Interviews

Among the indoor concerts presented by the Orientalys Festival, Rakcha Band—featuring Tunisian musicians who have emigrated to Montreal—will perform this Friday, August 14, at Ausgang Plaza. These professionals, now based in Quebec, were raised on the oriental jazz of their compatriots Fawzi Chekeli, Anouar Brahem, and Dhafer Youssef before moving to the West and changing the course of their lives. Now they’re in action! The ney (flute), darbouka (percussion), bendir (percussion), and other traditional North African instruments intertwine with drums, bass, and keyboards. “Every ancestral rhythm finds a second life here,” in a jazzy fusion context with a funk-rock edge where Eastern melodies—inevitably microtonal—take center stage. And that’s why percussionist Nabil Chemli explains the ins and outs of it all.

WATCH THE INTERVIEW WITH ALAIN BRUNET!

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Mixing oriental and occidental music, DJ Mina will present a DJ set this Thursday August 13 at Festival Orientalys on the Quai du Vieux-Port, where over 30 concerts this week-end will be presented. DJ Mina’s music journey started at age 6 when he learned oud at the Cairo Opera House, then singing as a tenor at Marie-Reine-du-Monde in Montreal. In his mixes, Mina blends music spanning from North Africa to the Gulf, mixing the traditional and modern with a penchant for EDM, always staying true to his Egyptian soul.

PAN M 360: Thank you for taking the time to speak to me today. Will it be your first time being part of this festival?

DJ Mina: No, actually, it’s my fourth time. I knew about the Festival Orientalys when I first came to Canada during Covid. I think my first festival was in 2021. I was looking for volunteer work, just to go as a volunteer, you know, to help with tickets, because I like to do some community work. I went there and I got introduced to the organizers, and honestly, like the vibes there are incomparable and so we became good friends.

And then when I started to DJ, I was playing on the small stage. I played there for three years in a row. And then this year, because I gained a little bit of an audience, they told me I had a spot on the big stage, so I’m very excited.

PAN M 360: For someone who has never heard of you and is going to the festival, can you talk to me a bit more about your DJing style?

DJ Mina: So I’m Egyptian and usually I like to play the Egyptian songs that I was raised with, basically the ’90s and the early 2000s, but I also like to play some electronic remixes. I’m trying to build a bridge between Eastern and Western music, like the sound of 2026, along with the nostalgic songs that we were familiar with growing up.

I like the possibility of mixing any kind of beat like Afrobeat or like techno or any kind of electronic music along with Arabic songs. So, yeah, that’s my style. And I also like to mix just like hardcore Egyptian belly dance music.

PAN M 360: I saw in your bio that you studied oud, and you are also a singer at the Basilique Marie-Reine du Monde. How did that, you think, shape you as a DJ, like having this very eclectic background?

DJ Mina: I was introduced to many musical instruments, including oud, piano and violin. I also played the ney, which is I could say a type of Egyptian flute, it’s the sad brother of the flute. And so since I was a kid, I have studied music and music was like my refuge.

It has always been music and singing like I was singing in my church back in Egypt. And then like I lived in Dubai for a couple of years, where I looked for choirs, and it is something I do everywhere I go.

But the DJ thing was just a coincidence, I was into singing, as I told you, I wanted to do Arabic karaoke for the community that speaks Arabic in Montreal, because there was none, honestly.

And so, I created this party and between each singer, I used to put a song for myself, to have time to prepare the other karaoke presentation. So, apparently, these songs that I was picking caught the attention of someone who has a party. They were like, “Mina, I like your choices.” I like your style of music. Have you ever considered DJing? Like, would you like to be in the lineup for our next party?

So I got like a small controller, and I started to study and practise, and in three months or something like that I went there to try it out and a couple of years later, I quit my day job as a pharmacist and currently taking music and DJing seriously, 100%.

I’m going to join college this September for sound design and music production. So, I believe that it will add to what I have as a talent or as a base. The goal is to be more seasoned and more professional and maybe see doors will open to me eventually.

Learning will always give you something more. Always. It will add to you.

PANM 360: Right. Maybe just one last quick question. Do you have any specific artists that you look up to or inspiration?

DJ Mina: Honestly, like there are so many I can’t even count them. But I would say David Morales. I like how fun he is in choosing his set; he’s so lighthearted when it comes to music choices on his set.

