The Anuri Drum Dancers are a group of young artists based in Iqaluit, Nunavut.They specialize in contemporary forms of qilautiit drum dancing, and Inuit throat singing. The Anuri Drum Dancers fuse traditional and contemporary elements of Inuit music. These youth have a great deal of performance experience as members of the Inuksuk Drum Dancers directed by Dr. Mary Piercey-Lewis. They have traveled and performed in many places and capacities across Turtle Island. Their most recent collaboration has been with Gina Burgess and her band. The Anuri Drum Dancers have created contemporary qilautiit choreography to each piece on Gina’s “ISNOW” album. The show they have created combines contemporary drum dancing, jazz, folk, celtic, traditional, and contemporary Inuit throat singing. They have performed this show in Iqaluit and Igloolik. They will be touring this production across Newfoundland in July 2024. 

The Anna Templeton Centre is a non profit organization dedicated to craft, art, and design. Our Mission: To deliver craft, art, and entrepreneurial based learning to foster and develop the creative crafts industry in Newfoundland and Labrador through creation, education, exposure, and experiences. Our Vision: Shape the future of Newfoundland and Labrador’s rich creative culture and heritage through the creation and delivery of innovative programming.

Sandy Morris and Anita Best are two of Newfoundland’s most beloved musical icons. A founding member of the Wonderful Grand Band, Sandy has been a driving force in local music for over 60 years, composing for film, TV, and CBC’s Land & Sea. Anita’s warm, powerful voice and deep connection to traditional Newfoundland songs have made her a treasured performer and folklorist. Together, they bring a rich tapestry of song, story, and musical mastery to the stage.

Anita Best is a traditional singer and storyteller from Merasheen, Placentia Bay. She has made her living as a teacher, folkloristt, broadcaster and performer since 1970. An original member of the legendary trad-rock band Figgy Duff, her more recent collaborations are with Pamela Morgan and Sandy Morris (3 albums). 

Anita has contributed  to  folklore publications,  film and television projects and audiobooks, as a writer, singer and narrator since 1974.  In addition to her own projects and featured appearances, she continues to perform with several other musicians on their recordings and live performances

Country music mixed with occasional fuzz, fuzz mixed with occasional folk. Andrew, and the company of friends that join him on stage, set out to create sounds that are equal parts reminiscent of his favorite alternative country records and the songs he heard during his upbringing in outport Newfoundland. With songwriting that has a strong lyrical focus on storytelling and personal narratives, musically, Andrew’s songs include drum fills and twangy guitar licks that fall over themselves just as frequently as the acoustic instruments that provide the core. The group is putting the finishing touches on a sophomore EP to follow up Andrew’s 2022 release – the Away Game EP. Though they have less than a year of performing together under their belt, the buzz they’ve created and the sound they’ve curated seems to get better defined after every show they play – something this crew of musicians is getting increasingly more excited about, and they hope it’ll excite you too.

Ana & Eric are a Brazilian duo based in St. John’s, Newfoundland & Labrador. Having performed in Brazil, Europe, and Canada, Ana & Eric offer a unique combination of Brazilian bossa nova and North American indie-folk.  In 2020, the duo released two singles “Hope” and “Lights My Way” as well as their self-titled debut EP, which earned them one nomination at the 2021 ECMA Awards, and three nominations at the 2021 MusicNL Awards. In 2023, the duo released their debut album “Our House From Here” and the singles “I Can See Our House From Here” and “Manhã de Abril (April Morning), which have received wide coverage in Brazil, Portugal, and Canada. Ana & Eric received three 2023 MusicNL Award nominations, and are touring Newfoundland in the Winter 2024. 

Amelia Curran is the Writer and Producer or Co-Producer of 9 acclaimed albums and 16 years of International touring, garnering 17 music awards and over 30 nominations.

Beginning in 2014, Curran became heavily involved with political and humanitarian work focused on mental health awareness and systemic reform.

Curran’s latest creative offerings include documentary film (“Gone”, “Sweet Marie”), studio production for fellow artists Silver Wolf Band and Natasha Blackwood, and a new collection of her own material to see the light of day by 2024.

Acclaimed Scottish musician Archie Fisher shared that “Allison Lupton’s balance of strong composition and sensitive musicality makes her a fine contemporary songwriter and interpreter of the tradition and the works of her fellow songsmiths.” Born and raised on a second generation dairy farm in rural Ontario, Allison Lupton has always been immersed in Canadian folk life, but it took a love and intense study of Irish and Celtic music for her to find her way to the Canadian folk music tradition that she has grown up around. Her newest album, “Words of Love” showcases her original material, songs which fit so perfectly into the cannon of Canadian folk music that they could easily be mistaken for traditional numbers. Along with her band mates Andrew Collins, Shane Cook, Tony McManus, Joseph Phillips and Ivan Rosenberg, Allison brings to life the best of the contemporary folk music scene in Ontario, while incorporating the Celtic influences that have been such an important part of the Canadian immigrant story as well as her own musical path. After working with various bands and groups including Killiecrankie, which was regularly heard on CBC Radio’s legendary Max Ferguson Show, Allison began releasing music under her own name in 2001 with her debut album “My True Love”. The album launched her solo career, performing across Canada, the United States, and the UK. She has since recorded 3 solo CDs and been featured on CBC Radio’s Vinyl Café and BBC Radio nan Gàidheal. Allison is a frequent collaborator with other artists, releasing singles with The Young’uns (The Eve of Christmas Day), Craig Werth (When Trouble Comes) and the album “So Lucky” with Tannis Slimmon and Rosemary Phelan. She has also been featured as a soloist with The International, Kitchener-Waterloo and Cambridge Symphony Orchestras. Allison is a multiple CFMA nominee for “Traditional Singer of the Year” and “Vocal Group of the Year” as well as Folk Music Ontario’s “Songs From the Heart” grand prize winner for “One More Day”. With her new album, “Words of Love”, Lupton can count herself securely among Canadian folk music’s finest contributors.

Allan Ricketts is a traditional/folk musician based out of St. John’s, NL, and has been a performing artist since the early 2000’s. His primary instruments are the bouzouki, tenor banjo, accordion, as well as being a vocalist. Ever since a young age, Allan has been drawn to traditional music, intrigued by the driving rhythms, heartfelt story lines and cultural road maps. Allan has two previously released albums, “self-titled” (2006), and “Rivers” (2009) and soon to be released, “Stand on the Shore” (2025).

Mike Mutrey grew up in a musical family in Carbonear, NL. He absorbed a rich combination of old-time country infused with lively accordion melodies and traditional songs.

He brings his eclectic taste to his guitar and tenor banjo playing today – tastefully weaving solid rhythm and colorful chords and melodies.