2021-04-15 20:002021-04-15 21:0060Canada/Eastern🎟 NAC: AIRsessions Workshop: Ila Barker and G.R. Gritt
https://nac-cna.ca/en/event/28545
Zoom event
Artist-in Residence Ila Barker is joined by G.R. Gritt.
G.R. Gritt is a Juno Award winning, Two-Spirit, Transgender, Francophone, Anishinaabe/Métis artist. After living many years in Yellowknife they have recently moved back to Sudbury/Robinson Huron Treaty territory where they grew up. This homecoming coincides with a journey that they feel better represents them. With these changes has come a new voice, both physically and in the growing magnetism of their songwriting. G.R. Gritt...
Artist-in Residence Ila Barker is joined by G.R. Gritt.
G.R. Gritt is a Juno Award winning, Two-Spirit, Transgender, Francophone, Anishinaabe/Métis artist. After living many years in Yellowknife they have recently moved back to Sudbury/Robinson Huron Treaty territory where they grew up. This homecoming coincides with a journey that they feel better represents them. With these changes has come a new voice, both physically and in the growing magnetism of their songwriting. G.R. Gritt pulls effortlessly from the past to create soulful futurisms with their new sound that elegantly weaves the melodies using vocals, guitar and new electronic elements. They create both intimate and anthemic music that would fit in a folk club, a dance club and anywhere in between.
The Northern cities G.R. Gritt has lived in forced them every winter through snow and harsh temperatures to make a choice between isolation and seeking community as a source of warmth. Their music serves as one of these beacons of connection for all who come near it. Welcoming yet truthful, they reclaim space through songs that show that intersectional identity is expansive and not to be divided into parts. By exploring the emotional and cultural core of their heritage as a non-binary, queer, Indigenous artist they create new space and encourage others to do the same.
G.R. Gritt is currently preparing for the release of a new full-length album titled, Ancestors, in 2021 on Coax Records. The first single “Quiet Years” was released November 27, 2020.
Register to participate in this small-group online session to learn about how these artists make music and to share your questions and musical ideas. Priority registration to Indigenous youth aged 13 to 25. Other participants accepted if space is available.
The workshop will take place on Zoom. To register and for more information, please contact Ila at ilabarkermusic@gmail.com.
With soul and voice as smooth as warm honey, singer songwriter Ila Barker captures audiences with her sweet melodies and dynamic presence. Ila is of mixed Anishinaabe and settler heritage with roots running deep in the Manitoban prairies, seasoning her craft with rich history and powerful textures. Coming from a long line of storytellers, she fuses authentic and timeless notes creating moments of serenity and blissful escape. Ila has brought her craft to an array of national festivals and stages including the Regina Folk Festival, the Winnipeg Folk Festival and the sākihiwē festival. In the summer of 2019, Ila opened up a sold out show for Jeremy Dutcher at the Indian River Festival in PEI.
In February 2020, Ila released the “Let Go” single, an atmospheric and stripped down collaboration with UK-based artist Milan André that was recorded off the floor in one take in the northern Cree nation of Nemaska, Quebec. “Let Go” landed on the National Indigenous Music Countdown, and climbed up the charts for three months straight hitting the top 15. Currently Ila is in the planning stages of a future release.
Ila first got her start when she was awarded first place in the NCI Jam in 2011 for her original song “The Tree Song”. In 2013, Ila released her debut self-titled EP which continues to be heard on radio and satellite stations across North America. Her songs “Home” and “Complete” charted on the Indigenous Music Countdown and both hit the #1 spot quickly.
Having started her career organically, Ila keeps roots in the community by offering and participating in artistic and professional development workshops and local art initiatives. Currently, Ila is sitting on the Manitoba Music Indigenous Music Steering Committee and the FACTOR Diversity and Inclusion Committee. She created and facilitates a nationally-funded local music workshop program called AIRsessions, which primarily hires local Indigenous artists, and delivers mentorship to youth ages 13-25. During the school year she works with Indigenous youth in Cree communities in northern Quebec, teaching songwriting and music production.
Avec sa voix mielleuse et réconfortante, ses douces mélodies et sa présence dynamique, l’autrice-compositrice-interprète Ila Barker enchante le public à tout coup. Ila est d’ascendance mixte anishinaabe et européenne, avec des racines bien ancrées dans les prairies manitobaines qui viennent infuser un riche sens du passé et des textures puissantes à son œuvre. Issue d’une longue lignée de conteurs, elle fusionne des notes authentiques et intemporelles pour créer des moments de sérénité et d’évasion paisible. Ila a parcouru les scènes de plusieurs festivals nationaux, dont le Regina Folk Festival, le Winnipeg Folk Festival et le festival sākihiwē. À l’été 2019, Ila a assuré la première partie de Jeremy Dutcher lors d’un spectacle présenté à guichets fermés dans le cadre du Indian River Festival à l’Î.-P-É.
En février 2020, Ila a lancé l’extrait Let Go, une collaboration atmosphérique et épurée avec l’artiste Milan André du Royaume-Uni enregistrée en une seule prise dans la nation crie nordique de Nemaska, au Québec. Let Go s’est retrouvé sur le palmarès national de musique autochtone pendant trois mois et s’est hissé jusqu’à la 15e position. Ila travaille présentement sur sa prochaine parution.
Ila s’est d’abord fait remarquer lorsqu’elle a remporté la première place du concours NCI Jam en 2011 pour sa composition originale The Tree Song. En 2013, elle fait paraitre son premier mini-album homonyme, qui continue de tourner sur les stations de radio et de satellite partout en Amérique du Nord. Ses chansons Home et Complete se sont toutes deux rapidement retrouvées au sommet du palmarès de musique autochtone.
Ayant lancé sa carrière de façon organique, Ila demeure ancrée dans sa communauté en animant et en participant à des ateliers de développement professionnel et artistique, ainsi qu’à des initiatives artistiques locales. Elle siège présentement au comité directeur de musique autochtone de Manitoba Music et au comité de diversité et d’inclusion de FACTOR. Elle a également fondé et anime un programme local d’ateliers de musique nommé AIRsessions, qui embauche principalement des artistes autochtones locaux et offre du mentorat aux jeunes de 13 à 25 ans grâce à du financement fédéral. Pendant l’année scolaire elle travaille avec de jeunes autochtones dans les communautés cries du nord du Québec, où elle enseigne l’écriture de chansons et la réalisation musicale.
Artist in residence Ila Barker
