Manitoba’s 2014 Year of Music is winding down after a successful year of concerts, awards and festivals that showcased the diversity of music this province has to offer. This announcement was made by Tourism, Culture, Heritage, Sport and Consumer Protection Minister Ron Lemieux.
“With celebrations like the JUNOs, the BreakOut West Music Festival and the Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Awards, we have been proud to showcase award-winning Manitoba artists as well as others wanting to perform here,” Minister Lemieux said. “There is a great deal of talent here ‘where Canada’s Heart… Beats’ and it was gratifying to shine a spotlight on our local music scene for all to enjoy.”
The Year of Music was a joint initiative designed to encourage Manitoba music events and have organizations participate in a province-wide celebration. A unique Manitoba Live app was unveiled and used by thousands of concert goers to find their favourite artists or just find out who’s playing nearby.
“It has been an exciting and very busy year for the Manitoba music community. We were glad to see how many artists, festivals and venues jumped right in to tackle such an ambitious concept,” said Sara Stasiuk, executive director, Manitoba Music, and co-chair, 2014 Year of Music. “The music industry is an important asset to our province – socially and economically – and it was great to highlight the energy of our music scene across Manitoba.”
In addition to the major awards shows, more than 30 local music events partnered in the Year of Music and organizations from across the province took part in the initiative. Participating communities included Brandon, Steinbach, Morden, Flin Flon, Dauphin, Clearwater, St. Malo and Kelwood. Other music events across the province included the Winnipeg Folk Festival, Dauphin’s Countryfest, Icelandic Festival of Manitoba and Festival du Voyageur.
The minister noted the initiative was expected to generate economic benefits of approximately $12 million including direct expenditures, employment and tax revenues.
“Hosting these flagship regional and national music events has exposed Manitobans to a wide range of our acclaimed music scene and enhanced provincial music education initiatives,” said Minister Lemieux. “It has also provided networking and promotional opportunities for Manitoba musicians, industry professionals and Aboriginal artist entrepreneurs, which will help this industry continue to grow and succeed.”
For more information on upcoming events, or to look back at the highlights of the Year of Music, visit www.manitobamusic.com.
