Desirée Dawson & Leela Gilday: Celebrating 20 Years of DCMF’s Songwriter-in-Residence Program
January 9, 2025 @ 7:30 pm - 10:00 pm
Thursday, January 9, 2025
Dënäkär Zho / KIAC Ballroom
Doors at 7:30 PM, Music at 8:00 PM
In 2025, the Dawson City Music Festival (DCMF) will celebrate 20 years of its Songwriter-in-Residence program. To mark this milestone, KIAC and DCMF are teaming up for a concert series that brings back some of the most beloved participants from the past two decades.
The series kicks off on January 9th with performances by Leela Gilday and Desirée Dawson. Leela Gilday, from Yellowknife (NWT), was DCMF’s very first Songwriter-in-Residence. Desirée Dawson, from Vancouver (BC), has just been announced as the 20th participant in the program and will be spending the entire month of January in Dawson City. Both Leela and Desirée are award-winning songwriters and powerhouse vocalists. Leela will perform with a full band of talented musicians from across Canada, while Desirée will present new material she’s developing during her residency.We can think of no better way to celebrate two decades of this vital program!
ABOUT DESIRÉE DAWSON
Desirée Dawson is an award-winning songwriter and recording artist from Vancouver, BC. A festival favorite at DCMF 2023, we are thrilled to welcome her back! Driven by a passion for collective liberation, Desirée’s music emphasizes that learning how to take care of ourselves and getting to know and love ourselves, is essential to fostering stronger and more loving connections with the world around us.
ABOUT LEELA GILDAY
Leela Gilday is one of the most successful songwriters to emerge from the Northwest Territories. A passionate singer-songwriter and soulful performer, her voice comes straight from the heart. With a raw, honest presence on stage, Gilday shares her stories—drawing on her experiences as a northerner, a member of the Dene Nation, and a traveler—inviting listeners into a world rich with emotion and connection.
Thanks to our funders and partners:
Canada Council for the Arts | Government of Canada | Yukon Government | Parks Canada | North Klondyke Highway Music Society
Learn More About…
Artist In Residence Activities & Outreach
Artist in Residence activities include artist talks, studio tours, interactive events, and more.
Founded in 2001, in a partnership with Parks Canada, the KIAC Artist in Residence Program has welcomed over 300 talented artists, musicians and filmmakers to Dawson City from all regions of Canada and around the world. Our alumni include Sobey Art Award nominees, Western Canada Music Award winners, and prize-winning filmmakers from film festivals across the globe.
Check out the current Artists in Residence
Film Events
Film activities include film screenings, film selections, and more.
KIAC is proud to host an exciting roster of film screenings and film-related events throughout the year, such as the 48 Hour Film Challenge and Dawson City International Short Film Festival, numerous workshops, and other opportunities.
Exhibitions
Exhibition activities include gallery viewing hours, exhibition openings, artist talks, calls for submissions, and more.
ODD Gallery
The ODD Gallery, located in the Dënäkär Zho / KIAC building, presents a wide array of outreach programming including artist talks, openings, lectures, screenings, youth programs and other special events. Gallery programming fosters professionalism and appreciation of regional visual arts practice, and provides the community with exposure and access to a diverse range of contemporary visual arts practices and theories in a remote, northern setting.
Check out the current exhibition
Kids & Youth Programs
Kids & youth activities include: music lessons, art classes, dance classes, book readings, toddler classes, after-school programs.
Year-Round Programming
Kids and Youth (toddler to teen) programming ranges from music lessons (vocals, piano) to dance class (ballet, hip hop, and more), to hands-on workshops (pottery, screen-printing, animation and more) and is offered regularly throughout the year. KIAC strives to subsidize Kids & Youth programs as much as possible via grants and funding. Programming ranges from free Drop-Ins to registered weekly programs.
Youth Art Enrichment
Youth Art Enrichment is an annual four-day art program for Yukon youth hosted by the Klondike Institute of Art & Culture in Dawson City. Artistically-inclined youth ages 14 – 18 travel from across the Yukon to take part in intensive workshops led by professional artists. Students choose one of three mediums to study for the duration of the program, learning new skills, techniques, and ways to creatively make artwork for the world to see. The mediums change every year: we have offered printmaking, animation, painting, carving, stained glass, illustration, improv, and much more over the last two decades.
Learn more about Youth Art Enrichment
Performing Arts
Performing arts activities include: concerts, theatre and dance performances, open mics, radio broadcasts, special events, and more.
KIAC presents a year-round professional performing arts series in the beautiful second floor Ballroom that actively engages our community and provides inspiring performance opportunities for international, national, and regional artists in many disciplines. Our diverse programming includes jazz, classical, folk & roots, experimental, dance, theatre, and more.
Workshops
Workshops include: weekly drop-ins, registered programs, weekend workshops, and more.
KIAC presents a year-round schedule of educational opportunities ranging from drop in programs (pottery, screenprinting, seniors painting, concert band), to registered workshops (dance, music, film, visual art, craft, textiles, etc), to professional development opportunities for artists (grant writing, artwork documentation, etc).
Learn more about registration, upcoming courses, and outreach activities.