Meeting (SWMM)!
January 22 - 24, 2026
The Forks Event Space, Winnipeg
SWMM features masterclasses, mentor sessions, panels, networking, and an industry showcase. It's an opportunity for the local music community to learn from a cross-section of experts, mentors, and peers, build new connections, and share experiences. Now on its fourth edition, SWMM is an opportunity for the local music community to learn from a cross-section of experts, mentors, and peers, build new connections, and share experiences. Running January 22 - 24 at The Forks event space in Winnipeg, SWMM features sessions and panels focused on audience development, plus networking, and an industry showcase.
Stay tuned for announcements about mentors!
SWMM is made possible by the support of FACTOR, the Government of Canada and Canada’s private radio broadcasters, Prairies Economic Development Canada (PrairiesCan) through the Government of Canada; The Manitoba Government; and Manitoba Film & Music.
Get your early bird SWMM pass for only $50 for Manitoba Music members / $80 for non-members!
Meet the Delegates
Courtney Milford
Event Producer
Students’ Association of MacEwan University
She/Her
Courtney is a Live Event Producer based in Edmonton with 10+ years’ experience producing festivals, concerts, and cultural events across municipal, post-secondary, private and non-profit sectors. For the past five years, she’s led live events at MacEwan University, managing a diverse array of events ranging from intimate speaker engagements to large-scale festivals and concerts.
Jon Grau
Artist Manager
Thirty Tigers
He/Him
Jon Grau is an artist manager with over 15 years of experience in the music industry. He began his career at JD White Management, working with artists such as Warpaint, Jessica Lea Mayfield, and Tony Joe White. In 2012, he began working for veteran manager Norm Parenteau, who became a longtime mentor and collaborator. Together, they helped guide the careers of artists like Old Crow Medicine Show and Parker Millsap to new heights.
In 2020, Jon founded This is Management, an independent company focused on building sustainable, long-term careers for artists. He now serves as a manager at Thirty Tigers, working with a diverse roster including Parker Millsap, Thomas Csorba, Husbands, Trampled By Turtles, and Liam Kazar.
Jon is also an active advocate for the live music community. He has served on the board of directors for NITO (National Independent Talent Organization) for the past three years, where he sits on the executive committee and co-chairs the membership committee.
Michelle Kambasha
Cultural and Creative Industries Consultant
Michelle Kambasha is a cultural and creative Industries consultant specialising in communications strategy and strategic storytelling. She has led PR and communications campaigns for boundary-pushing artists such as Bon Iver, Kara Jackson, shame, Moses Sumney, YATTA, Joy Guidry, Jamila Woods and more, alongside developing new pathways for emerging musicians through mentoring and youth-centred creative programmes.
Michelle is the founder of black radical, a Substack exploring music, identity, and resistance through longform interviews and essays with Black artists working in alternative and experimental spaces. Her writing also appears in The Guardian, The Independent, and NME, where she brings a critical lens to music, culture, and representation.
Alongside her publicity and editorial work, Michelle lectures on Diversity in the Creative Industries at BIMM London and coordinates mentorship programmes that support underrepresented young people pursuing careers in music and the arts. Her work sits at the intersection of creativity, access, and equity — committed to reshaping how the industry listens, represents, and evolves.
Penelope Stevens
Co-Founder / Artist
Flourish Festival / Motherhood
She/They
Penelope Stevens is a musician and industry professional based in Tracadie, NB. Penelope has worked with a variety of organizations such as Forward Music Group, The Cap, Music-Musique NB, Shivering Songs, and Flourish Festival, but is best known as 1/3 of avant-rock band Motherhood, and, more recently, as frontperson for Penny & the Pits. When not making or yapping about music, you can find Penny jogging with the world's cutest dog, Valentine, or making needlessly pretentious cocktail.
Rupert Hudson
Counsellor & Artist
He/Him
Rupert Hudson (he/him) is a Vancouver-based therapist, songwriter, and front-person of the indie band Orchid Orchestra, working at the intersection of mental health, creativity, and neurodivergence. A Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) with a Master’s in Counselling Psychology from UBC, Rupert specializes in autism and ADHD, burnout, and creative identity work, using a blend of mindfulness-based therapy, Internal Family Systems (IFS-informed practice), somatic approaches, and expressive techniques. His clinical work includes supporting neurodivergent clients in navigating emotional regulation, rejection sensitivity, internalized ableism, and the systemic challenges of working in creative industries.
As a musician, Rupert has built a career that parallels and informs his therapeutic practice. With Orchid Orchestra, he has performed across Western Canada, released two EPs—with a debut album on the way—and earned national press, community-based festival bookings, and growing radio support. His songwriting explores themes of sensitivity, authenticity, and emotional resilience, mirroring the depth-oriented therapeutic work he does with clients and within artistic communities.
Rupert also has facilitated a therapy group for musicians and speaks regularly on the emotional realities of the arts sector. His work bridges mental health and the music industry, advocating for neurodivergent-affirming practices, sustainable creativity, and more humane artistic environments.
He is passionate about helping artists understand their nervous systems, honour their pacing, and build careers grounded not in burnout and hustle culture, but in self-knowledge, community, and emotional truth.