Akina Shirt (born January 18, 1994) is a First Nations singer known for her performances in the

Cree language Cree (also known as Cree– Montagnais–Naskapi) is a dialect continuum of Algonquian languages spoken by approximately 117,000 people across Canada, from the Northwest Territories to Alberta to Labrador. If considered one language, it is th ...

. Currently she sings in four choirs: Victoria School's Mixed Jazz Choir, the prestigious Kokopelli Choir, Shaftesbury High School choir and the Sacred Heart Church of First People's Choir.

Performances

Shirt gained fame by singing "

O Canada "O Canada" (french: Ô Canada, italic=no) is the national anthem of Canada. The song was originally commissioned by Lieutenant Governor of Quebec Théodore Robitaille for the 1880 Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day ceremony; Calixa Lavallée composed the mus ...

" in Cree at a

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

game between the

Calgary Flames The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary. The Flames compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference, and ...

and the

Vancouver Canucks The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference, and play their home games at Rogers Arena. Bruce B ...

on February 3, 2007. This was the first time in Canadian history that the national anthem had been performed in an

aboriginal Aborigine, aborigine or aboriginal may refer to: *Aborigines (mythology), in Roman mythology * Indigenous peoples, general term for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area *One of several groups of indigenous peoples, see ...

language at a major league sporting event."Edmonton girl makes hockey history, singing anthem in Cree"

CBC News CBC News is a division of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the news gathering and production of news programs on the corporation's English-language operations, namely CBC Television, CBC Radio, CBC News Network, and CBC.ca. ...

, December 3, 2007. She was also interviewed on

CBC Radio One CBC Radio One is the English-language news and information radio network of the publicly owned Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It is commercial-free and offers local and national programming. It is available on AM and FM to 98 percent of Ca ...

's ''

As it Happens ''As It Happens'' is a Canadian interview show that airs on CBC Radio One in Canada and various public radio stations in the United States through Public Radio Exchange. Its 50th anniversary was celebrated on-air on November 16, 2018. It has been ...

'' the night before the game, and sang the anthem on the show as well. Shirt also recorded a five-song CD for Alberta Education in 2006 as part of their new social studies curriculum, launched in June 2007. She has performed at the

Francis Winspear Centre for Music The Francis Winspear Centre for Music is a performing arts centre located in the downtown core of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Opened in 1997, it is the home of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra. The centre is named after Francis G. Winspear, who don ...

Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium The Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium is a performing arts, culture and community facility, located in Edmonton, Alberta. General information and history The auditorium was built in 1957, on a site adjacent to the University of Alberta to cel ...

, the

Jack Singer Concert Hall Arts Commons (Formerly EPCOR Centre for the Performing Arts) is a multi-venue arts centre in downtown Calgary, Alberta, Canada, located in the Olympic Plaza Cultural District. Occupying a full city block, Arts Commons is a multi-level complex me ...

in Calgary as well as other venues.

References

External links

Akina Shirt
1994 births Living people Musicians from Edmonton Cree people First Nations musicians Canadian child singers 21st-century Canadian women singers {{Canada-singer-stub