Jeremy Dutcher is a classically-trained Canadian Indigenous tenor, composer, musicologist, performer and activist, who previously lived in Toronto, Ontario and currently lives in Montréal, Québec. He became widely known for his first album ''

Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa ''Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa'' is the debut album by Canadian composer and tenor Jeremy Dutcher, released in 2018.2018 Polaris Music Prize The 2018 edition of the Canadian Polaris Music Prize was presented on September 17, 2018.

and the Juno Award for Indigenous Music Album of the Year at the 2019 Juno Awards. A Wolastoqiyik (Maliseet) member of the

Tobique First Nation Tobique First Nation ( pqm, Wolastoqiyik Neqotkuk) is one of six Wolastoqiyik or Maliseet Nation reserves in New Brunswick, Canada. The Tobique Reserve is located on the north side of the Tobique River. The reserve comprises two lots (The Brot ...

in North-West New Brunswick, Dutcher studied music and anthropology at

Dalhousie University Dalhousie University (commonly known as Dal) is a large public research university in Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the fou ...

. After training as an operatic tenor in the Western classical tradition, he expanded his professional repertoire to include the traditional singing style and songs of his community. He recorded ''Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa'' following a research project on archival recordings of traditional Maliseet songs at the

Canadian Museum of History The Canadian Museum of History (french: Musée canadien de l’histoire) is a national museum on anthropology, Canadian history, cultural studies, and ethnology in Gatineau, Quebec, Canada. The purpose of the museum is to promote the heritage of C ...

, many of which are no longer being passed down to contemporary Maliseet youth. He is set to appear as a guest judge in an upcoming episode of the third season of '' Canada's Drag Race'', airing in summer 2022. Dutcher identifies as two-spirit, a modern, pan-Indian, umbrella term used by some Indigenous North Americans to describe aboriginal people fulfilling a traditional third-gender (or other gender-variant) ceremonial cultural role in their community.

Discography

* ''

Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa ''Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa'' is the debut album by Canadian composer and tenor Jeremy Dutcher, released in 2018.Wolastoq culture and language through his music, and inspire Indigenous youth to think about the importance of language. When asked about his decision to record in his native Wolastoq language, Dutcher stated "it’s less about asking people to learn a new language and more about disrupting the bilingual Anglo-centric Canadian music narrative. Up until this point, why have there been no popular records in my language?" At the Juno Awards pre-telecast industry gala dinner on March 16, 2019, Dutcher used his acceptance speech to critique the Trudeau government's approach to reconciliation with indigenous peoples. Although his remarks were interrupted partway through when he was played off the stage, later that evening

Arkells Arkells is a Canadian rock band, formed in Hamilton, Ontario. In 2006, they signed with Dine Alone Records, and have since signed with Universal Records Canada and Last Gang Records. They are managed by Last Gang Management. They have released s ...

gave their own speaking time to allow him to conclude his remarks. He made his first national televised performance at the Juno Awards the following night, March 17, 2019, performing “Sakomawit” from his album ''Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa'' beneath black and white photographs of his Wolastoq ancestors.

LGBTQ+ activism

Dutcher was previously responsible for development coordination and Indigenous outreach at Egale Canada, which is currently the country's only national LGBT human rights organization. The intersection of identifying as both Indigenous and Two-Spirited allows Dutcher to speak out on the

Indigenization Indigenization is the act of making something more native; transformation of some service, idea, etc. to suit a local culture, especially through the use of more indigenous people in public administration, employment and other fields. The term is ...

of queer spaces. In the Two-Spirit Roundtable project he speaks on the lack of gendered pronouns in the

Maliseet The Wəlastəkwewiyik, or Maliseet (, also spelled Malecite), are an Algonquian-speaking First Nation of the Wabanaki Confederacy. They are the indigenous people of the Wolastoq ( Saint John River) valley and its tributaries. Their territory ...

language, and advocates for a "less western" way of thinking about gender.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dutcher, Jeremy 1990 births 21st-century Canadian pianists 21st-century Canadian male opera singers Canadian contemporary classical composers Canadian male pianists Canadian musicologists Dalhousie University alumni First Nations musicians Juno Award for Indigenous Music Album of the Year winners LGBT classical composers LGBT First Nations people Canadian LGBT singers Living people Maliseet people Musicians from Fredericton Musicians from Toronto Polaris Music Prize winners Two-spirit people