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Presented by the Montreal-based organization Alchimies Créations & Cultures—which organizes the Montreal Arab World Festival (FMA) every fall—Orientalys is carving out an increasingly prominent place in Montreal’s summer cultural calendar: Orientalys runs from Thursday, August 13, through Sunday, August 16. The event features some thirty free concerts at the Quai de l’Horloge in Montreal’s Old Port, not to mention two (paid) indoor concerts: a Kabyle Night at Club Soda this Saturday, August 15, preceded the night before (Friday, August 14) by the Rakcha Band at Ausgang Plaza. PAN M 360’s editorial policy is to highlight the knowledge, expertise, and recommendations of the programmers for each partner event, so here are the picks from the Orientalys team: Henda Ben Salah, programming director; Ghiwa Nakhlé, executive director; and their colleagues Dorra Al Ahiou and Matias Ollivier.

Henda Ben Salah

As Programming Director of the Orientalys Festival, Henda Ben Salah ensures that each edition is a vibrant and bold space for encounter, where the preservation of the great Eastern cultural heritages blends naturally with the creative energy of the next generation of local artists. Her primary motivation, along with the Orientalys team, is to present projects that are festive, unifying, and meaningful.

Noria 

A true ambassador of Berber identity, Algerian singer Noria is known for her magnetic voice and infectious energy. Her musical world is characterized by moving tributes to the pioneers of protest music in her native region, while also showcasing her own socially conscious songs, which focus on collective memory and the status of women.

His participation in Orientalys, as part of the Kabyle Nuit Blanche, is invaluable because it perfectly illustrates the vitality of a folklore that continually reinvents itself from one generation to the next.

Rakcha Band 

This Montreal-based group was formed in 2026 and quickly won over audiences with its unique sound, which blends Tunisian musical traditions with Western modernity, combining jazz, Mediterranean rhythms, the ney, and the darbouka.

It fits perfectly into the Orientalys program by building an artistic bridge between the East and the West.

Entre deux rives with Ali et Ihab

Ali and Ihab are two up-and-coming young artists who draw from a rich blend of Montreal and Algerian influences. This promising duo fuses Andalusian rumba, Algerian chaâbi, and cumbia with the boldness of those who dare to reinvent traditions.

Supporting this new generation is essential, as they are building the cultural bridges of tomorrow right before our eyes with a passion and sincerity that are a breath of fresh air for Montreal’s cultural scene.

Ghiwa Nakhlé

Ghiwa Nakhlé serves as the executive director of the Orientalys Festival. She oversees the planning, development, and coordination of the various editions held at the Quai de l’Horloge. Her work involves managing the overall logistics of the event and collaborating with local communities to organize the exhibition and event spaces for the festival’s various components.

Mushfiq Hashimi

As an heir to Indo-Pakistani classical music and Sufi devotional chant, singer Mushfiq Hashimi carries on the centuries-old art of qawwālī through performances imbued with profound mystical fervor. His technical virtuosity and impressive vocal power allow him to create a dialogue between intimate contemplation and collective exaltation.

His participation in Orientalys is particularly significant because his artistic world lies at the intersection of the cultural heritages of Afghanistan and South Asia.

Farzad Milani 

Farzad Milani, an Iranian composer and researcher based in Montreal, offers a captivating exploration of modal music and Eastern micro-intervals on the accordion and piano through his project *Nuances persanes*. His immense talent allows him to forge a unique sonic bridge by blending the oral traditions of the Middle East with contemporary harmonies and rhythmic structures.

Featuring him at Orientalys offers a rare opportunity to discover Persian classical music in a completely new light through its interaction with Montreal’s musical scene.

Djaffar Aït Menguellet 

A worthy heir to the tradition of sung poetry, multi-instrumentalist and composer Djaffar Aït Menguellet carries on the artistic legacy of his father, the legendary Lounis Aït Menguellet, while infusing it with his own contemporary sensibility. A master of some ten instruments, he draws on his immense talent as a melodist to create songs of great harmonic richness.

Following his triumph in 2022, the Orientalys audience eagerly awaits his return. Through his participation in the Nuit blanche kabyle, he once again bridges the living memory of Kabylie with musical modernity.

