FOLK MUSIC ONTARIO

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Originally from London, Mark cut his teeth working at ThinkSync Music, a supervision and sync licensing company. Now based in NYC, he recently joined Sentric Music in their US Sync Team and has over a decades' worth of experience in the sync and supervision world.

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Nicole is Métis, of Haudenosaunee, Nisga’a, and French ancestry. Her family has lived on Vancouver Island for six generations as grateful visitors on unceded Lekwungen Territory and she has been proud to live and work in Tkaronto for the past five years as a musician, educator, and consultant. Nicole has worked as a Project Consultant with the Canadian Live Music Association (CLMA) over the past two years and as Project Manager for the CLMA’s recently-launched national study, “Closing the Gap: Impact and Representation of Indigenous, Black, and People of Colour Live Music Workers in Canada.” She is currently the Manager of Programming and Community Engagement at the International Indigenous Music Summit and is also proud to be supporting the development of the national Indigenous Music Office. She holds a Master of Arts in Music and an MBA with a specialization in arts, media, and entertainment management.

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Dawn is a passionate advocate and supporter of the arts. Her long standing involvement as both a Cape Breton Gaelic style fiddler and step dancer, and as Artistic Director of the Celtic Colours International Festival are proof of that. Having performed at the inaugural event in 1997, she has been in the director role since 2009 (as Assistant Artistic Director and then Artistic Director).

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Glen Baillie runs the free concert series Summer Sunset Sounds on Sunday nights in July and August on the Rotary Community Stage in Grand Bend, Ontario. The shows have run since 2014 and are a pass the hat and sponsor supported series. Typically involve headliner and support act who both perform their own material. No cover bands, ever.

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In the short time since it has opened its doors, Sweet On Top has landed placements with high-quality brands such as Apple, Michael Kors, Macy’s, Vogue, and St. Regis; promotions for the Olympics and “Songland”; and in television shows including “Station 19,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “All Rise,” “Firefly Lane,” “High Fidelity,” “Ray Donovan” and “The Blacklist.” Additionally, her writers have secured cuts with Dim Mak and Warner Records’ artists. Kristina also worked closely with the Guild of Music Supervisors’ education committee and is a member of the California Copyright Conference and the Association of Independent Music Publishers.

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Since 2019 I have been Director of Business Development at Linus Entertainment. Linus is the home of Canadian outstanding record labels Stony Plain, True North, Children’s Group and Borealis Records. As the Head of the Marketing Department, I lead a team to publicize and promote recordings around the world.As Linus Entertainment also runs the administration of IDLA (Independent Distribution & Licensing Agency) I coordinate an international playlist promotion initiative for established recording artists and independent labels that ensures Canadian music is listened to on streaming platforms in all global markets.

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Jeff's journey into the music industry started throwing punk shows in his mom's basement back in high school. He took a 20 year break to work in restaurants from dishwashing to ownership. In 2015 he combined his love of both industries and started Cultivate: A Festival of Food and Drink, a local food celebration with some of Canada's best indie acts hitting the stage. Now a full fledged arts mandated non profit, Cultivate continues to produce the fagship festival, as well as a winter festival series, Hibernate, and an 8 show free concert series, The Road To Cultivate. This all happens in the charming little town of Port Hope.

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Allison has worked in music for over 35 years and has touched almost all aspects of the business from management, record companies, radio, retail, founding member of a festival and its artistic director as well as her most recent position with the Banff Centre as the Director of Presenting. She is probably best known through out Alberta for her long standing radio show on the CKUA Radio Network; Wide Cut Country which is now in its 22nd year on the air.

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Melanie Brulée is an award-winning Franco-Ontarian artist, community leader, and mental health advocate born and raised in Cornwall Ontario. While her musical journey began busking on the streets of Australia, she now embodies multiple facets of the arts sector, taking a step away from the stage to amplify the music industry's underrepresented voice as the new executive director at the Ottawa Music Industry Coalition (OMIC). In addition to years of performing and touring, Melanie has worked as a consultant, mentor, booking and PR agent, as well as a radio promoter for Indigenous artists. Her passion for collaboration and advocacy has led her to initiate numerous projects including founding a women-led collective of songwriters, fundraising for mental health organizations, and developing youth workshops on songwriting and self-confidence. In her work as a dynamic organizer and facilitator, Melanie’s purpose is to unite and uplift the communities she serves.

