Goodbye, Folk Music Ontario Conference, hello Folk Canada Conference.
Earlier this week, members of the folk, roots and traditional music community at Folk Canada “unanimously” voted to rename the conference at the 2025 annual general meeting.
For over 39 years, the organization has worked to elevate the country’s folk music ecosystem by supporting artists, industry leaders and presenters through year-round programs, group development and the annual multi-day festival.
This year’s four-day conference was held in Ottawa, Ontario, back in October. It included opportunities for folk music artists and industry members to perform private showcases, discuss artist career growth, connect with international buyers and celebrate some of the province’s best talents at The Ontario Folk Music Awards.
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The decision to rename aligns the conference with the organization’s recent name change from Folk Music Ontario to Folk Canada, which was announced last September.
The merger combines two member-driven arts service organizations that serve the folk community: Folk Music Ontario and Folk Music Canada. This year, the two groups finalized the process, which had been years in the making. The choice allows eligible members from anywhere in Canada to join, expanding the organization from a provincial body to a national one. At the most recent conference, artists from every province and territory were selected to perform for the first time.
After the new organization name was confirmed in 2024, Folk Canada shared that they conducted two surveys of members and conference attendees to gather feedback, which resulted in an overwhelming amount of support for changing the conference name.
“We want every member of our Canadian folk community to feel represented in the name we carry and the events we create,” said Folk Canada president Cécile Doo-Kingué. “To embrace this inclusive vision, we’re excited [that] the fortieth anniversary of our gathering launches the renamed Folk Canada Conference, and look forward to hosting the plurality of our community to celebrate this next chapter.”
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According to organizers, the transition to the Folk Canada Conference won’t alter the actual function of the event. For the foreseeable future, it will continue to be hosted in Ontario, with the next two editions scheduled to take place in Hamilton, Ontario, from Oct. 14-18 in 2026 and Oct. 13-17 in 2027. Of Folk Canada’s 650 members, 459 of them reside in the Southern Canadian province.
“There are many reasons to continue hosting the conference in Ontario. We have amazing partners, members and stakeholders in the province and it benefits our entire community to provide access to the Ontario music market,” Folk Canada executive director Rosalyn Dennett explained at the annual general meeting.
In anticipation of next year’s conference, the music organization has announced showcase applications, encouraging artists from across the country to apply here.
