Music News Digest: Pierre Kwenders, Kaïa Kater Play Canada House at Reeperbahn Festival in Germany
This week: Musicworks Electronic Music Composition Contest opens, Nova Scotia Music Week performers announced, Toronto hip hop/R&B showcase The Hustle turns 10 and more.
CIMA has announced the 2025 Canada House showcase lineup for the Reeperbahn Festival & Conference in Germany. In Hamburg, Canada House will once again take over Uwe for two full days of live music on Thursday, September 18 and Friday, September 19. Performances will run from midday until midnight.
The Canada House artist lineup is: Ash Molloy // Annie-Claude Deschenes // Bad Buddy // Bonnie Trash // Bria Rose N’Thorns // Bye Parula // Chiara Savasta // Desiree Dorion // Goodnight Sunrise //Hendrika // Holy Void // Kaïa Kater // Kimmortal // Kubla // Kue Varo & The Only Hopes // Magi Merlin // Marissa Burwell // Maya Killtron // Merv xx Gotti // Patche // Pierre Kwenders // Retrofile // Thea May // The Bankes Brothers
Ahead of the festival, Canadian industry professionals will participate in two days of pre-events in Berlin. On Sept, 15, CIMA, in partnership with the Embassy of Canada to Germany and MMF Canada, will host an afternoon of business programming. On Sept. 16, Canadian delegates will take part in the Berlin Experience — a full day of industry sessions and networking organized by the Reeperbahn team.
Back in Hamburg, Canadian companies will also get the opportunity to participate in the Meet the Canadians matchmaking event in collaboration with Reeperbahn, connecting them directly with members of the German music industry.
Awards News
The 15th annual Musicworks Electronic Music Composition Contest is now open. Apply here. The annual juried contest spotlights new musical talent from around the world, offering cash prizes and opportunities to be heard and published. The 2024 contest received 148 submissions from twenty-four countries, including Canada, U.S.A., Finland, Japan, Italy, Brazil, U.K. and others.
First prize: $500, a composer profile in Musicworks in 2026, and the composition released on the accompanying Musicworks CD.
Second prize: $200 and composer coverage on musicworks.ca in 2026.
Third prize: $100 and composer coverage on musicworks.ca in 2026.
Marcelle Deschênes Prize in Electronic Music / prix Marcelle Deschênes pour la musique électronique: $300 and a composer profile in 2026. This prize is open to entrants who identify as female or non-binary.
Industry News
Music Nova Scotia has named the third round of showcasing acts that will be performing at Nova Scotia Music Week in Yarmouth/Kespukwitk from October 23-26.
That list comprises Adina, Adria Jackson, All Mother, Alvaro, Avery Dakin, Bologna, Colorado, Customer Service, DEADØNE, Good Dear Good, Haliey Smith, Heather MacIsaac, Jon Samuel, Kxng Wooz, Last Call Chernobyl, LDN, Maisyn Sock, Mat Hughes, Moira & Claire, Morgan Toney, Nicolae Nicole Ariana, norc, RealEyez, Rich Aucoin, Sidney Francis, Sleepy Kicks, Sophie Noel, The Culls Yung St4k and Zamani Folade.
The full Nova Scotia Music Week festival lineup and schedule will be released in September.
– August 15 is the deadline to apply for The Music PEI Booking Agent Mentorship Program, a new professional development initiative designed to provide an in-depth introduction to the role of a music agent within the Canadian music industry. This program will be delivered by Ryan Heerschap (I Book Shows) and will run for six weeks from October to November, 2025.
– The Hustle, a flagship Toronto concert series from local presenter The Academy is celebrating its 10th anniversary with a free concert on August 23 in Trillium Park (4–11 pm) as part of Ontario Place’s SummerSeries. Many of The Hustle showcases over the last decade marked the first live performance for the artists on the lineup, some of whom (TOBi, Sadboi f.k.a. Ebhoni, Witch Prophet) have gone on to greater recognition.
Rapper, producer, engineer and director, Clairmont The Second, will headline this concert. Other performers include Leila Dey, TRP.P, Adria Kain, Roshin, Beaugé, and Datsunn — with DJ sets by acclaimed producers Elaquent and OBUXUM, and hosted by DJ/MC/creative, TREMAYNE hosts. More info here.
– Calgary-based Blue Jay Sessions has announced its first-ever event series in the Okanagan next month. Set to run Sept. 10-12 at Friends of Dorothy Lounge, in Kelowna, Blue Jay Sessions: Valley Edition — presented by Craig Senyk Initiatives — will feature 24+ Canadian singer-songwriters, as well as comedian Karla Marx.
The lineup includes Top 40 hitmakers Teigen Gayse and Chevy Beaulieu (Sept. 10), 2025 CCMA Award nominees Brandi Sidoryk (Nice Horse) and Paige Penney (Sept. 11), and 2025 Top of the Country semifinalists Annika Catharina and Brettyn Rose (Sept. 12), plus Kelsi Mayne and Mallory Johnson. There are three nightly hosts: Shantaia, ZENON and Antonio Larosa. Tickets and info here.
The series coincides with the CCMA's Country Music Week in Kelowna, but the events are not officially affiliated.
– The Dundas Cactus Festival in Dundas, Ontario, is a three-day free festival, running Aug. 15-17. Performers this year include blues-rock star David Wilcox, guitarist Johannes Linstead and local roots, folk and blues artists Alfie Smith, Lowdown Dirty Mojos, Trickbag, Freedom Train, The Trebletones and Tim Gibbons & The Swampbusters. More info here.
– Noted Ontario music journalist and author Jason Schneider (a former FYI contributor) has published a new book, That Gun In Your Hand: The Strange Saga of 'Hey Joe' and Popular Music's History of Violence, out via Anvil Press. It tells the fascinating story behind the song "Hey Joe," described in press notes as "a song that binds nearly every strand of 20th Century American popular music." Schneider's earlier books include The Longest Suicide: The Authorized Biography of Art Bergmann and the novel 3,000 Miles. More info here.
Artists News
Veteran Toronto R&B/jazz vocalist and former Nylons member Billy Newton-Davis plays a rare local club gig on Aug. 16 at The Rex Hotel Jazz & Blues Bar (5.30 to 7.30). His ace band comprises Russ Boswell, Stu Harrison and Ethan Ardelli, and the set will be filmed for an EPK to help launch his upcoming album.
