Photo by Brad Ardley

SOCAN Foundation holds 2023 Indigenous Song Camp

Story by Howard Druckman, with files from / avec la participation de Julien Boumard Coallier | November 6, 2023

PHOTO GALLERY BELOW

The SOCAN Foundation was pleased and proud to hold its second annual Indigenous Song Camp, presented by Amazon Music, at the downtown Tkaronto/Toronto creative hub Kilometre House, Oct. 23-26, 2023. It’s Canada’s only music program solely dedicated to supporting the songwriting and storytelling of emerging Indigenous artists.

Over the course of a four-day creative journey, 17 Indigenous and non-Indigenous songwriters, artists, and producers came together to explore new writing styles, develop new working relationships, and create a positive community experience. The camp allowed participants to expand their networks, while creating new songs in an inspiring setting, and presenting their work at an industry listening session.

The selected participants came from across the country, and represented a wide variety of musical styles. This cohort included:

The camp participants were mentored by hit songwriters, producers, and music publishers Jenna Andrews and Stephen Kirk; Kim Wheatley, an Anishinaabe Ojibway grandmother from the Shawanaga First Nations Reserve; Sākihiwē Festival Director Alan Greyeyes; and Melissa Somosky, Senior Content Acquisition Manager, Amazon Music. The camp was facilitated by Melissa Cameron-Passley, Noah Mirotta, Jess Persadie, and Cole Wilson, all of the Kilometre Music Group; Britt Ralph, of the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame; and Julien Boumard-Coallier, of The SOCAN Foundation.

“This felt like one of the best experiences I’ve had – both musically and on a personal level,” said camp participant Justine Tyrell. “You created a fun, productive and safe space for all of us to really show up to do great work, form friendships, community, and find colleagues that will last long beyond this week. As a songwriter and an artist, I feel like you set us up to be successful, and helped put real-life, tangible opportunities in front of us. These are the experiences and building blocks that genuinely make a difference, and help us sharpen our tools in the work we do, and carry us further in our careers.”

“I’m super-happy that the sākihiwē festival is able to support this incredible opportunity for Indigenous songwriters in Canada,” said camp mentor Alan Greyeyes. “We’re proud to work with the SOCAN Foundation and the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame to support the amazing work that songwriters, artists, and producers created at this years’ Indigenous Song Camp,” said John Murphy, Head of camp presenter Amazon Music and Podcasts in Canada.