Native to Canada
Native to Canada, a showcase of Aboriginal musicians, stormed Berlin – and the international music trade – in October 2000. Organized by the Canada Council for the annual Worldwide Music Expo (the world’s largest trade show dedicated to world, roots, folk, ethnic and traditional music), the initiative was meant to help Canadian artists launch international careers.
The contingent included Whitefish Jrs., Cree singers and drummers from Big River First Nation in Saskatchewan; Kanenhi:io, women singers from the Wahta Mohawk Territory in Ontario; Willie Dunn, a folk singer from Ottawa; Calvin Vollrath, a Métis fiddler-composer from St. Paul, Alberta; and Lucie Idlout, an Inuit folk/rock singer-songwriter from Iqaluit. The appearance led to various engagements in Norway, England, Italy, Germany, Sweden