JEREMY DUTCHER ANNOUNCES JAPAN & TAIWAN TOUR WITH YO-YO MA

TOUR DATES WITH YO-YO MA BEGIN OCTOBER 19 - FULL DATES BELOW

“ULTESTAKON” THE FIRST LIVE VIDEO FROM THE KYOTO SESSIONS OUT NOW 

WATCH / SHARE “ULTESTAKON” HERE

Photo Credit: Ausin Mann

Acclaimed Wolastoqiyik tenor, composer, ethnomusicologist, and activist Jeremy Dutcher announces a special series of performances in Japan and Taiwan alongside the legendary cellist Yo-Yo Ma, marking a remarkable new chapter in his growing relationship with international audiences. Coinciding with the tour, Dutcher also unveils a newly recorded version of his beloved  composition "Ultestakon" offering a moving reimagining of one of his most celebrated works, available now. 

Known for creating music that bridges cultures while remaining deeply rooted in the traditions of  the Wolastoqiyik Nation, Dutcher has long explored the ways language carries memory, history,  and belonging. This new recording extends that exploration, bringing Ultestakon through a  thoughtful act of cultural exchange. 

“This is a traditional lullaby of the wəlastəkwiyik (people of the peaceful wave). In our traditional  song forms, sometimes we sing words that cannot directly be translated into wəlastəkwey  latowewakən (our language), this is one such song. We instead say, s/he is singing in ‘sky language’ that which can be understood by the ancestors. This song was originally released in  2018 on my debut album Wəlastəkwiyik Lintowakənawa”, says Jeremy. 

The live performance video for “Ultestakon” is part of the Kyoto Sessions, an intimate series  captured in Japan one year ago. Joined by Thom Gill (guitar) and Stefan Schneider (percussion), Jeremy Dutcher gathered inside a century-old traditional Japanese home overlooking a peaceful Shinto shrine and its lush gardens. Filmed by tranquilo Productions, the setting becomes more  than a backdrop, it enters into conversation with the music, its quiet beauty mirroring the song's spirit. Stripped to its acoustic essence, “Ultestakon” unfolds with remarkable intimacy, revealing  new emotional textures and offering a deeply moving interpretation of one of Jeremy's most cherished compositions. 

WATCH / SHARE “ULTESTAKON” HERE

This is not the first collaboration between Jeremy Dutcher and Yo-Yo Ma. The two artists first  worked together in 2018 on "Honor Song", featured on Yo-Yo Ma's album Notes for the  Future. Widely regarded as a Mi'kmaq anthem, the song is a powerful call to our shared  responsibility to care for the Earth. Sung in multiple languages, it transcends cultural boundaries, inviting listeners from around the world to connect through a message of stewardship, respect, and collective belonging. 

Throughout the tour, Dutcher and Ma will share the stage for a unique program that intertwines  classical repertoire with Indigenous song traditions, creating moments of profound dialogue  between their distinct musical worlds. This longtime collaboration reflects a shared commitment  to preserving cultural heritage while continually expanding the possibilities of contemporary  performance. 

For Dutcher, whose groundbreaking work has redefined the relationship between Indigenous  language, history, and composition, the invitation marks another milestone in an international  career that continues to resonate with audiences around the world. Paired with Yo-Yo Ma's unparalleled artistry and lifelong dedication to fostering cultural understanding through music, the performances promise evenings of exceptional musicianship and emotional depth. 

Earlier this year, Dutcher was invited by Sir Elton John to perform at the 15th Glenn Gould Prize Gala in Toronto, joining an all-star Canadian lineup assembled to celebrate the legendary  musician's artistic legacy. His stirring interpretation of "I'm Still Standing" was among the  evening's standout performances, further underscoring his reputation as one of Canada's most  compelling live artists. Jeremy also recently performed at Pride Montreal earlier this month. 

Over the past decade, Jeremy Dutcher has emerged as one of Canada's most visionary artists,  earning international acclaim for his genre-defying body of work that brings ancestral Wolastoqey songs into contemporary conversation. His performances continue to resonate with audiences  around the world, celebrated for their emotional power, virtuosity, and unwavering commitment to  language revitalization. 

TICKETS FOR TAIWAN TOUR DATES
TICKETS FOR JAPAN TOUR DATES

ABOUT JEREMY DUTCHER 
Jeremy Dutcher is a Two-Spirit song carrier, performer, composer, activist, classically trained  tenor, and Wolastoqiyik member of Tobique First Nation in Eastern Canada. Working at the  intersection of Indigenous song tradition and Western classical form, he has emerged as one of  the most compelling voices in contemporary Canadian music. Dedicated to Wolastoqiyik  language revitalization, Jeremy’s practice is rooted in the belief that language, song, and cultural  knowledge are living traditions that carry the past into the future. 