Matias Ollivier

With a background in film and journalism, Matias Ollivier is the director of multimedia content for the Orientalys Festival. He has helped shape the festival’s audiovisual identity and its rich, immersive aesthetic, bringing his sensibility as a filmmaker to the project. For several years, he was also one of the writers for Orientalys.

Lebanese Dabké Workshop

Thanks to Pierre Moussa’s infectious enthusiasm, the dabké becomes a frenetic moment of cultural exchange. To the lively, thunderous beat of the tabl, the audience discovers this iconic Lebanese dance by joining the circle themselves. This wonderful moment of shared experience perfectly embodies the participatory and unifying spirit of Orientalys.

Bollywood Never Stops

This ambitious evening offers a rich odyssey through Indian culture, from bhangra to kathak, including South Asian classical music and electronic music. Driven by incredible energy, this epic journey reveals a multifaceted India, where the rigor of classical forms coexists with the exuberance of Bollywood. Through its scope and generosity, it embodies the unique and daring spirit of Orientalys.

Attan Remix: The Trance of Kabul

With the AYAAM troupe, the Afghan national dance transforms into a collective trance. With their sparkling tiaras, the dancers seem possessed by the spirit of centuries-old festivals, which make their shimmering dresses swirl in rhythm. This is an opportunity for the audience to discover another side of Afghanistan—that of a country whose dances celebrate a joyful refinement.

Dorra Al Ahiou

Dorra Al Ahiou is a project manager for the Orientalys Festival. She helps select artists and proposals that align with the festival’s identity and objectives. Her role is to ensure consistency between the programming, the communications strategy, and the promotion of the festival to the public and its partners.

Miss Dance Orientalys

Miss Dance Orientalys celebrates dance as a space for expression, cultural transmission, and empowerment, bringing together artists and participants from various traditions of Oriental dance.

This project brings a participatory and intergenerational dimension to the program, while offering new visibility to female talent and the richness of dance practices.

Qi Shen

An erhu virtuoso, Qi Shen introduces Montreal audiences to an iconic instrument of the Chinese musical tradition, whose tones evoke the human voice with astonishing subtlety.

Her appearance at Orientalys is particularly significant, as it broadens the festival’s geographical scope and invites audiences to explore an Asian musical tradition that remains underrepresented in Montreal’s cultural programming.

Flammes de l’Atlas, featuring Imdyazn Canada & Adam Elfoua

Imdyazn Canada brings to life the sung poetry and Amazigh rhythms of Morocco through a repertoire deeply rooted in the memory of the Atlas Mountains. For this performance, the group welcomes Adam Elfoua, heir to the legendary band Oudaden, in a meeting of two generations that celebrates the passing down of a rich and vibrant musical heritage.

This collaboration is a perfect fit for Orientalys, as it highlights the vitality of Amazigh culture and its ability to transcend generations, borders, and territories.

On August 4, 1701, a peace tree was symbolically planted at Tiohtià:ke. A pact was then to seal the Great Peace of Montreal, an agreement concluded between the Governor of New France, Louis-Hector de Callière, the colony’s leading citizens, and the chiefs of 39 Indigenous nations, represented by Kondiaronk, High Chief of the Wyandot of Michillimackinac. After enduring a 17th century of violent tensions, the reconciled peoples, of Indigenous and European descent, would live in peace and mutual respect.

Nothing of the sort happened. Or almost nothing.

Western colonialism continued the eradication of most of the Indigenous populations of the Americas—a decline of 90% in the 16th and 17th centuries—through force of arms and (especially) infectious diseases brought from Europe by colonists. To this day, Indigenous survivors are confined to enclaves tragically conducive to distress, depression, malnutrition, addiction, and acculturation. Throughout the 20th century, attempts were made to permanently assimilate Indigenous youth by forcibly removing them from their families and isolating them in residential schools, with the abuses we know all too well today.

Three and a quarter centuries after the signing of the Great Peace of Montreal, the awakening of Indigenous nations is evident. We are witnessing a cultural golden age for First Nations peoples who are increasingly educated, prosperous, and self-determined. Moreover, a growing number of non-Indigenous people are recognizing and applauding this progress.

Here is yet another striking example.

