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  1. SUMMER SOLSTICE CONCERT 2020
  2. Charles Bender hosts the Summer Solstice Concert 2020, a special event in celebration of National Indigenous Peoples Day. Even while apart, we can still come together and celebrate our Peoples through performances from Indigenous artists across the country.
  3. HOW TO WATCH
    TV SCHEDULE
    June 21 on APTN
    6 p.m. - 8 p.m. ET/CT/MT on aptn e/hd/n/w
    RADIO
    June 21st on designated radio stations
  1. WHAT IS NATIONAL INDIGENOUS PEOPLES DAY?
  2. National Indigenous Peoples Day is a day for all Canadians to recognize and celebrate the unique heritage, diverse cultures, and outstanding achievements and contributions of First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples. The original National Aboriginal Day it was first celebrated on June 21, 1996, after being recognized through a proclamation by then Governor General Roméo LeBlanc. That former national day was part of the Celebrate Canada program, and in its present form most provinces do not recognize National Indigenous Peoples Day as a statutory holiday.
ARTISTS
  1. CAROLINA
    EAST
    Carolina East is a vibrant, bold songstress from Newfoundland and Labrador. She weaves an eclectic tapestry of musical influences, from soul to country to pop. She is known for her powerhouse vocals and charismatic stage presence. In 2020, she was nominated for the ECMA Indigenous Artist of the Year and was named the Music NL Country Artist of the Year.
  3. CRIS
    DERKSEN
    Juno nominated Cris Derksen is an internationally respected Indigenous cellist and composer. Originally from Northern Alberta, she comes from a line of chiefs from NorthTall Cree Reserve on her father’s side and a line of strong Mennonite homesteaders on her mother’s. Derksen weaves her classical background and her Indigenous ancestry together with new school electronics to create genre-defying music.
  5. G.R. GRITT
    G.R. Gritt is a Juno Award winning, Two-Spirit, transgender, Francophone, Anishinaabe/Métis artist. G.R. Gritt pulls effortlessly from the past to create soulful futurisms with their new sound that elegantly weaves the melodies using vocals, guitar and new electronic elements. They create both intimate and anthemic music that would fit in a folk club, a dance club and anywhere in between. G.R. Gritt is currently preparing for the release of a new full-length album titled, Ancestors in the fall of 2020 on Coax Records. They will be releasing their first single, “Quiet Years” June 26, 2020.
  7. JULIAN TAYLOR
    Toronto scene staple and a musical chameleon, Julian Taylor is used to shaking it up over the course of 10 albums in the last two decades. Of West Indian and Mohawk descent, Taylor first made his name as frontman of Staggered Crossing, a Canadian rock radio fixture in the early 2000s. In everything he does, Taylor has carved his own path, creating genre-free music with a generosity of spirit and a strong belief in the healing powers of song. Off-stage, Taylor recently ventured into radio as an afternoon-drive host.
  9. LEELA GILDAY
    If you’re from the North, Leela Gilday’s music is home. Born and raised in the Northwest Territories, her rich vocals dance across the rhythmic beats of traditional Dene drumming as smoothly as a bass line. Gilday has toured with her band through Canada, the U.S., Greenland, Denmark and New Zealand and last year she embarked on an ambitious European tour. Her fifth album, North Star Calling, is coming fall 2019.
  11. TWIN
    FLAMES
    Twin Flames creates a sonic landscape that spans Canada and the Arctic. Honouring their ancestors, they sing songs in English, Inuktitut and French. This multi-award-winning husband and wife duo is made up of Chelsey June and Jaaji both of Indigenous backgrounds. Jaaji is Inuk and Mohawk from Nunavik and Chelsey June is Métis (Algonquin Cree) from Ottawa. Twin Flames push the boundaries of contemporary folk, with songs that incorporate both Western and traditional instruments. Despite their different backgrounds, Twin Flames found a common musical language.
  13. SIERRA
    NOBLE
    Sierra Noble is a well-known Métis singer-songwriter and fiddle player from Winnipeg, Man. She released her first fiddle album at the age of 13, followed by a well-received EP "Possibilities" which debuted her gift as a songwriter. Sierra's seamless ability to transition from high energy to intimate, timeless singer-songwriter to world-class fiddle, leaves everyone in attendance having witnessed something unique and unforgettable.
  15. NELSON
    TAGOONA
    Multitalented musician from the small community of Baker Lake, Nunavut. Traditional Inuit throat singing and beat boxing, skillfully layered in guitar riffs and solos.
  17. SUSAN
    AGLUKARK
    Susan Aglukark is one of Canada’s most unique and most honored artists. An Inuk from Arviat, Nunavut, Susan has been walking in a tension between two worlds, a defining note in her remarkable career. Susan embodies pure, graceful honesty and strength. As her songs climbed the charts, her stories and her candor about the struggles of the Inuit and Indigenous communities, and her bravery as she opened up about her own anger and struggle won her an audience beyond that of most pop artists.
  19. GHOSTKEEPER
    The unique music of Ghostkeeper is continually-evolving and its latest sound – uniting core vocalists Shane Ghostkeeper and Sarah Houle with drummer Eric Hamelin and bassist Ryan Bourne – is its most distinctive yet. You’ll find 60s girl-group melodies paired with the twang of country music greats like Loretta Lynn, Tammy Wynette and Patsy Cline. Combined with some 90s indie rock, African pop and traditional pow wow music, you get catchy tunes and a truly singular music experience.
  21. FEDERAL
    LIGHTS
    In 2011, singer/songwriter Jean-Guy Roy quietly rose from the depths of his basement's cold storage room to record a new collection of songs with award winning engineer/producer, Cam Loeppky (Weakerthans, Imaginary Cities, Cannon Bros). The result was "Carbon," a six song EP that was met with immediate praise nationwide with the Toronto Star calling it "quietly electric, emotionally unguarded, and so thick with regret, you’d need a hoe to cut through it."
HOST
  1. CHARLES
    BENDER
    An original and classic on APTN. Lead of Sioui-Bacon and the host of Sans réserve talk show. His core is a true aficionado of Indigenous, French and English theatre.