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After volunteering and falling in love with Estonian Music Week (EMW), Sebastian Buccioni became its first Executive Director. After successfully programming its first ever digital seasonin 2020, Buccioni was formally invited to add the artistic direction of the festival to his portfolio. Despite the challenges of the pandemic Buccioni successfully organized EMWs first hybrid music festival in 2021, connecting performers on two stages 6700 km apart in real-time through the power of live-stream. Buccioni takes a collaborative approach to programming, working with community groups to deliver meaningful content. Expanding EMW beyond programming, Buccioni is the driving force behind EMW's involvement in music import/export between Canada and Estonia. While active as a musician Buccioni was known for his work as a Hammond Organist and Keyboardist recording, touring and promoting the Julian Taylor Band, the Out of Towners and Chameleon Project. His compositional work has earned him a FACTOR and Canada Council for the Arts grant. Buccioni holds a BFA with specialization in music from York University and a Postgraduate Diploma in Arts Management from Queen’s. Buccioni is the president of the board with Toronto Operetta Theatre.

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Siarra Burke-Smith is a recent graduate from the Acting for the Theatre program at Concordia University, in Montreal and is fluent in French. With a love for live entertainment and supporting Canadian talent, Siarra has always been curious about the business behind the stage, lights, and camera. This interest led Siarra to working with ADVANCE, Canada's Black Music Business Collective, as the Operations Assistant where she connects, advocates and provides new opportunities for the betterment of Black professionals across the music scene. On the other side, working directly with artists by creating education and performance opportunities, she was previously a part of the nonprofit, R.I.S.E. (Reaching Intelligent Souls Everywhere) team. Siarra is happy to be a part of the change where everyone can thrive together across the entertainment industry.

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Pierre has been an active member of the Canadian music industry since graduating from the Music Administrative Studies program at Western University in 2012. She has worked in a variety of areas in the arts including venue operations (Aeolian Hall, London, ON) and marketing (Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, Toronto ON) before joining the Six Shooter team in 2015. As VP Finance, she currently oversees the financial planning, bookkeeping, royalty reporting and grant writing for all three Six Shooter affiliated companies: Six Shooter Records, Six Shooter Inc (management), and High Priestess Publishing.

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Before joining Small World Music, which presents and works with equity-deserving communities onstage and behind the scenes, Jonathan Campbell worked at and with many of Toronto’s major cultural institutions in communications, outreach, and programming. He ran the Toronto branch of secret-concert producers Sofar Sounds, and was an APAP Leadership Fellow. From 2000-2010, he lived in Beijing, actively bridging East and West via the city’s nascent music scene/biz performing, writing – for international media and in his book, Red Rock: The Long Strange March of Chinese Rock and Roll, which was published in 2011 – promoting, and more. At SWM, he contributes to live events, the eMERGEnce artist-development program, international showcase/conference Global Toronto, the Going Global outbound and international collaboration project, and more.

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Dave has been the Program Director of the Deep Roots Music Festival (Wolfville, Nova Scotia) since 2011. The festival was established in 2004 and has become one of the preeminent Festivals of the Annapolis Valley.

Deep Roots had a heartbreaking cancelation this year due to Hurricane Fiona, but we look forward to a promising return in 2023; to a full-scale live event with multiple stages, workshops, family programming including a parade, sing-alongs, face painting, and more – fun for all from September 21-24, 2023

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Rosie Chapman is Head of Artistic Planning at Kings Place, London UK. She’s responsible for the planning and management of all events on the Kings Place programme, including its own key projects, festivals and series, co-promotions and rentals. Rosie’s programming expertise focusses on folk and classical, with a strong line-up of folk, roots and Americana artists frequently performing at the venue, as well as a continued support for up and coming artists, ensuring they have a platform to develop their skills and audience. Rosie has worked at Kings Place for 7 years, having previously worked in orchestral and artist management in London.

