105 nominees in 19 categories from across Canada

Click HERE to watch the CFMA announce video.

(HALIFAX – November 19, 2019) – The Canadian Folk Music Awards announced the nominees for its 15th edition today, celebrating this year’s 105 nominees. The nominees hail from across Canada – from Igloolik, NU to Mount Pearl, NL and from Gabriola Island, BC to Rustico, PEI – celebrating the breadth and depth of folk music in Canada.

Established by Canada’s burgeoning and internationally-recognized folk music community, the awards currently boast 19 categories. Nominees are chosen for each category. A two stage jury process by 100 jurors located across Canada representing all official provinces, territories and languages determine the official recipients in each category. NEW this year, in order to recognize more outstanding albums and performers in higher-subscribed categories, we are expanding the number of nominees in the Contemporary Album of the Year, New/Emerging Artist of the Year, Solo Artist of the Year, and English Songwriter(s) of the Year categories.

The 15th edition of the CFMAs will take place April 3-4, 2020, in Charlottetown, PE, at the PEI Convention Centre. The weekend’s focus events will take shape as two hosted Awards Weekend Concerts, which are open to the public. Awards will be presented throughout both evenings, April 3 and 4th, at the Awards Weekend Concerts. These concerts combine the most loved events of the Canadian Folk Music Awards’ – the vibrant energy of the live music showcases and the awards gala. The Awards Weekend Concerts will capture the true heart of the folk community, while celebrating the 2020 nominees and the category recipients. More information about ticketing, the gala performance and the line-up will be announced in early 2020.

The 2020 Canadian Folk Music Award Nominees are:

TRADITIONAL ALBUM OF THE YEAR / ALBUM TRADITIONNEL DE L’ANNÉE

Easy Money by/par Old Man Luedecke
Horizons by/par Vishtèn
Queen City Jubilee by/par The Slocan Ramblers
Territoires by/par Le Vent du Nord
Watchmaker by/par Shannon Quinn

CONTEMPORARY ALBUM OF THE YEAR / ALBUM CONTEMPORAIN DE L’ANNÉE

Assiniboine & The Red by/par The Small Glories
Citizen Alien by/par Leaf Rapids
Getaway by/par Abigail Lapell
Love, Inevitable by/par Jenn Grant
The Al Purdy Songbook by/par Various
The Maze by/par Ariana Gillis
Time Travel by/par Lennie Gallant
Up Against The Sky by/par Dave Gunning

CHILDREN’S ALBUM OF THE YEAR / ALBUM JEUNESSE DE L’ANNÉE

It Takes a Village by/par Ginalina
Lullabies For Big Eyes by/par The Kerplunks
Magical Lullabies by/par Amos J & Jérôme Fortin
Rocks and Roots by/par Will’s Jams
You, Me and the Sea by/par Splash’N Boots

TRADITIONAL SINGER OF THE YEAR / CHANTEUR TRADITIONNEL DE L’ANNÉE

Rachel Davis for/pour Ashlar (Còig)
Joshua Haulli for/pour AQQUT
Sophie Lavoie for/pour Portraits (Sophie & Fiachra)
Old Man Luedecke for/pour Easy Money
Allison Lupton for/pour Words of Love

CONTEMPORARY SINGER OF THE YEAR / CHANTEUR CONTEMPORAIN DE L’ANNÉE

Matt Andersen for/pour Halfway Home By Morning
Jenn Grant for/pour Love, Inevitable
Dave Gunning for/pour Up Against The Sky
Lydia Persaud for/pour Let Me Show You
Andrea Ramolo for/pour Homage

INSTRUMENTAL SOLO ARTIST OF THE YEAR / INSTRUMENTISTE SOLO DE L’ANNÉE

Itamar Erez for/pour Mi Alegria
Sabin Jacques for/pour Grandes Rencontres (Sabin Jacques & Rachel Aucoin)
Graham Lindsey for/pour TradHead
Jon Pilatzke for/pour Amongst Friends
Richard Wood for/pour Unbroken

INSTRUMENTAL GROUP OF THE YEAR / GROUPE INSTRUMENTAL DE L’ANNÉE

Emilyn Stam & Filippo Gambetta for/pour Shorelines
Mairi Rankin & Eric Wright for/pour The Cabin Sessions
Pierre Schryer & Adam Dobres for/pour Mandorla
The Fitzgeralds for/pour The Fitzgeralds
Toronto Tabla Ensemble for/pour Bhumika

VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR / GROUPE VOCAL DE L’ANNÉE

Fortunate Ones for/pour Hold Fast
Geneviève et Alain for/pour De la rivière à la mer
Musique à bouches for/pour L’habit de plumes
The Small Glories for/pour Assiniboine & The Red
The Sweet Lowdown for/pour Low Clouds in the Morning

ENSEMBLE OF THE YEAR / GROUPE DE L’ANNÉE

Haley Richardson & Quinn Bachand for/pour When The Wind Blows High and Clear
Oliver the Crow for/pour Oliver the Crow
The Slocan Ramblers for/pour Queen City Jubilee
The Small Glories for/pour Assiniboine & The Red
Vishtèn for/pour Horizons