His breakthrough debut album, Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa (“Songs of the People of the  Beautiful River”), transformed century-old archival recordings of his ancestors into arrangements for voice and grand piano. Sung entirely in Wolastoqey, the album received international acclaim and won the 2018 Polaris Music Prize. 

Jeremy’s sophomore release, Motewolonuwok (ᒣᑌᐧᐁᓓᓄᐧᐁᒃ), further deepened his exploration of composition, vocal performance, and orchestral textures, earning him a second Polaris Music Prize in 2024 and making him the first artist to receive the award twice. The album reflects on Two-Spirit identity, community, responsibility, and collective futures. 

Now based in Tiohtià:ke (Montreal), Dutcher is a sought-after voice on language revitalization,  Two-Spirit identity, and fashion. In 2022, he helped launch Kekhimin, the first Wolastoqey  language immersion school, founded by his mother, Lisa Perley-Dutcher. He has toured  extensively across North America, Europe, and Australia, and is currently working on his first  book. 

TOUR DATES
Aug 29 - Toronto, ON - Mikinakoos Forest Fire Relief Show
Sep 27 - Brandon, MB - Western Manitoba Centennial Auditorium
Sep 30 - Calgary, AB - National Music Centre
Oct 08 - Santa Fe, NM - Lensic Performing Arts Center
Oct 12 - San Francisco, CA - Yerba Beuna Gardens Festival
Oct 18 - Taipei, TW - National Concert Hall (TICKETS)
Oct 21 - Taichung, TW - National Taichung Theater (TICKETS)
Oct 25 - Tokyo, JP - Suntory Hall (TICKETS)
Oct 27 - Tokyo, JP - Suntory Hall (TICKETS)
Nov 12 - Illkrich, FR - L’Illiade
Nov 24 - Vaulx-en-Velin, FR - Centre Charlie Chaplin

JEREMY DUTCHER ONLINE
WEBSITE
INSTAGRAM
FACEBOOK

VIVEK SHRAYA RELEASES DELUXE VERSION OF NEW MODELS, SHARES “MORAL PANIC” FT. JEREMY DUTCHER

VIVEK SHRAYA CELEBRATES TRANSGENDER DAY OF VISIBILITY WITH THE DELUXE VERSION OF HER NEW RECORD, NEW MODELS

LISTEN / SHARE “MORAL PANIC” FT. JEREMY DUTCHER

BUY / STREAM NEW MODELS DELUXE VERSION HERE

Photo Credit : Paul Mpagi Sepuya // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES

Today, multi-hyphenate artist Vivek Shraya is celebrating Transgender Day of Visibility by releasing the deluxe version of her latest album, New Models. The deluxe version includes reimaginings of two album tracks which feature Jeremy Dutcher (On “Moral Panic”), and Tanya Tagaq (on “Apathy Crisis”). 

“New Models was written in the past four years, during a time when trans rights around the world have been slowly and systematically chipped away,” explains Shraya. “I wanted to make something that pushed back against the hateful political rhetoric (“Groomer”) but also could be cathartic to queer and trans listeners (“When I’m Overcome”). I wanted to make something that could rally allies (“Apathy Crisis”) but I also wanted listeners to discover new perspectives and motivations on their own (“Moral Panic”). Often, I wasn’t even sure what I was making (“I Don’t Know Where I’m Going”) or if any of it mattered (“Am I Doing Enough?”).

“My relationship to International Transgender Day Of Visibility is similarly ambivalent. What I personally want for my communities is not necessarily visibility but safety and dignity. I also know that it’s seeing trans people that empowers me to keep existing and, crucially, to keep challenging my own assumptions about gender. 

“I offer this deluxe version of New Models, recharged by two artists I admire very much, Tanya Tagaq and Jeremy Dutcher, on this day, with the hopes that it acts as a reminder of the importance of collaboration and community during this time. I don’t believe visibility is the end goal, but I do think many of us are searching for the light and clarity right now and this can only come from working together, across our differences.

On the collaboration with Shraya on “Moral Panic”, Jeremy Dutcher says, “I’ve loved Vivek for a LONG time. Since first hearing her collaboration with the queer songbook orchestra in 2017, I’ve been eager for an opportunity to work together. In 2023, she joined me on stage in Calgary during the motewolonuwok tour and we dueted a song called ‘take my hand’. From then, I knew our voices would dance together in-step.  So when she asked me to be part of this upcoming project, it was an instant yes.