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Kerry is the artistic and marketing director of the 44 year ‘post-folk’ Calgary Folk Music Festival, Block Heater and an off-season concert series. She’s on several non-profit arts boards, has served on many arts juries, is part of WRAD, co-founded Rwanda’s KigaliUp festival, and produces/hosts weekly radio programs on CKUA and CJSW when she’s not traveling to conferences and festivals to see music from a vast range of genres.

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Vic Close, 40 plus years in the music business booking, presenting, marketing shows in Calgary. Presently under the banner of Fish Creek Concerts, we present 10 to12 shows a year of "Good Music in South Calgary"

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Jean-Paul De Roover works hard for Thunder Bay’s music community as a festival coordinator, promoter, artist, advocate and as artistic director of the Live From The Rock Folk Festival in Red Rock, ON. When he’s not on the road, or working in his studio Blueprints, he’s at home being a husband and father.

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With the Mission Folk Music Festival since 1991, Michelle has risen through the ranks to her position today. From handing out volunteer badges in her first year, to managing Performer Services for 15 years to her rise to General Manager, she brings a wealth of arts management experience to her current role of Executive and Artistic Director.

Currently as Master’s candidate studying creative arts and events management, Michelle also consults for a variety of arts and events organizations, where she supports the development of healthy teams and well curated events. When not working on her own festival, Michelle serves on the board of Northwest Folklife and manages Maple Folk, an arts and events management company that oversees a house concert series, concert photography, and cultural management and support.

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Rosalyn is the Executive Director of Folk Music Ontario. She excels as a community organizer and is passionate about helping folks build sustainable careers in the music industry. In 2016 Rosalyn co-founded the music company Stump Media, and in 2020 she co-founded The Arts Hub and Smiths Falls Music. Rosalyn worked for 5 years as the Outreach and Communications Coordinator for the Canadian Federation of Musicians, helping musicians navigate contracts and agreements, and advocating for stability in the literal 'gig economy'. Rosalyn enjoyed working for OntarioMusicLive.ca as Data Manager through an initiative of Music Canada, working to promote tourism and growth in Ontario's live music sector through outreach and development. During this time she also worked with the Canadian Live Music Association assisting in member data. Rosalyn spent 12 years as an internationally successful touring and recording artist, as a founding member of the band Oh My Darling. 

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Julien Desaulniers is the Artistic Director for le Festival du Voyageur, Western Canada’s largest winter festival.  Celebrating Franco-Manitoban culture and heritage, the festival features over 150 artists ranging in musical genres from traditional to pop.

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With achievements in cultivating Canadian talent that has reached audiences both at home and abroad, Noisemaker manages an award-winning roster of artists that includes The East Pointers, Great Lake Swimmers, Good Lovelies, Splash’N Boots, The Once, Gord Sinclair from The Tragically Hip, Megan Bonnell, and Tim Chaisson.

Noisemaker Presents runs the Harvest Home Festival on Prince Edward Island, Paris Drinks Fest in Paris, Ontario, the DT Concert Series in Paris, Concerts at the Vineyard at Ravine Vineyard in Niagara-on-the-Lake, and events throughout south Ontario.

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An all rounder who has overseen the running of the Moseley Folk & Arts, and Mostly Jazz Funk & Soul, for over 11 years. Emerged in everything from Ticketing to finance, staffing to marketing, has given great experience; but John’s passion
and focus is on programming. Aside from the festivals, he books 50+ shows in Birmingham each year.

Moseley Folk & Arts is set in the heart of Birmingham (UK) and takes place every September. Now entering its 17th year, Moseley Folk & Arts promotes the very best in Folk music and beyond with a focus on supporting new artists.

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Amber Goodwyn is the Artistic Director of the Regina Folk Festival and multidisciplinary artist with active performance, film and video, writing and music practices.

