Performers

Gurnam Bhullar is an Indian singer, actor and lyricist associated with Punjabi language music and films. He is best known for his single Diamond.

Born Wesley Louissaint in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, he has grown into his role as a prolific songwriter, guitarist and producer. Uniting a large cross-section of Montreal talent, his music links Haitian voudou and rara with roots, Afrobeat, and hip-hip. Guest spots on his albums include the likes of Tiken Jah Fakoly, Paul Cargnello and Malika Tirolien. He has toured under the Globalfest banner with the Caribbean All-Stars. 

An engaging storyteller, singer-songwriter and performer, three-time JUNO Award nominee Don Amero has been tirelessly touring, performing and speaking across Canada for the last decade, earning the respect and attention of the Canadian Music industry and fans alike. With the rare ability to effortlessly and genuinely connect with his audience, Amero, who is of Cree and Métis heritage, has taken the skills he utilizes on stage and applied them to his advocacy work within Indigenous communities and beyond, including his participation as a youth mentor for the Winnipeg Jets and True North Youth Foundation’s ‘Project 11’. An avid public speaker, Amero created the ‘Music Is Medicine’ workshop, presenting the impact and power music has mentally and physically, and he now serves as the first ever advisor and Chair of the CCMA Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee.

Join the Indigenous Songwriters Circle to learn about songwriting. The songwriting session will be moderated by Lisa Patterson. 

• Saturday, July 22: Musician hosts - Sandy Scofield and Patrick Calihou
• Sunday, July 23: Musician hosts - Don Amero, Renae Morriseau, Semiah

With a style perpetually galvanized by darkness and haunting northern beauty, sisters Tiffany Ayalik and Inuksuk Mackay come together to create Inuit style throat singing duo, PIQSIQ. Performing ancient traditional songs and eerie new compositions, they leave their listeners enthralled with their ability to weave complex emotional landscapes that transcend language.

In Inuktitut, a “piqsiq” is a storm where winds blow in a very specific way, making it seem as if the snow is falling back up towards the sky. This otherworldly, natural phenomenon has become a source of inspiration for the duo, reminding them that things are not always as they seem.

Bardic Form is a multi-award-winning instrumental Progressive World Folk group, blending folk, Latin, classical and contemporary music into a high-energy and unparalleled performance. Rising from an impromptu living room jam in 2010, Justin and Reece quickly made a name for themselves as an exciting acoustic guitar duo, and have been captivating audiences ever since. They have been direct support for 8-time Grammy winner Ziggy Marley as well as Delhi 2 Dublin, and have performed at the Edmonton Folk Music Festival three times, where they shared the stage with Oscar Lopez, Sharon Shannon, and Della Mae.

Weaving together intricate melodies with sophisticated grace, Bardic Form delivers uniquely crafted compositions that are as dynamic and varied as their influences - with a smile and some cheeky shenanigans. From outdoor festivals to living rooms, concert halls to coffee houses, they are a rare gem performing something truly different and unforgettable. Bardic Form is currently recording new music set for a 2023 release.

Born Bulelwa Mtukukana and best known by her stage name ZAHARA. She's a singer and songwriter. She started singing in her school choir when she was only six year old. On May 2012, at the annual South African Music Awards, Zahara won 8 Awards including "Best Female and Album of the Year.

Zahara is a Multi-Platinum Winning musician. She signed history making residency deal with hotel and Casino, Emperor's Palace. The start is the first South African musician achieve this massive deal which will see her perform at the Company's various hotel locally and across the world.

Started in 1996, we are a Vancouver based Latin Dance Company. We perform locally, at festivals, and all over the world for competitions.

ounder of the African Friendship Society, Jacky Essombe –aka Jacky Yenga– is a performer, TEDx speaker and best-selling author, and a messenger for the healing wisdom of African villages. She teaches how to use the power of community to heal and access joy through rhythm, movement and connection. Kocassalé Dioubaté (Guinea/Senegal), Aly Traoré (Guinea) and N’nato Camara (Guinea) are joining Jaky in this hear-pounding performance that showcases traditional rhythms, songs and dances from West and Central Africa. Join the Village and experience a deep sense of belonging, shared joy, unity, and friendship. 

The members of Timba Cartel are an All Star cast of multicultural musicians that collectively have been involved in Grammy and Juno award winning recordings and have played Festivals at home and around the world. Timba Cartel is ready to take their music to the world and bring the party wherever they go. The future looks bright for this Vancouver based Latin music force.

The founding members of Phase III have traveled extensively to many exciting places spreading the warm, tropical sounds of the music they love as they go. Now, having settled in Canada, they have decided to fulfill a dream, bringing the sounds of sunshine and lazy days to the challenging climate conditions of North America. The intrigue of the steel drums always draws a crowd, and the music itself, whether a familiar West Indy song, or classical, calypso, rhythm and blues, funk, and the ever popular rock’n roll, is irresistible. And, of course, they are always expanding their repertoire with new melodies.

Higher Ground Dance Company is in its 5th year and season and is based out of Vancouver. Founded and created by Natasha Gorrie, Higher Ground’s program is unlike any other street dance company in the lower mainland. Focusing on personal growth to help you level up, build your own voice and identity, and build knowledge of history with a true understanding of the culture of street dances.

Training in fundamentals of various street dances but focusing on Hip Hop styles, Breaking, Popping & locking.

Semiah is a Kanien'keha:ka (Mohawk), Turtle clan electro RnB artist from Six Nations, ON. Now based out of Toronto, Semiah's songs radiate the energy of an artist with an international heart who grew up touring around the world: from art festivals in the Australian outback to the beaches of Trinidad since the age of 7. Semiah's distinctive vocal sound is supported by melodic and production elements of RnB, Electronic, Lofi, Hip-Hop, Psychedelic-rock, and Dream pop. 

M’Girl music is an Indigenous women's vocal and hand drum ensemble that's been together for over 20 years. M’Girl loves to sing and blend their voices.  Managed by Renae Morriseau, she has been gifted songs through ceremony and composed hand drum songs in Cree and Saulteaux, her family's language(s). M'Girl, is a collective of urban Indigenous women from different nations of Turtle Island. M’Girl celebrates the restoration of women in song and provides a lens into how each M'Girl honours their cultural perspectives on these lands of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tlseil-Waututh.  

Singing since the age of seven, Héctor Darío González Aguirre known as Vercenzo has a very rich and diverse background in music that ranges from singing Salsa/Pop music to performing arias by Mozart. A graduate from the University of British Columbia with a Bachelor’s in Music, Vercenzo has performed in music festivals all over Canada. 

Eli Gosselin-Rattlesnake is an Anishinaabe Hoop Dancer whose ancestry is from Tootinaowaziibeeng Treaty 4 Reserve in Southwestern Manitoba. 
He and his Powwow and Hoop dance family have been traveling to share their medicine anywhere the Spirit calls them. It is with great gratitude that they share their stories and medicine with the people.