SaskMusic

Links

• saskmusic.wufoo.com/forms/evolution-youth-music-summit-2026/

SaskMusic's Evolution Youth Music Summit 2026
in Saskatoon
Attend on Friday February 20 or Saturday February 21, 2026

Calling young artists and aspiring music professionals!

Are you interested in music – maybe a musician, singer, songwriter or aspiring producer - and curious to learn more about performing and the music business itself? SaskMusic is offering an exciting opportunity for youth (ages 14 to 25) to learn more about the industry from local music professionals with hands-on workshops and panel presentations.  

Evolution will be a unique opportunity for you to receive information and guidance to get started in the right direction, and meet others who are passionate about music. We’re gathering working artists and industry professionals to mentor you through topics such as musicianship (with sessions for vocals, bass, guitar, etc), self-promotions, stage skills, and other topics geared to those curious about the music scene.

This one-day summit will be offered on two dates. You can attend on Friday, February 20 or Saturday, February 21.

Registration: 
FREE for SaskMusic Members, or
$30 for Non-Members (Includes a complementary 1-year SaskMusic Membership)

Minors must be accompanied by a parent or guardian (Free registration provided for parent or guardian.)

(Applications for Travel Bursaries are now closed.) 

(Applications to be one of the Live Demo Performance Bands closed February 9/26).

(Registration has closed; but walk-in registrations will be accepted on the day-of)

Summit Schedule

Register until February 18 here: 
https://saskmusic.wufoo.com/forms/evolution-youth-music-summit-2026/

After February 18, registration will be available on-site each day.

Live Performance sessions (7-9pm on the evening of each summit day) will feature artists from the summit performing a couple of tracks for feedback from live performance coaches. A great opportunity to get direct feedback and tips on creating your live show! Solo, duos, trios, and up to 4-piece bands can apply. 4 artists will be selected to perform each night.

The Live Performance session will feature artists from the summit performing a couple of tracks for feedback from a live performance coach panel. A great opportunity to get direct feedback and tips on creating your live show! Solo, duos, trios, or 4-piece bands can apply. 4 acts will be picked for each night.

(Behind the Board group attendees have the opportunity to shadow the live crew during setup and the show.)

All summit attendees and their guardians are encouraged to attend the show to hear feedback provided to the performers, as much of it will apply to other artists. All attendees are welcome to attend one or both evenings.

Thanks to the support of our sponsors Creative Saskatchewan, SaskTel, and SaskEnergy, we are able to offer low-cost registration! Attendees are responsible for their own travel to Saskatoon and accommodations if required. 

Conference Speakers

ZHE the Free is an artist, explosive performer, youth mentor and community builder. Growing up on Treaty 7 Land, she extends her fire from mountains to prairies. ZHE delivers poetic hip hop and ignites the crowd from the moment she touches the microphone. Fun, uplifting and powerful; ZHE creates a celebratory vibe through storytelling, intentional lyricism and freestyle skills. As an award-winning hip-hop artist, accomplished voice actress and infectious live performer, ZHE brings the strength of the feminine alive. She is a captivating public speaker and has a successful TEDx Talk, as well as performances at national summits and multiple artist tours. ZHE brings incredible enthusiasm to her work with youth. Hip hop saved her life, and she loves inspiring others about the power of their voice and to use creativity as a positive outlet. ZHE has performed on various stages and at many festivals; connecting with audiences on a deep level through her strong stage presence and the realness she brings in exploring emotions and addressing social issues.

Jordan Perry is a Saskatchewan-based artist, drummer, producer and songwriter whose work sits at the intersection of retro-futuristic synth-pop, modern electronic production, and expressive acoustic drums. A Canadian Independent Music Award–nominated artist, Perry has built a distinctive sound informed by his parallel career as a highly in-demand session drummer and collaborative producer. His broad musical foundation - spanning pop, rock, electronic, hip-hop, neo-soul, afrobeat, country, and metal - brings rhythmic vitality and emotional nuance to his productions.

Perry’s work has been featured by outlets including CBC Saskatchewan, Radio Canada, Sick Drummer Magazine, Exclaim! and North Sask Music Zine. His collaborations include JUNO-winning Indigenous icon Chester Knight, Canadian showcasing artists Beau Nectar, Vikki Minor, Rooky Kamiz, Autopilot, ADEOLUWA, The Naysayers and Katelyn Lehner, as well as numerous other Saskatchewan and Western Canadian artists. Equally comfortable behind the kit or at the console, Perry is recognized for blending technical precision with a strong sense of mood, melody, and feel.

Elsa Gebremichael brings years of experience in the Saskatchewan and Canadian music scene as a self-managed musician, singer, songwriter, producer, and performer with a dynamic musical background playing in bands spanning psych rock, indie rock, electro pop, and more. Her current dreamy alt-pop solo project, Wild Black, draws on her diverse influences crafting lush, emotionally honest soundscapes that reflect her evolution as a songwriter and producer. Across her projects, Elsa has toured throughout Europe and North America, showcased at festivals such as SXSW, Pop Montreal, Toronto Jazz Fest, PrideTO, Regina Folk Festival, and the Sask Jazz Festival opening for notable acts such as Tegan and Sara, Janelle Monáe, and Metric. Her music has earned sync placements in film and tv, national and international radio play, features on AFROPUNK, Indie88, and RANGE Mag, and a Western Canadian Music Award nomination for Pop Recording of the Year.

Elsa's skill sets include songwriting, music production, sync and music licensing, tour booking, and creative direction, including set design, videography, editing, and producing and directing music videos and photo shoots. A multidisciplinary artist with both a strong ear and eye, Elsa excels at providing thoughtful feedback on demos, productions, mixes, artwork, concepts, and overall project development. She has a natural ability to think outside the box and loves helping artists refine their ideas, whether through strengthening song writing, shaping visual identity, or elevating the broader artistic direction of a project.