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Troy Greencorn is the founding Artistic Director of the Stan Rogers Folk Festival, now into its 26th year. "Stanfest", as it has come to be known, is an international songwriter's festival that presents a roster of over 40 accomplished artists/acts from a wide range of genres. The event, hosted in Canso, Nova Scotia is a 4 day, multi-stage festival. Troy is also the Creative Director of the deCoste  Performing Arts Centre in Pictou, Nova Scotia, a 400 seat facility that presents 100+ events each year. The deCoste’s presents a rich mix of shows, predominantly music, but also including dance, theatre, comedy, film and variety.

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Sarah Greene is a songwriter, writer, and arts administrator. She got her start in campus-community radio at CIUT 89.5 FM (hosting Roadrunner), studied journalism at King’s College in Halifax and wrote for Halifax’s The Coast. Upon returning to Toronto, she became a longtime regular contributor to NOW Magazine’s music section, and was the Wood, Wires & Whiskey editor for Exclaim! from 2014-2018. She served on the Polaris Prize Jury from 2015 - 2019. She now books Tranzac, a not-for-profit venue and arts incubator in Toronto, and as a bio writer has helped numerous artists answer the question, “What’s the Story”?

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Ebba Hellsten is the producer of the annual indoor Norrköping's Folk Music Festival. For the rest of the year she is central to the folk music scene in Östergötland. She’s part of several non profit organizations that work to keep Swedish folk music relevant. She’s also a fiddler and teacher, a leader of young musicians and organizers. She is one of the many passionate individuals who keeps the music industry in Sweden alive.

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Andy is into his 9th season as Artistic and Executive Director of the Harrison Festival of the Arts, which is heading into its 44th year as one of British Columbia’s longest running roots music festivals. Andy cut his teeth in the folk world as the founder and manager of the Celtic funk band Mad Pudding, who toured festivals and folk clubs in North America and Europe through the 1990s. Since 2000 he has provided driving, groovy guitar for several the Celtic music scene’s most respected and exciting acoustic musicians, including The McDades for their 2006 Juno and CFMA winning record Bloom and their most recent record The Empress. Andy obtained a PhD in Ethnomusicology from the University of Toronto in 2013.

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Folk-roots artist Tania Joy is the co-founder of Springtide Music Festival, a non-profit organization led by a volunteer team of business leaders and local musicians which draws over 70 acts to various venues from breweries and bistros to bookstores and clothing shops in historic downtown Uxbridge, northeast of Toronto. Springtide recognizes that live music venues in small cities and rural towns serve as a vivacious cultural hub for their communities and is committed to creating a platform to support and celebrate local talent, while fostering performance opportunities that introduce Canadian artists outside of the region to new audiences.

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A passionate music enthusiast, Tamara has worked in arts management and community outreach for more than twenty years. Within the folk music world, Tamara has worn the hat of agent, artist manager, board member and festival executive director. In 2015, she founded Mavens Music, a full-service management company specializing in building internationally focused careers for folk, roots, and Americana artists. Her client roster includes: Corin Raymond, Kaia Kater and Lonesome Ace Stringband. She has participated as a panelist, showcase producer and mentor at Folk Alliance International, AmericanaFest, NERFA, APAP and the East Coast Music Week. In 2021, she founded the CreekSong Festival, a one-day outdoor event taking place on the banks of the Big Otter Creek in Vienna, Ontario.

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Steve Kenny is an artist manager and co-founder of Traverse Music. With experience on stages, at soundboards, and behind management desks, he brings in-depth industry knowledge and a comprehensive set of skills to cover every aspect of an artist's career. He has helped countless artists shape their career vision and create a framework for how to succeed by finding a sustainable career model that works for them.

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Devin Latimer is artistic director of Trout Forest Music Festival in northwestern Ontario as well as a faculty member at the University of Winnipeg where he teaches and does research in green/organic chemistry, environmental issues and energy communications. Decades of playing later, he struggles with bass guitar but because he has associated himself with actual talent, he is also a Juno award winning performer and founder of Winnipeg music collectives Nathan Music Co and Leaf Rapids.