“The message in these lyrics are, for me, speaking of the hope and resilience of all the rainbow children in this world. It is an anthem to our strength; In the face of fear & hatred, our joy, love and kinship networks persist. This message is both timely and timeless when considering queer, embodied experiences.

“My approach to this song was to create an army of voices (a chorus) to be a bed on which Vivek can lay and share her truth.”

LISTEN / SHARE “MORAL PANIC” FT. JEREMY DUTCHER

MORE ABOUT VIVEK SHRAYA AND NEW MODELS
‘When I’m overcome with feeling / I have to break free from words and just sing.’ An inveterate writer, Vivek Shraya knows that fewer words can carry more weight. These first lines of her album, New Models, serve as both a thesis to the transcendent sonic experience to come, as well as an invitation to leave the burden of self-assuredness at the door. Don’t overthink—just listen. Just feel.

New Models is “me grappling with the state of the world over the past four years and eventually realizing that language, particularly English, had become so contorted and weaponized that the only way I could grieve, rage, and find comfort was to let go of it,” says Shraya. “How do you express the horror and helplessness of witnessing progress being rapidly undone—in words—when all you want to do is scream or cry?”

WATCH / SHARE “AM I DOING ENOUGH?” VIDEO

WATCH / SHARE “I DON’T KNOW WHERE I’M GOING” HERE

Shraya has dedicated much of her impressive artistic career to incisively articulating culturally loaded issues. Whether through her best-selling book I’m Afraid of Men (which Vanity Fair called “cultural rocket fuel”), her award-winning play-turned-CBC show, How To Fail As A Popstar, or her provocative visual art and installation work, Shraya has challenged the status quo by transcending her personal experiences into daring artworks. But it is music that first drew Shraya into the arts, and it’s on her 11th solo album, New Models, that Shraya redefines her musical trajectory with a bold display of boundary pushing done right.

This collection of hypnotically textured songs allows each listener to come to their own conclusions about the heavy subjects she conjures. Dread, disconnection, uncertainty—all are invoked through Shraya’s sparse, cutting lyrics, but it is her wordless vocal chanting that cuts the deepest. “How do you express—in words—the horror and helplessness of witnessing progress being rapidly undone,” Shraya explains, “when all you want to do is scream or cry?”

WATCH / SHARE “WHEN I’M OVERCOME” LYRIC VIDEO

For New Models, Shraya joined forces with long-time producer-engineer James Bunton (Donovan Woods, Celeigh Cardinal, Leanne Betasamosake Simpson). Shraya and Bunton connected a decade ago, when Shraya realized the notion of the self-producing “solo genius” was profoundly flawed, and her and Bunton have grown to share a deep bond and a common language, with Bunton producing most of Shraya’s recent music, from Part-Time Woman, her album with Queer Songbook Orchestra (2017) to her previous full-length album Baby, You’re Projecting (2023, Mint Records) and the subsequent duet versions of songs from that album with Jann Arden and Donovan Woods.

WATCH / SHARE “MORAL PANIC” (VISUALIZER) HERE

Vivek Shraya’s artistic practice has long been unrelentingly honest. She has never shied away from difficult feelings, whether harassment – her graphic novel with Ness Lee, Death Threat –  professional jealousy – as she explores on her podcast, I Won’t Envy –  or chronic pain – as in her new short film, Bodyrebuilding. What’s special about New Models is its insistence on moving through all the feelings possible. While no answers are uncovered, a deep desire for reconstruction and reconstitution glimmers. As Shraya intones, “everything works, until it doesn’t”—but just as crucially, “Everything hurts, until it doesn’t.” - Sam Boer

MORE ABOUT JEREMY DUTCHER
Jeremy Dutcher is a classically trained tenor, Two-Spirit song carrier, polymuse, activist, ethnomusicologist, and member of Neqotkuk (Tobique First Nation) in Eastern Canada. Dedicated to language revitalization, Jeremy’s debut album Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa unearthed century-old archival recordings of his ancestors, turning them into collaborative compositions on the grand piano. Sung entirely in Wolastoqey, his endangered mother tongue, it would go on to win the 2018 Polaris Music Prize and lead to collaborations with such iconic artists as Yo-Yo Ma and Leslie Feist. His sophomore album Motewolonuwok ᒣᑌᐧᐁᓓᓄᐧᐁᒃ was awarded the 2024 Polaris Music Prize, making Jeremy the first ever two-time winner. Jeremy’s music transcends boundaries: unapologetically playful in its incorporation of classical and jazz influences, full of reverence for the traditional songs of his home, and teeming with the urgency of modern-day resistance. He is regularly sought out for his perspectives on queerness, Indigeneity, language revitalization, and fashion.

