Crosscurrents 2026
Stronger through Connection
Keynote Speaker - Susan Aglukark
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Award-Winning Inuk Singer/Songwriter
Award-winning Inuk singer-songwriter Susan Aglukark is one of Canada’s most unique artists, who blends the Inuktitut and English languages with contemporary pop music arrangements to tell the stories of her people, the Inuit of Arctic Canada. Aglukark’s talks emphasize the same themes that her music does — those of hope, spirit, and encouragement that have captivated and inspired listeners around the world. Aglukark is Canada’s first Inuk artist to win a Juno Award (her work has earned her three), a Governor General’s Performing Arts Award for lifetime artistic achievement, and to be named an Officer of the Order of Canada. She also holds several Honourary Doctorate degrees and was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. Featured in Chatelaine, Flare, Saturday Night, Modern Woman, Billboard, and The New York Times, Alglukark has also been named one of Maclean’s magazine’s “100 Canadians to Watch”. She has performed for Queen Elizabeth II, Nelson Mandela, Canadian Prime Ministers Jean Chrétien and Brian Mulroney, French President Jacques Chirac, as well as several other dignitaries. Equally important to her are the people she has performed for and spoken to on reserves, in small towns, and in villages across Canada and the Arctic. During her 25-year journey as a singer-songwriter, Aglukark was able to reflect on who she is, where she comes from, and the importance of discovery — discovery of history, culture, and self. This time has provided Aglukark with the profound knowledge that the Inuit are an extraordinary people deeply grounded in a culture forged by their Ancestors. Their journey is what shaped them. |
Keynote Address
Songs and Stories with Susan Aglukark
Songs and Stories with Susan Aglukark
Songs and stories is a narrative of Susan’s professional and personal journey over the last 25 years. Susan will speak about her life and how it has led her from growing up in small town Nunavut to becoming a household name across Canada as she first moved to Ottawa and then on to Toronto. She relates stories of her culture and its continuing impact on her life in her new southern surroundings. She speaks of empowerment and the importance of self-respect and respecting others and how this can lead to a much healthier and happier life. Susan will perform 3-6 songs to track from her repertoire, a selection of songs that enhance her story as the songs were inspired by her journey.
Songs and stories is a narrative of Susan’s professional and personal journey over the last 25 years. Susan will speak about her life and how it has led her from growing up in small town Nunavut to becoming a household name across Canada as she first moved to Ottawa and then on to Toronto. She relates stories of her culture and its continuing impact on her life in her new southern surroundings. She speaks of empowerment and the importance of self-respect and respecting others and how this can lead to a much healthier and happier life. Susan will perform 3-6 songs to track from her repertoire, a selection of songs that enhance her story as the songs were inspired by her journey.
Website
www.susanaglukark.com/
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