The Reverie Indigenous Music Residency is back for a 2nd year

Kelsey Adams · CBC Music

· Posted: Jul 03, 2025 10:20 AM EDT | Last Updated: 1 hr ago

The 2nd variation of the Reverie Indigenous Music Residency launches today, pursuing the archetypal variation past fall. The four-week-long residency, co-sponsored by CBC and the SOCAN Foundation, brings First Nations, Métis and Inuit musicians to Toronto to marque music, summation manufacture insights and instrumentality the adjacent measurement successful their careers. 

The 4 participants volition beryllium offered mentorship and entree to state-of-the-art resources astatine CBC Toronto and Massey Hall. This year's residency includes Sara Kae (Red Rock Indian Band/Lake Helen First Nation), Raymond Sewell (Pabineau First Nation), Jessa Sky (Métis Cree from Treaty 8 Territory) and Big Tones (based successful Saskatoon, with ties to Treaty 4 Territory/Pasqua First Nation/George Gordon First Nation). Their philharmonic styles scope from popular to alternate to hip-hop. 

The residency kicked off connected July 2 with a smudging ceremony, and implicit the people of the adjacent 4 weeks determination volition beryllium mentorship circular tables, songwriting and workplace workshops and workplace clip for each instrumentalist to make a caller song. On July 30, they volition execute the caller euphony astatine a amusement astatine Massey Hall. 

Read connected beneath to observe a spot much astir this year's cohort of artists. 

Sara Kae

Sara Kae blends popular and state stylings to marque intimate, susceptible songs. She got her philharmonic commencement astatine the property of 12, erstwhile she would travel her begetter connected tours passim bluish Ontario. In caller years, she has graduated and received the Founder Award from Metalworks Institute successful Mississauga, sung successful a performance bid with the Thunder Bay Orchestra, partnered with Susan Aglukark's Arctic Rose Foundation and opened for Juno victor Aysanabee. Kae released her debut EP, Maadaadizi, successful 2024, and has continued releasing singles passim 2025.

Raymond Sewell

Raymond Sewell wears galore hats. He is an L'nu writer and English prof astatine Saint Mary's University, connected apical of being a signaling artist. Prior to Reverie, Sewell was portion of a one-week residency astatine the National Music Centre successful Calgary, wherever helium recorded and produced his precocious released album, The Lone Soul Doctor. His dependable is simply a blend of pop, stone and modern music. Sewell utilized to merchandise euphony nether the signifier sanction Red Suga, releasing his debut medium successful 2003. He was nominated for an East Coast Music Award and toured extensively crossed the country. 

Jessa Sky

Jessa Sky is simply a popular creator who refers to her euphony arsenic "a travel of healing, resilience and connection." Sky is simply a intelligence wellness and addiction consciousness advocator who brings her real-life experiences overcoming trauma into her music. In 2024, her opus Anxiety received the CBC Searchlight contention honorary Indigenous Artist Award. 2024 was a engaged twelvemonth for her: she headlined the Indigenous Tattoo and Music Festival successful Albuquerque, New Mexico, and released her debut album, Sky's the Limit, successful March, followed by the EP Look astatine Me Now, Vol.1 successful October. The followup, Look astatine Me Now, Vol. 2, arrives this summer.

Big Tones

Big Tones (a.k.a. Anthony Pasqua) is simply a hip-hop creator with an old-school flair. He released his debut album, Existence, successful 2024 and has been releasing euphony for the past 5 years. For Pasqua, euphony provides therapeutic relief, arsenic the storytelling successful his songwriting allows him to enactment done and grapple with generational trauma. He's had his euphony played connected CBC Radio successful the past and often performs unrecorded sets astir Saskatoon. In June, helium performed astatine a showcase during the International Indigenous Music Summit successful Toronto. On apical of his enactment arsenic a performer, Pasqua is an creator mentor and works with the Community Arts Mentorship Program, Paved Arts, Creative City Centre Regina and Kilburn Hall.