On this evening of August 14th, historical resentment will give way to friendship between people of goodwill. Exceptionally? Perhaps, but… if people today cannot bear full responsibility for the past, they do bear responsibility for the present and the future.

This justifies a commemoration of this Great Peace of Montreal at the conclusion of Présence autochtone in Tiohtià:ke. And this interview with Alexandre Éthier.

A composer and guitarist, he is the founder and artistic director of the Forestare classical guitar ensemble (with nylon strings). This unique chamber orchestra has made its mark over its 25 years of existence, both in Quebec and abroad.

From the beginning of his career, Alexandre has expressed his sensitivity to the issues related to the first peoples of the Americas.

A friend and close collaborator of the Présence Autochtone festival, Alexandre is orchestrating its closing ceremony this Friday, August 14. Presented at the Théâtre Outremont, this event of music, song and poetry is entitled Here Was Planted the Tree of Peace.

Several renowned artists will take to the stage alongside Forestare, including Innu Joséphine Bacon and Abitibi’s Richard Desjardins, who will be joined by Jacques Newashish, Andrée Levesque Sioui, Marianne Lambert, Sandrine Masse-Savard, Éric Dupont, Élise Turcotte, Hélène Collin, Kate Bevan Baker, Benjamin Tremblay Carpentier, Marc Morin, Elvira Misbakhova.

PAN M 360: Alexandre, hello, I’ll leave it to you to comment on this distribution because a large community will be going on stage.

Alexandre Éthier: It’s friendship expressed through music, song, and poetry. They are friends of Forestare.

PAN M 360: Besides Richard Desjardins and Joséphine Bacon, several friends will be there! Examples?

Alexandre Éthier : Jacques Newashish is a well-known storyteller, sculptor, and actor who perfectly represents the Atikamekw community of Wemotaci, whose language has existed for 5000 years. This ancient spirit will be present in the performance.
We can also count on Andrée Lévesque Sioui, an incredible performer, an actress as well, but a truly top-notch singer. From the Wendat Nation, like Andrée, singer Sandrine Masse-Savard is beginning to make a name for herself. She also works in architecture and linguistic archaeology, and she seeks to restore the Wendat language.

We will welcome the author Élise Turcotte who will come and read some of her poems.

And then there will be Hélène Collin, a Belgian director, screenwriter and actress whom I met in Wemotaci a few years ago, who has become a friend. She was then filming a documentary on education in an indigenous community, in which I participated.

Soprano Marianne Lambert will sing a text by Éric Dupont, one of our great songwriters and a dear friend of mine, who sent me “T’aider à mourir” (Helping You Die). I read the text, the melody came to me immediately, and the song was built around the words. You know I’m short, and it’s wonderful to hear that voice coming from Marianne, even shorter than me.

In conclusion, we are fortunate to have the participation of a long-time friend, Richard Desjardins, with whom I have collaborated on numerous projects and a friend of the First Nations. And that’s just the beginning, but I’ve brought together some wonderful friends and valuable connections for Forestare.

PAN M 360: Where did the concept come from and how has it evolved?

Alexandre Éthier : We’ve been together for 25 years, the nylon-string guitars of Forestare. I wanted to celebrate that. And then, I had a kind of epiphany in February of this year, at a place in Montreal, on Saint-Hubert Street, called La Cale. That evening, about 70 musicians were playing traditional music together. I was blown away by the dynamism, the youthfulness, and the creativity of Quebec traditional music, which I only knew from afar. I went into the belly of the whale, I was swallowed whole! When I got home from that evening, I completely changed the concept of the show. I wanted those sounds, with guests from a large community.

PAN M 360: A community beyond the artists who come to sing or recite?

Alexandre Éthier : I have members of the guitar trio MG3 here with me, filling in for some who couldn’t make it. In addition, one of the MG3 guitarists, Marc Morin, is also a traditional accordionist. We have Benjamin Tremblay-Carpentier, a fantastic harmonica player, foot percussionist, and percussionist. I’ve also invited Kate Bevan-Baker, a McGill professor, violinist, singer, and ethnomusicologist specializing in traditional Irish, Scottish, and Québécois music. Cellist Élisabeth Giroux, also a close friend, plays in the traditional group Été.