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Treasa Levasseur is currently the Program and Community Engagement Manager at Folk Alliance International, as well as a JUNO-nominated songwriter and seasoned sideperson. As passionate about community building as she is about music, Treasa also works as an artist educator with many organizations including Theatre Aquarius, the Art Gallery of Hamilton, and is grateful for all the learning she did as the coordinator of FMO's Developing Artist Program from 2014 - 2019. Treasa has recently been activated by the words of Margaret Killjoy: 'what if we replaced gatekeepers with ushers and helped people find where they belong?'

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Arthur McGregor ran the Ottawa Folklore Centre for 38 years. He was a founding director of the Canadian Folk Music Awards. Arthur is recipient of the Estelle Klein (FMO) and the Unsung Hero (CFMA) awards. He is currently Canadian Vice-President of AF M Local 1000 and artistic director of the Upper Canada Folk Festival.

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Max Merrifield is the Artistic Director of Northern Lights Festival Boréal, Canada's longest consecutively-running music fest, based in Sudbury, ON. The festival presents an eclectic core of folk, world, indie; plus rock, hip-hop, pop, and beyond. He has been in this position since 2016, serving as the organization's Executive Director between 2013 and 2020, and first starting employment with the organization in 2011. Merrifield currently works full-time as an Initiatives Officer for FedNor, the federal government's economic development organization for Northern Ontario. He holds a B.A. from Laurentian University in Political Science. Under the Northern Lights banner, he founded the Bloom festival in 2019, a multi-venue, winter festival with a strong emphasis on cultural and musical diversity. His involvement in the music & arts scene also manifests itself in his work as a hip-hop artist, DJ, producer (Max Moon), independent concert promoter and contracted consultant, working on numerous other festivals and events.

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Evan is passionate about consulting in the music industry and regularly shares insights from his 20-year career with government agencies and private businesses around the world. He has been a member of international touring orchestras in the past and has served as a ticketing agent, music critic, artist manager, podcast host, and executive director of federally funded music business conferences and showcases. He is a Canadian citizen and now lives in Taiwan after getting married and having children.

Through the global network Evan has established, he has helped musicians from all over the world gain many performance opportunities in North America, Europe and Asia. With years of experience in the music industry, Evan is excited to take a leadership role in future initiatives such as the Jade Music Fest, using strategic planning to connect Taiwanese musicians internationally.

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Justin Nordell (he/him/his/y’all) is the Executive Director of the Philadelphia Folksong Society, presenters of the oldest continuously run outdoor music festival in North America, the Philadelphia Folk Festival, which celebrated its 60th anniversary in August 2022. Throughout the pandemic, Justin and PFS presented artists in digital concert venues and festivals, raising over $200,000 USD directly for musicians. Now, Justin is thrilled to have reopened PFS’ seated venue and concert series in Philadelphia, and especially to welcomed over 30,000 guests to the Philadelphia Folk Festival. Justin is already seeking artists for the 61st Festival August 17-20, 2023 and in addition, Justin, an openly queer presenter, is elated to be showcasing an all LGBTQIA2+ artist series in the coming year!

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Allison Outhit has worked for over 30 years in administration, licensing, and international business development in the film/TV and music industries. She was previously VP Operations at FACTOR, Canada’s largest and most impactful music funding organization, where she initiated steps toward equity and inclusion by prioritizing diversity of staff and jury members, creating programs for outreach and community development, and securing budgets to invest in projects by and for those communities. Allison founded the Alliance for Equity in the Music Industry to raise awareness of systemic discrimination and to advocate for equity in the governance and policy that drives the Canadian music industry. In 2019, she was honoured with the Brian Chater Industry Award, given by the Canadian Independent Music Association in recognition of a transformative commitment to Canadian music. A former recording and touring artist, Allison holds a law degree and a professional designation as a Canadian Certified Inclusion Practitioner from the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion. As a consultant, facilitator, and speaker, Allison is known for her compassionate commitment to promoting independent creatives and advocating for industry, policy, and social change.

