Presented by: Tkaronto Music Festival and the 50/50 Performing Arts Collective

In Association with: Small World Music and Lula Lounge

We are so excited to team up with our friends at Tkaronto Music Festival and Lula Lounge to celebrate the Spring Equinox with female Indigenous music powerhouses, Leela Gilday and Rosary Spence.

This event will also be broadcast live for those who are unable to join us in person, featuring a virtual-only performance by Mimi O'Bonsawin on TKMF's Youtube Channel: https://youtu.be/d-LeHh8eXHE

A passionate singer/songwriter and soulful performer, Leela Gilday has a voice that comes straight from the heart. Confessing her stories to her audiences with a gutsy voice and open stage presence, Gilday weaves her experiences as a northerner, a member of the Dene nation, and a traveler into a beautiful world that transports the listener. If you’re from the North, Leela’s music is home. If you’ve never been, it will take you there. Born and raised in the Northwest Territories, she writes about the people and the land that created her. The power in her voice conveys the depth of her feelings of love and life in a rugged environment and vibrant culture, as if it comes straight from that earth. Leela’s family is from Délįne on the shore of Great Bear Lake and her rich vocals dance across the rhythmic beats of traditional Dene drumming as smoothly as a bass line onstage the largest venues in the country. And she has played them all.

Singer/ Song Writer, Rosary Spence is a musician and entrepreneur with a powerhouse of a voice, soulful Indigenous styles and innovative spirit. Born and raised on the Western Shores of James Bay, Cree Territory, Spence strongly believes in the ability to heal our communities through the strength of the youth and the wisdom of our elders. Music has been a lifetime journey for Spence, singing since early childhood and playing an array of instruments since her early teens. Spence possesses an extensive background and experience as a designer, a performing artist, and an arts facilitator. Currently residing in Toronto, Ontario, where she is raising her family, Spence also works in the social sector and is highly active within the arts community.

If you can embrace the grace and power of Northern Ontario landscapes, you will feel the music of Mimi O’Bonsawin. She epitomizes the powerful scenery and the beauty of its waters through her music, all the while yielding to her rich and warm French Canadian and Abenaki roots.
In a time where you may feel like it has all been done before, Mimi is a rare find. She is one of a kind. When you meet her, you will know it.

Presented as a part of 25 for 25 - Small World Music's 25th Anniversary Program