Beatrice Deer, Ray St. Germain, Harry Rusk, Kelly Fraser, and Dakhká Khwáan Dancers Added to National Music Centre’s Updated Speak Up! Exhibit, Opening on June 18

NMC will offer free admission on June 21 and a live performance with Beatrice Deer

(Calgary, AB — June 3, 2025) The National Music Centre (NMC) is proud to unveil a refreshed iteration of its award-winning Speak Up! exhibition, opening June 18 at Studio Bell. This year’s update honours a new wave of inspiring Indigenous artists and changemakers whose voices and stories continue to resonate. In celebration of National Indigenous Peoples Day on June 21, NMC will also welcome the public with free admission and a special live event featuring one of the exhibition’s newest honourees.

The evolving Speak Up! exhibition, supported by TD Bank Group, now features acclaimed "Inuindie" pop artist Beatrice Deer from Quaqtaq, Nunavik, and the acclaimed Inland Tlingit dance group Dakhká Khwáan Dancers based in Whitehorse, Yukon, renowned for their focus on reclaiming and promoting their languages and traditions through the art of singing, drumming, dancing and storytelling. The exhibition also pays tribute to the enduring legacies of influential Indigenous trailblazers: Ray St. Germain, a Métis country music legend and Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame inductee, affectionately known as “Winnipeg’s Elvis”; pioneering country star Harry Rusk, the first Indigenous artist to perform on the Grand Ole Opry stage in Nashville; and Inuk artist Kelly Fraser, who championed Inuit culture with her music, blending Inuktitut and English languages with contemporary pop and hip hop.

Visitors can discover newly added artifacts, including Ray St. Germain’s personalized six-string Ovation guitar and a modernized “arnauti,” or traditional Inuit women’s garment, designed and made by Beatrice Deer, along with a fully updated gallery experience. The exhibition also continues to showcase powerful contributions from past featured artists, including Drezus, Tom Jackson, Fawn Wood, Jeremy Dutcher, and Northern Cree.

On June 21, David McLeod, curator of the National Music Centre's Speak Up! exhibition, will host a free live event, featuring a performance by Beatrice Deer. Melding indie rock, modern folk, and traditional throat singing, and performing in Inuktitut, English, and French, Deer’s music bridges worlds – cultural, musical, and spiritual. Opening the program, Blackfoot traditional singer Norvin Eagle Speaker will take the stage alongside grass dancer Takota Eagle Speaker, and fancy dancer Miracle Eagle Speaker. The artists will perform two sets at 10:45 am and 12:45 pm.

"What an honour it is to be part of the Speak Up! exhibition,” said Beatrice Deer. “This is an opportunity to share that we Inuit are still blessed to speak our language, tell our stories, and sing our songs. To show that we still live our hunter-gatherer lifestyle to this day, and to share those stories with the world. I am honoured that I get to represent my people in Speak Up!"

Since its launch in 2019, the Speak Up! exhibition has celebrated 32 influential Indigenous artists from across Canada who have made a lasting impact on culture through music. Through powerful storytelling, immersive audio, and personal artifacts, Speak Up! invites visitors to explore how these artists are using their voices to spark dialogue, inspire change, and share what it means to be First Nations, Métis, and Inuit in Canada.

“This year’s Speak Up! exhibition is not only a celebration of Indigenous excellence in music, but also a heartfelt tribute to the legacies of trailblazing artists who are no longer with us,” said David McLeod (member of the Pine Creek First Nation), Curator of Speak Up! and NMC Board Member and Chair of NMC's National Indigenous Programming Advisory Committee. “Artists like Ray St. Germain, Harry Rusk, and Kelly Fraser utilized their artistic platforms on a national scale to elevate Indigenous stories, culture, and history, ultimately sparking social change. Their inspirational talents and legacies continue to resonate today, and we are thrilled to ensure their contributions are celebrated, and will also inspire new generations.”

The Speak Up! exhibition is supported by TD Bank Group, who deepened its commitment to NMC’s Indigenous programming in 2022 through the OHSOTO’KINO initiative. Named after a Blackfoot phrase meaning “to recognize a voice of,” OHSOTO’KINO is guided by NMC’s Indigenous Programming Advisory Committee and plays a central role in shaping exhibitions and programs at Studio Bell. The initiative supports multiple pillars: the creation of new music in NMC’s recording studios, artist development through a music incubator, the annually refreshed Speak Up! exhibition, and original digital content on NMC’s Amplify platform at amplify.nmc.ca.

Studio Bell, home of the National Music Centre, will be open from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm on June 21, National Indigenous Peoples Day, and admission will be free for everyone. Learn more at studiobell.ca/whats-on. The updated iteration of the Speak Up! exhibition will open on June 18 and run until June of 2026.

About National Music Centre | Centre National de Musique
The National Music Centre (NMC) has a mission to amplify the love, sharing, and understanding of music. It is preserving and celebrating Canada’s music story inside its home at Studio Bell in the heart of the East Village in Mohkinstsis (Calgary) on Treaty 7 territory. NMC is the home to four Canadian music halls of fame, including the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame, the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, and Quebec’s ADISQ Hall of Fame. Featuring musical instruments, artifacts, recording equipment, and memorabilia, the NMC Collection spans over 450 years of music history and innovation. A registered charity with programs that include exhibitions, artist development, performance, and education, NMC is inspiring a new generation of music lovers. For more information about NMC’s onsite activities, please visit studiobell.ca. To check out the NMC experience online, including video-on-demand performances, made-in-Canada stories, and highly entertaining educational content, visit amplify.nmc.ca.

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Julijana Capone, Senior Manager, PR & Marketing
T. 403.543.5123
julijana.capone@nmc.ca | @nmc_canada