NATIONAL MUSIC CENTRE UNVEILS FULL LINEUP FOR VIRTUAL FUNDRAISING GALA PREMIERING ON DECEMBER 3
FEATURING HOST ANDREW PHUNG WITH PERFORMANCES BY TOM COCHRANE, NORTHERN CREE, KARÍMAH, AND MORE
(Calgary, AB — November 23, 2021) The National Music Centre (NMC) is pleased to unveil the full performer lineup for its annual fundraising gala, presented by Mawer Investment Management Ltd., ATB, and EY Canada.
The virtual 2021 NMC Gala: NIISITO! will premiere for free on December 3 at 7:00 pm MT at studiobell.ca/gala2021. It will also be accessible on NMC’s Facebook, Vimeo, and YouTube channels, and will feature a star-studded lineup.
Hosted by award-winning actor and comedian Andrew Phung of the hit show Kim's Convenience, and the upcoming CBC television series Run the Burbs, the event will include performances by Canadian Music Hall of Famer and eight-time JUNO Award-winner Tom Cochrane, nine-time Grammy-nominated powwow, round dance, drum and singing group Northern Cree, bilingual (English-French) pop/R&B singer-songwriter KARÍMAH, celebrated classical brass soloist Jens Lindemann and the Alberta All-Star Jazz Orchestra performing the Gershwin classic Rhapsody In Blue, and 16-year-old classical piano prodigy Kevin Chen, who is the youngest ever winner of the International Franz Liszt Piano Competition.
“The National Music Centre has built the home for music in Canada that many had dreamed of but never thought was possible,” said Canadian Music Hall of Famer Tom Cochrane. “Please make a donation to support this national treasure.”
“Northern Cree has played at Studio Bell, we recorded an album at the facility, and we’re proud to be featured in the Speak Up! exhibition with 14 other Indigenous acts,” said Steve Wood of Northern Cree. “The National Music Centre has been a terrific platform for us to share our music and our stories with their visitors from around the world. Music is a part of our traditions. It’s helped keep our languages alive to be passed down to the younger generations. We’re grateful to have a place like this and we hope you consider donating on December 3.”
The gala’s theme name, “niisito,” comes from the word for “five” in Blackfoot. It is named in recognition of the five-year anniversary of Studio Bell, home of the National Music Centre, our location in Mohkinstsis (Calgary) on Treaty 7 land, and the power of music to build bridges between diverse communities in Canada.
“When we created the National Music Centre and opened Studio Bell in 2016, we knew that we had a big role to play in bringing different communities together,” said Andrew Mosker, NMC President and CEO. “Music has transformational power and can be used to transcend boundaries between people from different cultural backgrounds, musical genres, and geographical regions. That’s why amplifying a multitude of voices is so important to us. Our fundraising gala this year is a celebration of our fifth anniversary ‘niisito’ milestone and will offer a snippet of how we are living our vision of a more inclusive future.”
Dedicated to amplifying the love, sharing, and understanding of music, Studio Bell, home of the National Music Centre, opened on July 1, 2016. Since opening its doors five years ago, NMC has inspired over 48,000 students through its education programs, provided a space for kids and youth to become inspired by the world through the lens of music, and these programs have evolved to an online format, connecting audiences virtually across the globe.
NMC has welcomed over 530,000 visitors from all over the world to attend a concert, event or explore its 22 exhibition spaces, and learn about the ongoing story of music in Canada. The organization has hosted over 330 artists for professional development programs, residencies, and live performance opportunities to help further their careers in music. NMC has launched a total of 50 new exhibitions, and added more than 5,800 new items to its collection with many items currently on display, and others added in frequently. Studio Bell has also grown to become home to four of Canada’s music halls of fame, the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame, Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, and Quebec's ADISQ Hall of Fame. In 2021, the National Music Centre was recognized for its commitment to community development, winning a Western Canadian Music Award for Community Excellence for the third year in a row.
NMC supporters are encouraged to tune into the virtual fundraising event on December 3 at 7:00 pm MT, and make a donation to support the future of NMC at studiobell.ca/gala2021. Supporters can also participate in an online auction at studiobell.ca/gala2021 and bid on a range of items that include passes to the 2022 Rock 'N' Roll Fantasy Camp in Las Vegas, along with music and sports memorabilia, original artworks, jewelry, and more.
NMC is a non-governmental, non-profit registered charitable organization that relies on earned revenue and donations to keep sharing and developing Canada’s national music story from our home base in Calgary, Alberta. By supporting NMC’s charitable efforts, you are helping to ensure a sustainable future for National Music Centre and its programs that bring people together through the power and spirit of music.
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 and 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. 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