All these musicians are versatile, flexible, and capable of improvising in addition to playing the scores. They are perfectly suited to the pieces and songs in this show. We will explore modern classical music, but also traditional Indigenous songs and contemporary folk music.

PAN M 360: All of this also stems from a long relationship with the Présence Autochtone festival.

Alexandre Éthier : Absolutely. It’s a true festival of friendship, a meeting place, a positive event. Its director, André Dudemaine, is quite a man! He’s a great man, extremely intelligent, who understands exactly the connections needed to advance the cause, building on the relationships he’s been forging for so many years. He was the first to book Forestare for a festival, to give us a real professional contract. Around the same time, we recorded our first album and two songs with Richard Desjardins – “La maison est ouverte” and “Les Yankees.” For this occasion, he’ll be performing a text I’m not familiar with, a story that takes place shortly before the signing of the Great Peace 325 years ago. There will be some surprises!

PAN M 360: With this whole tribe gathered on stage, it’s going to be a long program!

Alexandre Éthier : I can say it will be a generous show, at least an hour and a half. We’ve started rehearsals, and they’re going very well! Forestare is a family; we’ve been together for 25 years.

PAN M 360: For this 325th anniversary of the Great Peace… which failed, bringing all these people together makes perfect sense. The balance between the colonizers and the First Nations who signed this treaty was not respected.

Alexandre Éthier : That’s putting it mildly! When we talk about truth and reconciliation, I think we Quebecers must understand that it’s up to us to take the first steps. We’re the ones who went astray. Today, there’s a way to do better, a way to do things differently. But I fear a rapid regression after the small steps forward made by Indigenous peoples, after the relative improvement in their conditions and education, after the arrival of great Indigenous artists, intellectuals, and scientists who are shining today. In the current right-wing context of identity-based nationalism and closed-mindedness, I fear we won’t see this process through to the end.

PAN M 360: We may not be responsible for the mess left by our ancestors, for our colonial past, but we are responsible for our present and our future. More than ever, we must take action to achieve a true Great Peace.

Alexandre Éthier : Exactly. We’re going to contribute to that on Friday! Josephine Bacon and Richard Desjardins on the same stage, that’s a first! I remain very humble in the face of these legends. It’s an immense gift!

Qi Shen has been playing the erhu since she was very young. Upon arriving in Montreal several years ago, she immediately found a nest to pursue her passion. In the early 2000s, you might have heard her at the Botanical Garden, where she played daily in the Chinese Garden. In the meantime, her daughter Jasmine (Xu, her father’s name) was also learning the instrument, while embarking on a long journey with classical piano. Mother and daughter talk about their erhu/piano duo, an unusual combination, but also about their love of music in general, and the difficult separation, for about twelve years, when Qi was hired by Cirque du Soleil to play in its shows in Macao. While waiting to discover their musical complicity, for free, on Sunday, August 16 at the Orientalys Festival (on the TD stage), get to know them by reading this interview.

INFO FOR THE QI AND JASMINE CONCERT

PANM360: Qi, please start by explaining to us how you became a musician.

Qi Shen: I learned the erhu at a very young age in China. I then continued my studies until university. Upon arriving in Montreal, I was happy to discover a city where people are curious about all cultures. I felt good right away. I quickly found numerous opportunities. I played in the Old Port, in the subway, etc. One day, I was hired by the Botanical Garden to play music in the Chinese Garden, daily. I made a very pleasant nest for myself here.

Qi Shen’s website (concerts, classes, etc.)

PANM360: And you, Jasmine?

Jasmine Xu: My parents asked me, when I was still very young, what kind of instrument I would like to learn. I chose the piano. I played it for a long time, up to level 9 at the Vincent-d’Indy school. But in parallel, I still learned the erhu with my mother, then the guitar, singing, etc.

PANM360: And you ended up doing a duet…

Jasmine Xu: Yes, the piano and the erhu complement each other very well. The erhu is very versatile, there are no frets, which allows for very sinuous, very melodic lines, while the piano is very complete, like an orchestra in itself.

PANM360: Have you been playing together like this for a long time?