BUY / STREAM NEW MODELS DELUXE VERSION HERE

NEW MODELS DELUXE TRACKLIST
01 When I’m Overcome
02 Apathy Crisis
03 We’re In Pain
04 Groomer
05 Breaking Our Pattern
06 Moral Panic
07 Am I Doing Enough?
08 I Don’t Know Where I’m Going
09 Apathy Crisis ft. Tanya Tagaq
10 Moral Panic ft. Jeremy Dutcher

VIVEK SHRAYA
OFFICIAL WEBSITE
INSTAGRAM
YOUTUBE
SPOTIFY
APPLE MUSIC

Photo credit : Kirk Lisaj // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES

JEREMY DUTCHER ONLINE 
WEBSITE
FACEBOOK
INSTAGRAM
TIKTOK  

JEREMY DUTCHER SHARES NEW VIDEO, MOTEWOLONUWOK LP SHORT LISTED FOR THE 2024 POLARIS MUSIC PRIZE

WATCH A POWERFUL NEW BEHIND THE SCENES VIDEO WITH WICIW CHOIR

WATCH / SHARE WICIW CHOIR VIDEO HERE

MOTEWOLONUWOK AVAILABLE NOW VIA SECRET CITY RECORDS

BUY / STREAM MOTEWOLONUWOK HERE

(Still Image From WICIW Choir Video)

Jeremy Dutcher’s sophomore LP, Motewolonuwok – his defiant, healing and queer exploration of modern indigeneity – has been shortlisted for the prestigious Polaris Music Prize 2024, alongside Elisapie, Charlotte Cardin, Allison Russell and more. The winner will be announced during the gala in Toronto on September 17. 

As a previous winner of the Polaris Music Prize (2018), today, Jeremy is thrilled to share a moving new video to celebrate his nomination and unveil some of the processes behind the astonishing Motewolonuwok.

“There are lessons you’re taught and ones you come to know experientially — some are both.  The lesson is that ‘there is no better medicine than singing together’. Something I was told from a young age but didn’t truly internalize until the process of creating this last album, Motewolonuwok,” explains Dutcher.

“Bringing this album to fruition and insisting on its vision was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done — and it was only through the collective support of this amazing group of singers that it came to pass. The WICIW Choir was built from every corner of my life, bringing together the voices I admire most, and is made most beautiful by its inclusivity, truly an ensemble for every voice type. Getting to share some wolastoqey latuwewakon with these dear collaborators was a transformative experience for me; we can learn so much from teaching. From my depth, I give gratitude to each of these singers who gave this record it’s truly voice: the spirit of collectivity,” he concludes.

The WICIW Choir is : James Baley, Meghan Jamieson, Teiya Kasahara, Keith Lam, Jonathan MacArthur, Marion Newman, Lydia Persaud, Alex Samaras, Karen Weigold, Alanna Stuart, Katrina Westin.

 WATCH / SHARE WICIW CHOIR VIDEO HERE

Currently on tour, Dutcher recently performed at the International Montreal Jazz Festival, the Riddu Riđđu Indigenous Festival in Olmmáivággi, Norway, and the Vancouver Folk Festival.

He headlined Servant Jazz Quarters in London, England and played the Cambridge Folk Festival last week. Jeremy will be back on the road in Canada in August and September and will be performing with the NAC Orchestra in Ottawa on September 13, as well as opening for Feist at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre in St-Catharines on September 18. Tickets are on sale here.

MORE ABOUT JEREMY DUTCHER
With his most recent release – Motewolonuwok – Jeremy Dutcher was crowned in the UK as the MOJO Rising Artist for its September issue, with the record receiving ★★★★ from the magazine, stating, “there is real weight behind these songs, and Motewolonuwok carries it with sombre grace.” Rolling Stone France also shares the ★★★★ status calling the album “a total and captivating success,” while Télérama adds, “richly orchestrated, his intimate ballads unfold an intense dramaturgy to transcend the pain of oppression and express the soothing beauty of resilience.”

BUY / STREAM MOTEWOLONUWOK HERE

Dutcher originally vaulted himself into the upper echelons of Canadian performance with his 2018 debut, Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa. Since winning the Polaris Music Prize and JUNO Award, performing for NPR Tiny Desk, and collaborating with Yo-Yo Ma and Beverly Glenn-Copeland, in 2023 Dutcher returned with Motewolonuwok, a moving and radiant exploration of contemporary Indigeneity and his place within it, presenting his most expansive work yet. The new album also marked Dutcher’s first time writing and singing in English. A powerful invitation for collective healing and understanding, “Shared tongue is a beautiful gift, with a complicated reason,” Dutcher explains. “These new English songs are also a way of singing directly to the newcomer, or settler, in their own language — a direct line of communication that seeks to platform his community’s stories of healing, resilience, and emergence to all that may hear.”

