Niweechee-Waaganak
Emma Rain Smith
Project Coordinator, Curator, and Community Engagement
Emma Smith is the Songs in the Key of Cree's Project Coordinator, meaning she does everything from community outreach, to driving on ice roads, to creating this website! Emma will also co-edit our publication about the project. Emma is an Aniishnaabe artist from Bkejwanong (Walpole Island) First Nation. She creates wearable art and installations in the beadwork tradition and also incorporates modern materials and techniques. Her work is influenced by Indigenous storytelling and language, and explores the relationships between oral traditions and their physical and visual representations. Emma graduated in Fine Arts from the University of Waterloo in 2018. See our Art Installation page for details about Emma's beadwork project that accompanies Songs in the Key of Cree.
David Robertson
Manitoba First Nations Education Resource Centre
David represents our Songs in the Key of Cree partner, the Manitoba First Nations Education Resource Centre, where he is the organization's Publishing and Communications Manager. David is also a best-selling and award-winning writer of novels, graphic novels, and children's literature. Some of his numerous books include When We Were Alone (Governor General's Award winner), Will I See?, and the young adult trilogy Strangers, Monsters, and Ghosts. David educates as well as entertains through his writings about Indigenous peoples, reflecting their cultures, histories, communities, as well as illuminating many contemporary issues. David is a member of Norway House Cree Nation and lives in Winnipeg.
Garry Anaquod
Saskatchewan Indigenous Cultural Centre
Garry is the Special Projects Coordinator for the Saskatchewan Indigenous Cultural Centre, the Songs in the Key of Cree partnering organization in Saskatoon. His work at SICC supports numerous language and cultural projects including publications, immersion camps, traditional parenting, multimedia and language database projects. In addition to these many talents, Garry also holds degrees in Computer Science and Physics. He is of Saulteaux and Nakoda descent and is a member of the Muscowpetung Saulteaux Nation.
Kim Anderson
University of Guelph
Kim is our academic partner, advisor, and collaborator for the Songs in the Key of Cree project. She is a Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Relationships and Associate Professor in the Department of Family Relations and Applied Nutrition at the University of Guelph. As an Indigenous (Métis) scholar, she works to improve the health and well-being of Indigenous families in Canada. Her books include A Recognition of Being: Reconstructing Native Womanhood and Life Stages and Native Women: Memory, Teachings and Story Medicine. Kim is working with our collaborators to co-edit a publication about the Songs in the Key of Cree project.
Susan Roy
University of Waterloo
Susan Roy is the academic partner for Songs in the Key of Cree and also works closely with Emma and Jay on the organizational aspects of the project. She is an Associate Professor in the History at the University of Waterloo. Her work aims to deepen public understandings of colonial history through research collaborations and multi-disciplinary projects that amplify the voices of First Nations communities and artists. She was on the curatorial team for the award-winning exhibition, c̓əsnaʔəm, the city before the city, which along with her book These Mysterious People: Shaping History and Archaeology in an Northwest Coast Community examines the Indigenous history of Vancouver. Susan is also working with our collaborators to co-edit a publication about the Songs in the Key of Cree project.
Kerriann Cardinal
Tour Manager
Kerriann joins Lynx Lamour Goes to Nashville as the company manager for our Manitoba tour. She calls Vancouver home, but she is originally from Fort McMurray, Alberta. She has many years of performance and production experience in theatre, film, music and television, including managing tours for Ballet BC, events coordinator for the Vancouver Folk Music Festival, and for the cooking show Moosemeat and Marmalade. Keriann believes we all have stories to share, whether on stage, on social media or over tea with a friend.
Steve Grundmann
Sound Engineer
Steve is an audio professional from northern Saskatchewan. After graduating from the Ontario Institute of Audio Recording Technology in 2009, he returned to Saskatchewan to begin his career as an audiovisual engineer. Steven is a member of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees. You will also find Steven working at his family’s business, Deschambault Lake Resort, playing guitar, recording his music and the work of other artists, and creating gaming videos for his YouTube channel.
Krista Jackson
Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre
Krista is an actor, director, and artistic director based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. She is the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre’s Associate Artistic Director and the Artistic Director of zone41 theatre. She has directed numerous productions across the country, including performances at the RMTC, the Stratford Festival, the Shaw Festival, and the Grand Theatre in London, Ontario. Krista holds the 2015 Stratford Festival Jean Gascon Award and the 2013 Gina Wilkinson Prize. We are grateful to Krista for her energetic support of Lynx Lamour Goes to Nashville.
Jay Rankin
Artistic Producer
Jay is a leader in the Canadian professional arts community with management experience from across the country. His expertise extends to strategic planning, national and international touring, marketing and PR, and production. He has worked as Executive Director of Ballet BC, as directeur général at BJM Les Ballets Jazz de Montréal, Managing Director of Toronto Dance Theatre and the Karen Jamieson Dance Company as well as many other organizations across Canada. Jay currently works as Administrative Director of Dance Collection Danse, and he continues to collaborate with independent performing artists, including Tomson Highway and the Songs in the Key of Cree project.