Folk Alliance International 2026 Line-up Announced !
MusicOntario and Folk Canada are joining forces under the FOLK NORTH banner to host three nights of private showcases at Folk Alliance International (FAI) in 2026.
It’s our 10th year of supporting Ontarian and Canadian artists and businesses at the world’s largest gathering of the folk music industry and community, which celebrates a diverse range of genres including Blues, Bluegrass, Roots, Celtic, Cajun, Appalachian, Traditional, World, and Singer-Songwriter. The event offers a comprehensive conference, tailored business opportunities, and hundreds of showcase performances.
Over the years, we have showcased more than 300 artists from Ontario and across Canada at Folk Alliance International, while supporting the businesses who work with them in developing connections in new markets. Our alumni include The Strumbellas, Digging Roots, Amanda Rheaume, Abigail Lapell, Julian Taylor, Tim Chaisson, AHI, Skye Wallace, Jeremy Dutcher, Aysanabee, Shakura S’Aida, Terra Lightfoot, Kaia Kater, Elisapie, OKAN, Ammoye, Lemon bucket Orkestra, and many, many more! We welcome applications from all folk traditions.
Check out below for our 2026 lineup!
Thursday
Abigail Lapell
Over the past six years, Lapell has won four Canadian Folk Music Awards and reached over 80 million streams across digital music platforms. Based in Toronto, she tours widely across North America, Europe and the UK, performing on vocals, piano, harmonica and signature finger-style guitar.
Great Lake Swimmers
Great Lake Swimmers have been shortlisted for the prestigious Polaris Music Prize and nominated twice for Canada’s Juno Awards, with the CBC calling them “a national treasure.”
Meredith Moon
Meredith Moon grew up immersed in folk music, inspired by her surroundings and the legacy of her father, legendary singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot. A self-taught multi-instrumentalist and natural storyteller, she began crafting songs at a young age and spent her teens busking across Canada—from Halifax to Vancouver—developing the unique voice and style that define her work today.
Jeremy Voltz
Burned-out mathematician turned indie-soul artist, Jeremy Voltz is inspired by thinking deeply about the people in his life and what he’d love to have the courage to say to them. Reminiscent of Hozier, Cat Stevens, and Lake Street Dive, Voltz’s debut album Weekender was named Album of the Year at the Ontario Folk Music Awards (2022), and his sophomore album Running Away (2023), a hard-hitting exploration of courage, received national airplay. His award-winning acoustic anthem, “One Day at a Time,” has over five million worldwide listens and inspired an illustrated children’s book. Voltz is returning to his organic roots with new music in 2025.
Hypnosis Negative
From Estonia and Canada, a psychedelic display of dance music and traditional songs powered by fiddle, flute, drums, and electric banjo. A massive and fiercely danceable sound that sits at the unreal intersection of folk music, EDM, and jazz fusion.
Veranda
Veranda brings together the talents of actress-songwriter Catherine-Audrey Lachapelle and multi-instrumentalist Léandre Joly-Pelletier, a duo whose music sits at the crossroads of tradition and innovation. Their sound is warm, agile, and unmistakably heartfelt—rich harmonies, soulful melodies, and a seamless blend of simplicity and virtuosity. From high-lonesome bluegrass and foot-tapping country to tender folk ballads touched with Quebec trad, Veranda puts a modern shine on timeless roots music. With the fiery fiddle of Yukon’s Kieran Poile and the unique sound of upright-bass ace Johnny Slapper, the band serves up a feel-good, dance-friendly journey through the best of folk, country, trad, and bluegrass from La Belle Province.
Andrina Turenne
Andrina Turenne is an acclaimed singer-songwriter from Winnipeg Manitoba. Her songs both in French and English explore themes of home, nature, and human connection. Formerly of Juno Award-winning group Chic Gamine, her solo project was launched in 2020. Her solo debut Bold as Logs was released in the spring of 2023, charting on independent radio across Canada and the United States. She followed up in 2024 with Je suis un arbre, a Francophone EP that earned her a nomination for Francophone Artist of the Year at the Western Canadian Music Awards. Whether leading her band or alone on stage, she creates intimate moments as naturally as she brings the party. Her twenty-five years working and singing in the music industry have taken her around the world and are a testament to the impact of her live performance. She will begin production on her second full-length album in February 2026, with plans for a late fall release.
