Alainait draws talent from Isle of Man and Mongolia this year

“Pop noir” singer J.P Maurice of Vancouver Island will make a return visit to Iqaluit during this year’s Alianait Arts Festival, scheduled for June 29 to July 3 this year. (FILE PHOTO)

In addition to familiar Nunavut talent, Iqaluit audiences will get a chance to hear performers from Mongolia, the Isle of Man and Vancouver at the Alianait Arts Festival between June 29 and July 3 this year.

As part of what they call their “awesome” lineup of talent, Alianait will present:

• Simeonie Keenainak, Ben Qaqqasiq and the Daniel Kolola Band. The beloved accordionist Keenainak is joined with grandson Qaqqasiq started and local teen musicians the Daniel Kolola Band

• Sedaa: A world music group that includes two Mongolian singers, an Iranian multi-instrumentalist and a virtuoso dulcimer player.

• Barrule: A Celtic trio from the Isle of Man, a self-government Crown dependency located in the Irish Sea between the United Kingdom and Ireland. Their music features accordion, fiddle and bouzouki, with songs sung in English and the nearly extinct Manx Gaelic language.

• J.P. Maurice, a pop-rock singer from Vancouver who played Iqaluit this past January.

• the Trade Offs of Iqaluit. The Arctic soul and blues band are the current leaders in this year’s CBC searchlight music competition.

And that’s not all.

Last week, Alianait announced these five acts will also display their talents in Iqaluit this year:

• The Twin Flames (Jaaji Okpik and Chelsey June);

• The Eastern Belles of Prince Edward Island;

• Mary and Joey of Pangnirtung;

• the Harpoonist and the Axe Murderer of Vancouver; and

• Simon Lynge, the Greenlandic-Danish pop-crooner who over the past five years has won critical acclaim throughout the United States and Europe.