Qi Shen: Yes, for a very long time, of course. But in private. Our public performances are more recent. I must say that, in 2010, Cirque du Soleil contacted me to perform in their shows in Macau. The erhu played a very important role in the live music. But I had to go live there for long periods. Jasmine was still very young. So I went there, and Jasmine stayed here of course, this is her home. She stayed with her father. For a long time, we saw each other a few times a year. It was a very difficult decision for me. Very difficult. But it was also an exceptional opportunity professionally, with very good conditions. It lasted 12 years. After Covid, I came back. I have to rebuild my career here, but with Jasmine now, it makes me very happy.

PANM360: Jasmine?

Jasmine Xu: I am very happy to play with mom too. For my part, I hadn’t really considered dedicating all my time to music. After my piano studies, I studied nutrition. I completed my course, so I am a nutritionist, a profession I practiced for about two years. But I missed music. Finally, not so long ago, I decided to dive in. So I do this duet with my mother, I also sing, I post videos on social media where I play the erhu, etc.

PANM360: What will you be playing at the concert on Sunday, August 18th at Orientalys?

Qi Shen: A bit of everything, traditional Chinese tunes, some original compositions…

Jasmine Xu: ... popular tunes from China (M-Pop, the equivalent of Korean K-Pop) and also arrangements of well-known songs here.

PANM360: Thank you very much for speaking with us. Good luck.

Qi Shen: Thank you!

Jasmine Xu: Thank you!

Leonard Sumner is an Anishinaabe singer-songwriter from Canada. His craft blends all the music styles that had an impact on him since his childhood : country, folk, rock, hip-hop. In 2018, his album Standing in the Light received a Juno Award nomination for Indigenous Music Album of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2019. Since then, Leonard Sumner pursue his career through the indigenous cultural circuit and many other events in the world. He released 3 studio albums yet : Standing in the Light, Rez Poetry and Thunderbird, the next recording would be out next year. While in Montreal for Presence autochtone, Leonard Sumner was interviewed by Juliana Cortes Lugo. So interesting conversation between a First Nations artist and our contributor originally from Latin America.

Leonard Sumner est un auteur-compositeur-interprète anishinaabe originaire du Canada. Son univers musical mêle tous les styles qui l’ont marqué depuis son enfance : country, folk, rock, hip-hop. En 2018, son album Standing in the Light a été nominé dans la catégorie « Album de musique autochtone de l’année » aux Juno Awards de 2019. Depuis lors, Leonard Sumner poursuit sa carrière au sein du circuit culturel autochtone et lors de nombreux autres événements à travers le monde. Il a déjà sorti trois albums studio : Standing in the Light, Rez Poetry et Thunderbird ; son prochain album devrait paraître l’année prochaine. Lors de son passage à Montréal pour le festival Présence autochtone, Leonard Sumner a été interviewé par Juliana Cortes Lugo. Voilà une conversation des plus intéressantes entre un artiste des Premières Nations et notre contributrice issue de l’immigration, originaire d’Amérique latine !

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Alex Iskandar has Kyrgyz origins (among others). For a few years now, he has been promoting the musical traditions of Central Asia with his instrument, the komuz.

We talk with him about this music, his instrument, and his upcoming concert at the Orientalys Festival 2026.

PROGRAMMING OF THE ORIENTALYS 2026 FESTIVAL

Rei is a Māori artist and musician from New Zealand. He is touring in Ontario and Quebec this month of August, in London, Rimouski, Sherbrooke and Toronto. His first date will take place at the First Peoples
International Festival (Présence Autochtone) in Montreal, Saturday, August 8th at 9:30 at the Place des Festivals.

Rei is mixing Māori traditions and Haka dance with hip-hop and electronics, the Māori language, English, politics, and fun. PAN M 360 writer Michel Labrecque talked with Rei about his musical purpose and history.

Today, we are interviewing the Brooklyn-based DJ and producer, Sister Zo (Zoey Shopmaker) in preparation of her incoming DJ set at the SAT (la société des arts technologiques) on the 14th of August. Her headlining performance will be part of the Domesicles series, weekly dance night events taking place in the SAT’s immersive 360 projection Space and accompanied by VJing performances.

Among many things, I got the chance to hear Zoey talk about her musical influences and the role storytelling plays in her approach to DJing. Enjoy the talk!

Thanks to the Campbell Concerts, an institution in place for over 100 years, music resonates for free in Montreal’s parks during the summer. The Orchestre classique de Montréal (OCM) was contacted by the organization to give three free concerts in as many parks in the city during the month of August. I am discussing the program, titled L’Élan des cordes and created for the occasion by conductor Andrei Feher.

