Folk Alliance International has announced Tanya Tagaq as its 2019 keynote speaker. The conference will take place February 13-17 in Montreal, Canada.
She is an acclaimed Inuk throat singer from Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, in the Canadian Arctic who uses delightful, surprising vocal improvisations that connect traditional roots with contemporary culture.
Tanya is a 2014 Polaris Prize-winning recording artist (Animism), author of a 2018 Scotiabank Giller Prize longlisted novel (Split Tooth), an actress, a painter, and has collaborated extensively with Bjork, Kronos Quartet, Shooglenifty, and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
The recipient of multiple Juno Awards (Canada’s top music award) and a Canadian Folk Music Award, her work concentrates on topics ranging from food sovereignty and environmental issues to the plight of women and indigenous peoples.
Tagaq is a mother of two and a Member of the Order of Canada, one of the country’s highest honors.
For more information about Tanya Yagaq, read her biography.
Author: World Music Central News Room
World music news from the editors at World Music Central