FRIDAY
OKAN
Charged with the profound power of their African ancestry. OKAN takes their name from the word for heart in the Afro-Cuban religion of Santeria. Fusing these Cuban roots with indie jazz, folk and global rhythms, OKAN delivers songs about immigration, resistance and joy in Spanish, Yoruba and Spanglish. Hot off their Tiny Desk NPR Alt Latino debut and a tour supporting Grammy-winners Rodrigo y Gabriela, OKAN’s recent release Okantomi was awarded the 2024 Juno Award and included in NPR Alt Latino, Le Monde, and CBC Music’s “Best of the Year” lists. OKAN is co-led by Cuban-born Grammy & Latin-Grammy nominees: violinist and vocalist Elizabeth Rodriguez and her wife, percussionist & vocalist Magdelys Savigne.
James Keelaghan
James Keelaghan is a Canadian folk singer-songwriter celebrated for his powerful storytelling and historically rich ballads. He blends contemporary folk with roots revival, using his lilting baritone voice and guitar to illuminate social justice themes and pivotal historical events. A JUNO Award and CFMA winner, Keelaghan has built an international reputation as “Canada’s finest songwriter, over 10 solo albums.
Dave Gunning
With over two decades on the road and fifteen albums to his credit, Nova Scotia’s Dave Gunning has earned a reputation as one of Canada’s most engaging and respected folk singer-songwriters. A JUNO Award nominee, and a multiple East Coast Music Award and Canadian Folk Music Award winner, Gunning is celebrated for his warm stage presence, razor-sharp wit, and songs that honour everyday heroes while tackling hard truths.
Known for his ability to connect with audiences through both laughter and reflection, Gunning’s live shows balance heartfelt storytelling with moments of perfectly timed humour. His rapport with listeners—equal parts genuine, self-effacing, and deeply human—has made him a beloved fixture on stages across Canada and beyond. In June 2025, Gunning travelled to Point Lonsdale, Australia, to record his fifteenth studio album, Field Notes, set for release February 20, 2026. Stripped-back and emotionally rich, the new collection returns to the heart of what he does best: telling stories that remind us who we are, where we come from, and what matters most.
Aysanabee
Aysanabee (Ace-in-abbey) is an Oji-Cree artist who writes anthems for the soul. Growing up in Northern Canada without running water or electricity, he was inspired to become a storyteller through music. With a swirling mix of indie, folk, and electronic sounds, and pulse-quickening fingerpicking, his music is hypnotic and melodious. His style has drawn comparisons to Bon Iver, Matt Corby, Hozier, The Black Pumas, and Kings of Leon.
Aysanabee’s music is both anthemic and cathartic. He made history as the first Indigenous (First Nation) artist to win the JUNO Awards for Alternative Album of the Year and the coveted Songwriter of the Year (2024) and as the first Indigenous artist to reach #1 on Mediabase Canada's Alternative Rock chart with “Nomads”. His debut album, Watin, named after his grandfather, combined music and journalism with artistry and expression. The album was shortlisted for the 2023 Polaris Music Prize and established Aysanabee as a unique voice in the Canadian music scene. His 2025 sophomore album, Edge Of The Earth, was recently included on the CBC’s 10 best Canadian albums of 2025 and has tracks featured on playlists around the world.
Aysanabee has been inspiring audiences across the globe with his stories and melodies. He has toured as support for Dan Mangan, Allison Russell, and Kim Churchill, and has performed at major festivals such as Reeperbahn, The Great Escape, AmericanaFest UK, Tönder Music Festival, Osheaga, Riddu Riddu, Australia’s Woodford Festival, and more.
Tanika Charles
2x Juno Awards R&B/Soul Recording of the Year nominee and 3x Polaris Music Prize long-list nominee Tanika Charles in synonymous with Canadian Soul music. She has embraced the sound and aesthetic of the genre without gimmick, whilst pushing the boundaries of what audiences can expect. Tanika is most at home on the stage having now performed in over 150 cities across a dozen countries. Her music revels in honesty and attitude with a live show equal parts high energy and endearing.