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Canmore Folk Music Festival takes place over the Heritage Day long weekend, typically the first weekend in August. The festival is a family-oriented celebration of our diverse cultural heritage through the presentation of traditional and contemporary folk, blues, country, Canadiana/Americana, Celtic and Global Roots music.

Sue Panning has been involved with the Canmore Folk Festival since 2006, and has programmed the festival since 2011. We present top-quality artists from across Canada and the world as well as supporting emerging artists (local, regional and, in some cases, national) in our rural community.

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Byron Pascoe is an entertainment lawyer and partner with Edwards Creative Law. Byron focuses on music law and works with recording artists, producers, managers, music service businesses and festivals. Before law school, he was a television and new media producer. Based in Ottawa, Byron works with clients across Canada. In Ottawa, he organizes the monthly music professional development series Independent Music Business. He is also a board member of CityFolk, MEGAPHONO; is active with the national network of legal clinics for the arts; and was awarded the Impact Award at the inaugural Ottawa Music Awards.”

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Neil is an artist manager, artist-development specialist, and project manager working in the UK and internationally, with a particular interest in singer/songwriter, folk, and the wider roots genres. He manages John Smith and Rachel Baiman, and has worked freelance with a range of artists, including Rose Cousins, The Small Glories, Julian Taylor and more on projects including UK development, album release cycles, and career development.In addition to this he programs the UK suite at Folk Alliance.

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Victoria Perron has been working with the Alianait Arts Festival since 2016 in a variety of roles. A fan of the arts, you can always find her in a corner listening to project ideas and trying to figure out ways to make them a reality.

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Sarah is the owner of Porter Music Management, based in Ottawa, Ontario. She has a roster of folk/blues/roots artists from both Canada and based internationally who she represents in both management and agency capacity. Her business primarily focuses on strategic planning for artist's career growth. She helps artists become the CEOs of their own companies and reach the success they want!

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Cheryl Prashker studied classical percussion at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, where she was born and raised. She has toured Canada, U.S. Europe and Russia. She spent many years in NY City honing her skills playing everything from rock, to Middle Eatern music and accompanied many artists. She now tours with Eric Andersen and her own band, The Celtic Roots group RUNA. She lived in Philadelphia for 15 years and helped to run the Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA). She now lives in Ontario and since 2018 has been the Artistic Director and General Manager for the Goderich Celtic Roots Festival and College in Goderich, Ontario where she first attended as an artist in 2011.

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Stefanie Purificati began her career as an agent in 2010 and recently helped open the Toronto office for APA Canada. She is a music industry veteran who got her start as the in-house talent buyer at the Drake Hotel. Her current roster includes iskwē, Shawnee Kish, Skye Wallace, Digging Roots, Riit, drag superstars Mo Heart and Tynomi Banks and many more. A highly active member of the community, Stefanie has sat on the Board of Directors for the Country Music Association of Ontario, worked for the Polaris Music Prize for a decade, and is a frequent panelist at conferences like Canadian Music Week, Breakout West, Halifax Pop Explosion, Line Check (Milan, Italy), Canadian Country Music Week and many more.

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Raised in the East Coast, Sam Rayner has been in the music scene for over nine years as an artist and industry professional. He moved to Toronto in pursuit of more experience and later began working for True North Records, concentrating in Digital Assets and A&R. Sam joined the CIMA & MusicOntario team in 2016 as Membership Services Coordinator where he oversees day-to-day membership relations. Sam also serves as FACTOR’s Regional Educational Coordinator (REC).

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The Dream Cafe in Penticton is a venue that has been dedicated to presenting and supporting great Canadian and international musicians for 22 years. In the past year it has become a priority to expand the programming to 15-20 shows a month. Another focus at the Dream is to make a point to have diversity in the style and genres of music we host.

The room itself is an intimate 115 seat venue, where we pride ourselves on excellent sound production. We have an apartment next to the venue where we welcome bands and hope to make anyone performing feel as though they are at a home away from home.