Elsa is also an experienced grant writer, having successfully secured funding from major provincial and national arts organizations and has served as a juror for FACTOR, SK Arts Board, the Sask Music Awards, and others, giving her a deeper understanding of what adjudicators look for.

Central to Elsa's work is a commitment to increasing representation and creating safe and inclusive spaces for folks who identify as BIPOC, neurodivergent, women, queer, non-binary, or trans artists in the Canadian music landscape and beyond. Her approach to mentorship is rooted in empowerment, equity, and care.

Elsa joins the Music Mentors Program to offer feedback and assistance with questions including: grant applications, songwriting and music production, sync and licensing, tour booking, creative direction, project development, and general advice for creatives at any stage.

With over 25 years of multi-genre vocal training, Elyse Evangelista has moved from Toronto to her wonderful hometown of Saskatoon, bringing her wealth of vocal knowledge and life experience with her. After 6 years managing one of the top vocal training studios in Toronto, Elyse is thrilled to have her own vocal studio here, Authentic Voice Studios, in the city where it all began! After years of performing on stage in Musicals, Cover Bands, Voice Over and Film/TV all over Toronto, Elyse now coaches a variety of recording artists in multiple genres. These include; singer/songwriters, pop, indie, folk, country, blues, rock, jazz, musical theatre, R & B, rap and many more. Elyse loves working with passionate artists who have a love for authentic vocals and transformative music. Working in the Music Industry for over a decade has given Elyse the skills to help artists develop their own authentic voice and discover what they're capable of as vocalists. 

Vikki Minor is a neo-’90s alt‑rock/pop artist from Saskatoon, SK, bringing the vibes of a vintage mixtape to a modern-day heartbreak. Fusing synth‑pop sheen with grunge guitar grit, her sound feels like the best parts of a teen drama soundtrack—equal parts mall-goth and melodrama, with a touch of glitter.

Drawing on a rich palette of ‘90s pop culture—from TRL-era angst to Lilith Fair soul, from VHS slow fades to riot grrrl zines—Vikki’s music explores resilience, mental health, and queer self-exploration with the raw honesty of a diary entry scrawled in gel pen. Her vocals—powerful, vulnerable, and just the right amount of extra—recall the confessional energy of Alanis Morissette, the candy-coated bite of Avril Lavigne, and the sonic edge of Garbage, The Smashing Pumpkins, and Veruca Salt.

Onstage, she’s got big Prom Queen energy (if Prom Queens wore leather jackets and plaid), bringing a theatrical edge to her live shows thanks to her musical theatre roots, with raw belting, emotional depth, and a grunge-pop persona that hits like a power ballad in the third act. She’s shared stages with Canadian icons like Fefe Dobson, Serena Ryder, Blue Rodeo, The Sheepdogs, I Mother Earth, and Skye Wallace.

Vikki has earned multiple award nominations (SaskMusic, WCMAs), and has collaborated with JUNO-winning producer Ryan Stewart on glitter-punk anthems like “Summer Haze” and “Pieces of You.” She’s currently in her remix era—evolving her sonic identity alongside producer Zach Zanardo (formerly of JUNO-nominated alt-rock band Monowhales).

With a sound that’s MTV2-core meets Y2K heartache, and an aesthetic that could’ve headlined a Much Music x Big Shiny Tunes compilation, Vikki is bringing the best of the ‘90s into the now. Think: riot grrrl edge, diary-core lyrics, and a Walkman-worthy hook. Catch her before your older sister brags she liked her first.

Erik Mehlsen is a songwriter, performer, label-owner, gear-hauler, theory-teacher, merch-seller, what-it-takes jack of all trades who has tried nearly every music-related job at least once. With several hundred performances and festivals across Europe, USA, UK, and Canada, a number of JUNO and WCMA awards, four published books, a songwriting app, and a diverse publishing catalogue, Erik has quietly amassed an impressive music resume.

Spending less time touring in recent years has meant his focus has shifted more to mentorship, label work, and music production. He currently runs Sharp 5 Records, is a partner in Wrist Shot Records and Books, teaches private lessons, and has spent several stints teaching in remote communities in Saskatchewan's north.

Earl Pereira got his rock n’ roll pedigree as a founding member of Wide Mouth Mason, who had 3 gold records, three 3 JUNO nominations and a host of other accolades and awards. He has toured the world, playing nearly 3000 shows and opening for iconic acts such as The Rolling Stones, AC/DC, The Guess Who, Alanis Morissette, Van Morrison, The Tragically Hip, and many more. Pereira was also named one of Canada's top bassists in Canadian Musician Magazine.

After establishing himself as one of the more entertaining musicians in Canada, Pereira began to work as a performance coach inspired from both his love for performing and watching the world renowned ‘live producer’ Tom Jackson at a workshop during Canadian Music Week in 2008. Over the past 10 years, Pereira has coached over 200 artists and bands helping drastically improve their live shows and ability to impactfully connect with audiences. Pereira has held workshops at high profile conferences such as Peak Performance Project, Song Rise Conference, and Breakout West.

About SaskMusic:

SaskMusic is a non-profit, member-based creative association. We represent, promote and develop the artists and music industry of Saskatchewan. We offer one-on-one guidance, workshops, marketing and export assistance, career development opportunities, peer sessions, artists/services directory, and much more. From songwriters and freelance musicians to studios, we work with artists and industry members from across our province, in an extensive range of genres and skill levels. We provide information and resources to the public and the music industry, and are the presenters of the Saskatchewan Music Awards. If you have questions, we want to help. You can subscribe to our (free) e-release for updates on the Saskatchewan music scene, or join as a paid member for as little as $30 for an annual youth membership.