Last night in Toronto’s Massey Hall, Two-Spirit Wolastoqiyik (Maliseet) musician and composer Jeremy Dutcher made history by taking home a second Polaris Music Prize for the album Motewolonuwok ᒣᑏᐧᐁᓓᓄᐧᐁᒃ. Dutcher won the first Polaris in 2018 for his debut album, Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa, recorded in the Wolastoq language.
Motewolonuwok ᒣᑏᐧᐁᓓᓄᐧᐁᒃ is Jeremy’s first recording to include English lyrics. “Six years ago, I put out my first record; this award changed my life,” he told the crowd on his win.
The Polaris Music Prize has been celebrating Canadian music for 19 years with an important difference from other music awards— it is given based purely on artistic merit, regardless of sales or genre. As a result, the short list of ten from which the winner is culled tends to represent a good cross-section of the Canadian music scene.
Performances at the gala demonstrated the depth of talent incorporated in that list.
The Polaris Music Prize Gala
“Music is the soul of Toronto,” proclaimed Toronto mayor Olivia Chow in her introduction to one of the performing acts. “It’s music that lifts us up.”
The full Short List included:
- Allison Russell: The Returner
- BAMBII: INFINITY CLUB
- Charlotte Cardin: 99 Nights
- Cindy Lee: Diamond Jubilee
- DijahSB: The Flower That Knew
- Elisapie: Inuktitut
- Jeremy Dutcher: Motewolonuwok
- NOBRO: Set Your Pussy Free
- The Beaches: Blame My Ex
- TOBi: Panic
Most performed live for the raucous, often chatty audience (host and previous winner Debby Friday had to politely chastise the group more than once to be heard).
Highlights included a performance by Toronto string ensemble Strings From Paris. Charlotte Cardin had cancelled her live appearance due to illness, and so she appeared via a pre-recorded video. Strings from Paris added a live dimension from the stage.
Jordan Miller, lead singer for popular Toronto alt-rock band The Beaches performed with the members of another woman-only band, Thunder Queens, in a generational show of support.
Inuk musician, broadcaster, documentary filmmaker, activist, and actress Elisapie‘s set was haunting, particularly a version of Pink Floyd’s iconic Wish You Were Here sung in Inuktitut in four-part vocal harmony, accompanied only by a plucked violin.
Allison Russell, on tour in the US, instead offered Eve Is Black, a ballet inspired by her GRAMMY-winning single of the same name. Choreographed by Caribbean Montrealer Kevin Thomas, artistic director of Collage Dance, the work is performed to music by Russell and support from SistaStrings. The work was premiered by Nashville Ballet in 2021. Nia Lyons from Collage Dance Collective performed the lead role in a seven-dancer ensemble for the crowd.
Nigerian-born Canadian singer and rapper Tobi, aka Oluwatobi Feyisara Ajibolade, offered an impressive set of two songs. The second, Protect You, was performed with vocals, a grand piano, and a remarkable bassist (who’d been playing drums the song before). It was a jazzy, virtuosic work.
Nobro‘s fiery turn on stage proved that punk rock is anything but dead.
While the crowd was generally enthusiastic for all the performers, they saved their biggest cheers for Dutcher’s atmospheric performance at the piano with a chorus of singers.
Final Thoughts
Instrumental music, and Western classical music per se, may still be just outside the radar of popular music in Canada, and North America in general.
However, the presence of a string ensemble, along with several violins, a ballet, and a two-time winner with a classically trained tenor voice, prove that art music and dance continue to have a place in the world of contemporary pop culture — and one that is growing.
Are you looking to promote an event? Have a news tip? Need to know the best events happening this weekend? Send us a note.
#LUDWIGVAN
Get the daily arts news straight to your inbox.
Sign up for the Ludwig Van Toronto e-Blast! — local classical music and opera news straight to your inbox HERE.
