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Jeremy Dutcher: MOTEWOLONUWOK ᒣᑏᐧᐁᓓᓄᐧᐁᒃ

Jeremy Dutcher

Jeremy Dutcher, photo by Kirk Lisaj

 

Enter the wholly unique world of Jeremy Dutcher—a Two-Spirit song carrier, classically trained tenor, and Wolastoqiyik member of Neqotkuk (Tobique First Nation) in eastern Canada—live at Banff Centre.

Dutcher’s acclaimed debut Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa unearthed century-old archival recordings of his ancestors and turned them into collaborative, piano-based compositions. Sung entirely in Wolastoqey, his endangered mother tongue, it went on to win the 2018 Polaris Music Prize, and led to collaborations with Yo-Yo Ma and Leslie Feist.

His sophomore album Motewolonuwok ᒣᑌᐧᐁᓓᓄᐧᐁᒃ , which features several English-language originals, was awarded the 2024 Polaris Music Prize, making Jeremy the first double winner.

Unapologetically playful in its incorporation of classical and jazz influences, full of reverence for Wolastoqiyik tradition, and teeming with the urgency of modern-day resistance, Dutcher’s music is like nothing else.

“A moment-defining record.” — CBC Music

“A lustrous work of high drama.” — The Globe and Mail

“There is no one making music like this." — NPR Music

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Biographies

Spencer Cole

Spencer Cole is a percussionist, pianist, vocalist and composer who has established himself in
Toronto’s eclectic music community amidst a busy schedule of international touring. He is a
two-time Juno nominee and two-time Polaris Music Prize finalist with his previous project
Weaves, performing at events such as the Glastonbury Festival, Iceland Airwaves and on NPR’s
Tiny Desk, to name a few.

He can also be seen performing with acclaimed groups including The Weather Station, Jeremy
Dutcher and July Talk and has appeared in the Toronto Symphony Orchestra alongside guest
artists such as Carly Rae Jepsen.

When he is not busy exploring how to extract sound from the objects which surround him, he is:
producing music for television, creating solo piano music, recording original albums and
computer programming.

Adrian Russouw

Adrian Russouw is a Toronto-based creative who writes and improvises music for upright bass, vocals, guitar, cello, and laptop, as well as writes words for performance and publication. Current projects involve regular performances with C’est la Fête, playing bass with Jeremy Dutcher, accompanying bill bissett’s poetry readings, being a member of The Queer Songbook Orchestra, and composing for contemporary dance in collaboration with Rumi Jeraj.