Sounds of Gathering

Sounds of Gathering

NOVEMBER 2027
VANCOUVER, BC

Music on Main is a founding partner of Sounds of Gathering, a project which brings together music festivals and presenters from Norway, Canada, Brazil, and Australia with Indigenous advisors.

Initiated by the IN/PACT New Music Network, Sounds of Gathering’s aim is to build strong connections between Indigenous communities, concert organizers, audiences, and local contexts, laying the groundwork for long-term impact on the global arts scene in both the Global South and the Global North. This project aims to be transformational for music presentation organizations and artists alike.

Together, Partners and Advisors explore ways to create spaces for gathering, and to share new work and ideas by Indigenous artists connected to the regions in which the partners are based. We work alongside the Indigenous advisors to build protocols that support good ways to open and close meetings, and to plan symposia and gathering (called Immersions) in each other’s cultures.

Each Partner and Advisor is committed to travelling and participating in the Immersions. Relationships that are authentic and filled with trust take an investment of time. The Sounds of Gathering project is based on the knowledge sharing of international Indigenous artists and presenters, and we all acknowledge that the investment of time is needed to create relationships in real space, and on the land that we all do this work.

In 2027 Music on Main will host Sounds of Gathering in Vancouver, during the 2027 Modulus Festival (November 5-8). This Immersion event will include Indigenous music, meals, talks, discussions, and workshops that bring together Indigenous and non-Indigenous people, led by Indigenous advisors.

Sounds of Gathering Founding Partners:

• Ultima Oslo Contemporary Music Festival (Oslo, Norway)
• Le Vivier (Montreal, Canada)
• Music on Main (Vancouver, Canada)
• Música Estranha Festival (Saõ Paulo, Brazil)
• Canberra International Music Festival (Canberra, Australia)

Sounds of Gathering Indigenous Advisors:

• Dylan Robinson (Xwélmexw artist, curator, and scholar, Canada)
• Idjahure Kadiwel (Terena and Kadiwéu poet and music anthropologist, Brazil)
• Arve Nordland and Ann-Mari Pettersen Magga (Sámi composers and administrators, Norway)
• Chistopher Sainsbury (Dharug and mixed heritage composer and educator, Australia)
• Nicole Smede (Warrimay/Birribay and colonial descent multidisciplinary artist, Australia)

Planned Sounds of Gathering Immersions:

• March 2026: Montreal, Canada, hosted by Le Vivier
• February 2027: Alta, Norway, hosted by Sámi Music Week & Ultima Oslo Contemporary Music Festival
• May 2027: Canberra, Australia, hosted by Canberra International Music Festival
• November 2027: Vancouver, Canada, hosted by Music on Main
• December 2027: São Paulo Brazil, hosted by Música Estranha Festival