Motewolonuwok heaves with dynamic orchestration and the inherent drama of grand piano, recalling a long line of artists who have turned the classical establishment on its head to deliver compositions that are doubly ecstatic and modern — luminaries such as Julius Eastman, Perfume Genius, Arthur Russell, Beverly Glenn-Copeland, and Merce Cunningham. More intimate and expansive than anything Dutcher has created before, Motewolonuwok hedges the line between storytelling and composition as both a transcendental protest record and an exploration of self. This is experimental pop as corrective medicine: a defiant, healing, and queer experience that fills any listener with power and wisdom.

PRAISE FOR MOTEWOLONUWOK

“Motewolonuwok” pulls from the sounds of renowned song carrier Maggie Paul, the flamboyant musicality of Jeff Buckley and the political sensibility of Nina Simone. Across 11 songs, Dutcher stares down the horrors of violence against Indigenous women and the suicide crisis, while drawing strength from the writings and music of his ancestors and peers." The Toronto Star, Best Music of 2023

“Jeremy Dutcher's follow up to his Polaris Music Prize-winning debut is a work equally stunning in its beauty and raw emotional power. The arrangements complement a vital storytelling voice that's impossible to absorb without being brought to tears." - Exclaim!, Best of 2023 

★★★★ – Rolling Stone France

“There is revolution in this album… Motewolonuwok is about people rising up in the streets, about unity and community, about identity. Dutcher, who is a member of Neqotkuk (Tobique First Nation), shares an operatic timbre with Anohni, his songs transmitting a similar sense of spiritual commitment. There is real weight behind these songs, and Motewolonuwok carries it with sombre grace.” ★★★★ – MOJO

"While Motewolonuwok doesn't shy away from the painful experiences of Indigenous peoples Dutcher's gentle approach — to "rise in beauty" and forge a path forward with grace — is a powerful beacon of hope during these dark, divisive times" - CBC Music, Best Albums of 2023

“A captivating set, with Dutcher’s extraordinary and expressive vocals underpinned by orchestral arrangements... Mesmerising, magical and often deeply moving.” ★★★★ - The Morning Star

“Dutcher yearns earnestly in a powerful voice that lands somewhere between Anohni and Curtis Stigers, doling out lush soul ballads, which deal with land sovereignty and queerness” – Uncut

"After expanding the boundaries of sampling with the award-winning debut Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa the classically trained tenor’s own range expands on Motewolonuwok. With flickers of jazz and pop and the occasional full orchestra, the composer sings in both Wolastoqey and English, inviting listeners to “take my hand / walk with me.” - The Globe and Mail, Best Albums of 2023

“As powerful as his lyrics, though, is Dutcher’s performance style.” – Vogue

“[Jeremy Dutcher] Brings forward the spirit of his people on this beautiful record.” — NPR Music

"Motewolonuwok is a landscape of rolling hills, gullies, open horizons and bright stars. It’s a defiant, gorgeous, collective taking-up of sonic space.” - RANGE Magazine, Best of 2023

“Richly orchestrated, his intimate walks unfold an intense dramaturgy to transcend the pain of oppression and express the soothing beauty of resilience”. - Télérama

“The song [Skicinuwihkuk] is tender and lyrical, but also takes flight on a wave of orchestral sound that amplifies the song’s emotional content” – WNYC “New Sounds” 

Digital album artwork for Motewolonuwok // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES

JEREMY DUTCHER TOUR DATES // TICKETS HERE
Aug 2-4 – Canmore, CA @ Canmore Folk Festival
Aug 8-9 – Lunenburg, CA @ Lunenburg Folk Harbour Festival
Aug 20-21 – Bonne Bay, CA @ Writers at Woody Point
Sep 13 – Ottawa, CA @ NAC *performing with the NAC orchestra
Sep 18 – Ste-Catharines, CA @ FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre
Sep 20 – Kingston, CA @ Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts
Oct 25-26 – Halifax, CA @ Rebecca Cohn Auditorium

JEREMY DUTCHER ONLINE 
WEBSITE
FACEBOOK
INSTAGRAM
TIKTOK  

SECRET CITY RECORDS ONLINE
WEBSITE
FACEBOOK
INSTAGRAM
TWITTER
TIKTOK