Tudjaat, Crystal Shawanda, Andrea Menard, Jerry Alfred, and Stoney Park Singers Added to National Music Centre’s Updated Speak Up! Exhibit, Opening on June 17
NMC will offer free admission on June 21 and a live performance with Tudjaat
(June 1, 2026 – Calgary, AB) The National Music Centre (NMC) will reveal an updated edition of its Speak Up! exhibition on June 17 at Studio Bell. This year’s update spotlights a new group of trailblazing Indigenous artists who have used their voices to preserve their culture and inspire the next generation. In honour of National Indigenous Peoples Day on June 21, NMC will also offer free admission and host a special live event featuring one of the exhibit’s newest honourees.
The evolving Speak Up! exhibition, supported by TD Bank Group, now features pioneering Nunavut vocal duo Tudjaat, who introduced audiences worldwide to Katatjaq or Inuit traditional throat singing in the mid-1990s; powerhouse vocalist and songwriter Crystal Shawanda from Wiikwemkoong First Nation on Manitoulin Island, Ontario, celebrated for her incredible ability to move between country, blues, and soul with equal conviction; and Métis singer-songwriter, actor, and author Andrea Menard from Flin Flon, Manitoba, who has earned acclaim as a defining voice within Canada’s arts community.
The exhibition also pays tribute to Jerry Alfred, a Northern Tutchone musician from Pelly Crossing, Yukon and hereditary "Keeper of the Songs" for the Crow Clan of the Selkirk First Nation, who has played a vital role in safeguarding ceremonial songs and Northern Tutchone musical knowledge; and the Stoney Park Singers, a renowned family drum group from Mînî Thnî (Morley), Alberta that is known as one of the most respected and influential drum groups on the powwow trail.
This year’s edition of the exhibit will feature storytelling, immersive audio, and personal artifacts, including a dress worn by Andrea Menard during a performance of her one-woman musical The Velvet Devil, and Tudjaat’s 1997 American Indian Film Institute Award for Best Song for their tune "Kajusita (When My Ship Comes In)," which was included on a United Nations compilation CD, and tells the story of the forced exile of a group of Inuit to the High Arctic. Visitors can also see objects and artifacts from past featured artists, including a ribbon skirt worn by JUNO Award-winning traditional artist Fawn Wood, a hand drum from Northern Cree’s Steve Wood, and the cape Jeremy Dutcher wore during his performance at the 2019 Juno Awards. An interactive kiosk invites guests to discover stories from all 36 Indigenous artists celebrated since the exhibit first opened in 2019.
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 Tudjaat. Formed by cousins Madeleine Allakariallak and Phoebe Atagotaaluk in Nunavut (formerly Northwest Territories), throughout the mid-1990s their work was instrumental in reconnecting many young Inuit to their culture by reclaiming and restoring throat songs, which had been suppressed by colonial policies. Also performing are Black Crow Funk, the country, folk, and blues project of Métis singer-songwriter Jody Funk; and techno/electronic artist sean beaver, who incorporates pow wow elements, percussion, and vocal chants into his high-energy hybrid sets of live loops and originally produced music. The event will also include a vendor market supported in part by the City of Calgary, featuring an assortment of goods from Indigenous artists.
"Inuit from across the circumpolar arctic regions have always used song, sounds, and drum dances to tell stories,” said Madeleine Allakariallak of Tudjaat. “To this day, Inuit have a very rich culture and oral histories have been passed down from generations about the environments we come from. We are so happy to share our throat songs, passed down to us by our grandmother. You can hear the sounds of birds, mosquitos, the rivers, the wind, and even tools...all reminding us of the beautiful lands we come from. These throat songs are also lullabies, love songs from mothers to our babies. We bring pride from us Inuit in Canada on the uniqueness of katatjaq, now learnt by a new generation of Inuit and shared through so many genres of music."
“Speak Up! was created to honour Indigenous artists who have utilized their voices and talent to shape cultural understanding in Canada and beyond, and created new horizons and pathways for others to follow,” 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. “This year’s additions reflect the resilience of Indigenous music within several genres. The exhibit explores barriers being broken in the music industry to the preservation of traditional songs. We hope visitors leave with a much deeper appreciation for Indigenous artists and ultimately the inspirational role they have gifted future generations to come.”
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 updated 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 17 and runs until June of 2027.
National Music Centre is part of the Calgary Culture Coalition for Truth and Reconciliation (CCCTR), alongside Central Library, The Confluence, Heritage Park, and Weklund Centre. To learn more about events and activities happening throughout the city during National Indigenous History Month with all CCCTR partners, visit werklundcentre.ca/national-indigenous-history-month-2026.
About National Music Centre | Centre National de Musique
National Music Centre (NMC) is a registered charity dedicated to amplifying the love, sharing, and understanding of music in Canada. More than a museum, NMC focuses on five key areas: Exhibitions and Collections, Artist and Professional Development, Performance and Recording, Education and Learning, and Music and Wellness. From its headquarters at Studio Bell in the heart of Calgary’s East Village neighbourhood and satellite location in Montreal, NMC celebrates Canada’s rich musical legacy, honouring legendary artists, nurturing new voices, and bringing people together through music. NMC also houses a vast collection of rare instruments, artifacts and memorabilia, world-class recording studios, and four of Canada’s 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. National Music Centre marks its 10th anniversary as Canada’s home for music in 2026, with a year-long lineup of exhibits, events, and programs planned. Visit studiobell.ca/10 to explore the full list of anniversary activities happening now through summer 2027. To check out the NMC experience online, visit amplify.nmc.ca.
About the Calgary Culture Coalition for Truth and Reconciliation
The Calgary Culture Coalition for Truth and Reconciliation (CCCTR)is a collaboration between five Calgary cultural institutions, Central Library, The Confluence, Heritage Park, National Music Centre, and Weklund Centre, who are committed to elevating Indigenous voices, sharing Indigenous cultures, and advancing Truth and Reconciliation. Our mission is to ensure that citizens of Calgary and area have access to a variety of learning and engagement experiences that complement and extend community access, creating opportunities to grow, learn, and participate in active Reconciliation, and helping to build stronger understanding, respect, accountability to, and compassion for Indigenous peoples.
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Media contact:
Julijana Capone, Senior Manager PR and Marketing
julijana.capone@nmc.ca | @nmc_canada