SOLO ARTIST OF THE YEAR / ARTISTE SOLO DE L’ANNÉE

Michael Jerome Browne for/pour That’s Where It’s At
Jenn Grant for/pour Love, Inevitable
Dave Gunning for/pour Up Against The Sky
Sarah MacDougall for/pour All The Hours I Have Left To Tell You Anything
Danny Michel for/pour White & Gold
Irish Mythen for/pour Little Bones

ENGLISH SONGWRITER(S) OF THE YEAR / AUTEUR-COMPOSITEUR(S) ANGLOPHONE DE L’ANNÉE

Ben Caplan, Christian Barry for/pour Old Stock (Ben Caplan)
Lennie Gallant for/pour Time Travel
Dave Gunning for/pour Up Against The Sky
Kaia Kater for/pour Grenades
Abigail Lapell for/pour Getaway
Cara Luft, JD Edwards, Neil Osborne, Catherine MacLellan for/pour Assiniboine & The Red (The Small Glories)
Madeleine Roger for/pour Cottonwood
Justin Rutledge for/pour Passages

FRENCH SONGWRITER(S) OF THE YEAR /AUTEUR-COMPOSITEUR(S) FRANCOPHONE DE L’ANNÉE

Bernard Adamus for/pour C’qui nous reste du Texas
Jordane Labrie, Clement Desjardins for/pour 12 jours (Jordane)
Jean Leloup for/pour L’étrange pays
Safia Nolin for/pour Dans le noir
Caroline Savoie for/pour Pourchasser l’aube

INDIGENOUS SONGWRITER(S) OF THE YEAR / AUTEUR-COMPOSITEUR(S) AUTOCHTONE DE L’ANNÉE

Sugar Plum Croxen, Shelley Hamilton, George Elliott Clarke for/pour Constitution (The Afro-Métis Nation)
Jenelle Duval, Danielle Benoit, Stacey Howse for/pour Qama’si (Eastern Owl)
Joshua Haulli for/pour AQQUT
Diyet van Lieshout for/pour Diyet & the Love Soldiers
Mike Paul for/pour Origine

WORLD SOLO ARTIST OF THE YEAR / ARTISTE DE L’ANNÉE MUSIQUE DU MONDE – SOLO

Ben Caplan for/pour Old Stock
Cristian De La Luna for/pour SABES
Quique Escamilla for/pour Encomienda
Roberto López for/pour Kaleido Strópico
Wesli for/pour Rapadou Kreyol

WORLD GROUP OF THE YEAR / GROUPE DE MUSIQUE DE MONDE DE L’ANNÉE

Al Qahwa for/pour Cairo Moon
Ayrad for/pour Zoubida
Emilyn Stam & Filippo Gambetta for/pour Shorelines
Pierre Schryer & Adam Dobres for/pour Mandorla
Toronto Tabla Ensemble for/pour Bhumika

NEW/EMERGING ARTIST(S) OF THE YEAR / ARTISTE(S) DE LA RELÈVE

Birds Of Bellwoods for/pour Victoria
Geneviève Racette for/pour No Water, No Flowers
Gordie MacKeeman and His Rhythm Boys for/pour Dreamland
Hook & Nail for/pour Ghosts of Taylorton
Lydia Persaud for/pour Let Me Show You
T. Buckley for/pour Miles We Put Behind
The Lumber Jills for/pour The Lumber Jills
The Unfaithful Servants for/pour The Unfaithful Servants

PRODUCER(S) OF THE YEAR / RÉALISATEUR(S) DE L’ANNÉE

Erin Costelo for/pour Grenades (Kaia Kater)
Steve Dawson for/pour Halfway Home By Morning (Matt Andersen)
Luke Doucet for/pour The Northern South Vol. 2 (Whitehorse)
Daniel Ledwell for/pour Time Travel (Lennie Gallant)
Jory Nash, Chris Stringer for/pour Wilderness Years (Jory Nash)

OLIVER SCHROER PUSHING THE BOUNDARIES AWARD / PRIX INNOVATION MUSICALE OLIVER SCHROER

Ben Caplan for/pour Old Stock
Elisapie for/pour The Ballad of the Runaway Girl
Samson Wrote for/pour Pigeon
Tri-Continental for/pour Dust Dance
Vishtèn for/pour Horizons

YOUNG PERFORMER(S) OF THE YEAR / JEUNE ARTISTE(S) DE L’ANNÉE

Conway for/pour Conway
Nick Earle for/pour Breaking New Ground
Joshua Haulli for/pour AQQUT
Keltie for/pour Expect Inhibition
Jacques Surette for/pour Marche, marche, marche

We gratefully acknowledge the financial support of FACTOR, the Government of Canada and Canada’s private radio broadcasters.

CFMA 2020 event details:

The 15th Edition of the Canadian Folk Music Awards takes place over the weekend of April 3-4, 2020 at The PEI Convention Centre, in beautiful downtown, Charlottetown, PEI at 4 Queen St. Tickets and wristbands will go on sale in early 2020, please visit our website, www.folkawards,ca , and join our mailing list to be the first to know about our events and announcements.

About the Canadian Folk Music Awards (CFMAs):
Established in 2005, the Canadian Folk Music Awards celebrate the breadth and depth of folk music in Canada. Established as a non-profit, the mission of the CFMAs is to celebrate and promote Canadian folk music in all its forms. Join our mailing list, follow the CFMAs on twitter @folkawards, instagram @CandianFolkMusicAwards or “like” us on facebook.

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