National Music Centre Names Chelsie Young and Warscout as Recipients of 2024 OHSOTO’KINO Recording Bursary, New Call Opens for Indigenous Music Incubator

Call for applications now open for music incubator, closes on May 31

(Calgary, AB — March 28, 2024) Today, the National Music Centre (NMC) is announcing the 2024 recipients of the OHSOTO’KINO Recording Bursary: country singer-songwriter Chelsie Young, and powwow and round dance group Warscout. A new call for submissions is now open for the OHSOTO’KINO Music Incubator, which is geared towards emerging Indigenous artists from Canada, and will run at Studio Bell in Calgary, Alberta from September 30-October 4, 2024.

The OHSOTO’KINO Music Incubator program is open to emerging First Nations, Métis, and Inuit artists. Interested applicants can apply at studiobell.ca/ohsotokino by May 31, 2024 at 11:59 pm MT.

Originally from the Bigstone Cree Nation in Northern Alberta and now based in Edmonton, Chelsie Young has been honing her skills from an early age. She likes to call her music, “Tomboy Country,” because she doesn’t fall into the same mold as other female artists and is blazing her own path in her own rough and tumble way. Her powerful voice, relatable storytelling, and innate ability to convey emotion through her music has made her one to watch.

Established in 2006 and respected across the Powwow Trail, Warscout consists of singers from Sweetgrass First Nation in Saskatchewan, Maskwacis and Saddle Lake First Nation in Alberta, and the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina. The group combines tradition and fresh style with contemporary singing rooted deeply in the spirit of the drum.

The OHSOTO’KINO Indigenous programming initiative, supported by TD Bank Group and launched in 2022, is a multifaceted effort aimed at providing more opportunities to Indigenous artists and empowering Indigenous voices in the music industry. OHSOTO’KINO is a Blackfoot phrase, which means ‘to recognize a voice of.’ This title acknowledges both the Blackfoot people and the territory on which National Music Centre resides.

This initiative revolves around three core components: creation of new music in NMC’s recording studios, artist development through a music incubator program, and storytelling through NMC exhibitions via the annually updated Speak Up! gallery and through content on NMC’s Amplify platform.

The OHSOTO’KINO Recording Bursary provides access to NMC’s world-class recording studios and “living collection” of musical instruments to produce a commercial release, while the OHSOTO’KINO Music Incubator brings emerging Indigenous artists together for career guidance, mentorship, and performance opportunities. 

“The impact of the OHOSOT’KINO initiative is truly wondrous as participants share space in world-class facilities with very knowledgeable NMC studio staff, who are dedicated towards recording goal outcomes. Having access to hundreds of unique instruments and even an array of microphones is something artists never forget,” said David McLeod (member of the Pine Creek First Nation in Treaty 1), NMC Board Member and Chair of NMC's National Indigenous Programming Advisory Committee. “We're thrilled to welcome the latest recording bursary recipients, Chelsie Young and Warscout, and encourage emerging artists to apply for the music incubator. This is a fantastic opportunity for artists to nurture their skills and showcase their music and unique perspectives.”

Artists for the OHSOTO’KINO Music Incubator will be announced in the coming months. Participants will be selected by NMC’s Indigenous Programming Advisory Committee, who act as a guiding voice for exhibitions and programs at Studio Bell.

Look for the latest group of artists featured in the evolving Speak Up! exhibition, which honours Indigenous trailblazers, in the lead up to National Indigenous Peoples Day on June 21, 2024.

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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Media Contact:
Julijana Capone, Senior Publicist
National Music Centre
T 403.543.5123 | C 403.710.4758
julijana.capone@nmc.ca | @nmc_canada