History of the Campbell Concerts on the MEM – Center of Montreal Memories website

CAMPBELL CONCERTS SCHEDULE

Dates of the OCM concerts:

Richard Desjardins with Joséphine Bacon on stage, plus the Forestare ensemble, that’s already a lineup that generates a lot of interest. Let’s add the usual recipe of discoveries and unique encounters in music, cinema, and visual arts, and here we are, off for about ten days into the creative universes of different Indigenous cultures from here and elsewhere, thanks to the International Présence Autochtone Festival. I’m talking about the 2026 edition with the Artistic Director (and founding member) of the event, André Dudemaine.

DETAILS AND TICKETS

Indigenous chants, melodies, and traditional songs from Europe and the Americas for voice and instrumental ensemble—that’s what the closing concert of the Festival du Bic has in store. PANM 360 caught up with multidisciplinary Indigenous artist Natalie Sappier (Samaqani Cocahq) to discuss her artistic practice, as well as her role in the upcoming August 8th concert.

PANM 360: For someone who is maybe less familiar with your work as an artist. Can you tell me a bit more about yourself and what do you do as an artist?

Natalie Sappier: Samaqani Cocahq, I am a Wolastoq Indigenous interdisciplinary artist. I live in Tobique First Nation, New Brunswick. I have been creating for close to 20 years paintings, designs, songs, plays. I’m mostly known for my paintings and design work that is inspired by our Wolastoq Wabanaki motifs. In my first play, Finding Wolastoq Voice, I wrote it but also composed the music of the play. That was the first Wolastoq play that hit the stages in New Brunswick as well as toured in Canada, in places such as the National Arts Centre, Winnipeg, Toronto.

I work a lot closely with other Indigenous artists, dancers, creators, musicians, writers, and language carriers. That’s pretty much what I do. I tell stories in many ways.

PANM 360: Can you tell me now a bit more about what was your part in the conception of the concert?
Natalie Sappier: I’m coming in as the main performer and I brought along my friend, Judy Aquin, to come in to share the songs with me. She’s been part of creating some of the songs with me for my play Finalistic Voices, the background vocals, extra vocals, and chants.

I thought it’d be wonderful to bring her along so we’re able to share songs that come from New Brunswick, but also a language that carries through Quebec as well. I was really inspired that the concert, Wolastoq’inil, is being performed by the river. I wanted to honour songs of the water because as Wolastoq’inil people, what has been translated into is the People of the beautiful river. I was very inspired by that.

I’ll be performing some of my own chants, but as well as our traditional chants. It’ll also be narrated by my partner, Justin Mann. As for the second one, I really wanted to bring some of our traditional songs forward and to share songs of friendship, ancestral songs and callings. I was just very excited to share our songs, to be able to sing them for people, to build new friendships, and to connect with a place of land I never performed in.

PANM 360: The concert will be with other artists singing in other languages from other countries. What do you find interesting about mixing those different melodies from different traditions into one concert?

Natalie Sappier: I think it’s beautiful. It carries many languages. We may not understand the words that they’re saying, but we can feel what they’re expressing.

That is a very beautiful and powerful way of getting to know each other. I think it’s very important, especially at this time, for us to gather as much as we can to share stories of our history and our culture and what we are feeling and what is happening and what we want to move forward with. And also teachings from all over the place, teachings of how to get through life, teachings of love and compassion and courage. I’m very excited to witness some of the performances. I really look forward to that.

PANM 360: Finally, what do you want the audience to keep from this concert?

Natalie Sappier: In what we do, there are a lot of songs of gratitude regarding what is around us, which is the creation, the land, the water, the sky.

It gives gratitude to our Mother Earth. And I hope it inspires others to feel that connection to Mother Earth, that it is their mother and it is our responsibility to take care of her. It is our responsibility to sing for her because she sings for us every day.

You hear the wind, you hear the waves, you hear Earth every day. And I think that it’s good medicine for us to sing to her as well. And that we are all brothers and sisters, right?

So, for us to build those relationships and nourishing those relationships are very important. And to collaborate and to create and share music is a wonderful way to do that.

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