Tanika’s rise to prominence began with the independent release of her 2016 album Soul Run, later released internationally through through the Milan-based label Record Kicks in 2017. She followed that album up with 2019’s The Gumption, 2022’s Papillon de Nuit: The Night Butterfly, and 2023’s The Union Sessions EP. Now in 2025 she returns with Reasons To Stay, her most intimate and revealing project to date.
Crystal Shawanda
Crystal Shawanda stands as a trailblazer in Canadian music, weaving strength, soul, and storytelling into every performance.
Anthea Feaver
An accomplished multi-instrumentalist and songwriter, Anthea Feaver is as likely to sing a bittersweet love song as she is to give a quick history lesson, tell a long-winded joke, or break into an upbeat tune. Whether at a house concert or on a festival stage, she draws people together and has them singing along.
Saturday
Angelique Francis
Known for their eclectic mix of various musical genres (including Blues, Folk, Soul, Jazz, Roots, Rock, Gospel and Americana), they have played and shared the stage with renowned musicians; Buddy Guy, Gary Clark Jr, Eric Gales, Christone "Kingfish" Ingram, Joe Bonamassa, Keb’ Mo’, Tom Cochran, Burton Cummings, and many more. They were a feature act at the Keeping the Blues Alive at Sea festival (both Caribbean and Alaska editions), Grolsch Blues Festival (Germany), Sighisoara Blues Festival (Romania), Stagecoach series (California), Massey Hall, Montreal Jazz Festival, Philadelphia folkfest, etc.
Marcus Trummer
Marcus Trummer’s debut album, “From The Start”, draws inspiration from the timeless sounds of the 60s and 70s. With his warm and emotive vocals, Trummer pays respect to classic soul singers like Bill Withers and Marvin Gaye. His expressive guitar work channels the impassioned approach of players like B.B. King and Jimi Hendrix. Packed with raw emotion and honesty, Trummer’s songwriting is not to be overlooked. His thoughtful lyrics examine universal subjects of love and coming of age, unpacking experiences that resonate with all listeners.
Daniel James McFadyen
Rising indie-folk artist Daniel James McFadyen continues to evolve with his latest album, Back To The Country. Recorded with close friends in a rented cabin on British Columbia's Shuswap Lake, the songs capture a raw, Americana-inspired sound that brings new depth to McFadyen's work. Known for his interactive shows, McFadyen’s tours across Canada have sold out iconic venues, including Toronto’s Great Hall and Halifax’s Marquee Ballroom, drawing fans into his vivid storytelling and charismatic performances.
Desiree Dawson
Desirée Dawson is a breath of fresh air in the music industry, with her powerful yet soothing voice, engaging lyricism and inspiring live performances. Whether an intimate venue playing solo, in harmony with her band playing to thousands or anywhere in between, her versatility allows her to bring her gifts to stages of any size. She is a two-time SXSW music video winner and JUNO Award nominee for Best Adult Contemporary Album of the year. She has garnered millions of views and streams for her releases such as, ‘I Am Blessed’ and ‘Chop Some Wood’ Desirée released multiple singles and an EP throughout 2025 with a full length album coming out Summer 2026. Desirée is driven by a passion for collective liberation believing that finding ways to love, embrace and liberate ourselves goes hand-in-hand with learning how to love, care, and build with others. Dawson’s soulful folk sound builds narrative worlds that allow the sentiment of care and compassion to lovingly stay with you and to be a gift to pass on.
Geneviève Racette
Geneviève Racette is an internationally acclaimed Québécois folk-pop-Americana artist known for her ethereal vocals, vulnerable songwriting, and emotional depth. Since her breakout album No Water, No Flowers, she’s earned national recognition, major media praise, and standout collaborations with City and Colour. Her latest album, Golden (2024), debuted at #3 on the Folk Alliance charts and continues to expand her reach, with songs featured on Heartland and tours across North America. A rising force in the folk scene, Geneviève brings heartfelt storytelling and powerful presence to every stage.
Rebekah Hawker
Porch Couch
Alan Mackie and Jaron Freeman-Fox are Porch Couch, reanimating old-time and square dance tunes on the fiddle and banjo, channelling a deep respect for the tradition through their adventurous, comical and psychedelic spirit.
