Page 16 - XperienceAlberta-EDA-2025

TURN UP the
VOLUME
Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium, photo by Kelly Hofer
Alberta’s growing music industry
BY CAITLIN HART
16
ONE OF THE best known and most commercially successful bands of
the last 30 years started in a tiny town in Alberta, two and a half hours
northeast of Calgary. While Nickelback has become known around the
world, they’re still proud to call Hanna home and acknowledge their small
town Alberta roots.
Some of the biggest names in Canadian music have hailed from Alberta,
including k.d. lang, Paul Brandt and Tegan and Sara. But none have hit it quite
as big as Nickelback.
Nickelback has garnered over 10 billion streams, sold 50 million albums
worldwide and gone on 12-consecutive sold-out tours. Over the course of
their decades-long career, they have been nominated for six Grammy awards,
and won seven Billboard awards and two American Music Awards.
Across Alberta, music organizations are working to nurture the province’s
musical talent.
“Our vision is really to help make Alberta and Canada a leader in music
around the world by ensuring that we elevate and preserve and share our
national music stories,” says Andrew Mosker, founding president and CEO of
Canada’s National Music Centre (NMC), located in Calgary.
NMC houses exhibitions, offers musician residencies and provides
development and education programs. Their concert space features
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performances from artists across Canada. The NMC is also
home to four music halls of fame, including the Canadian
Music Hall of Fame — which Nickelback was inducted into
earlier this year.
Putting on hundreds of shows every year, NMC offers
countless opportunities for local musicians to get on stage
and build their audience locally — before reaching audiences
around the world. They also house a unique recording studio
environment, with historic recording consoles and access to
over 200 musical instruments.
Edmonton’s Winspear Centre also prepares artists for
international audiences. Home to the Edmonton Symphony
Orchestra (ESO), one of Canada’s premiere orchestras, the
Winspear offers music education for all ages, from “Music
Box Babies” to the Rusty Musicians Summer Camp, which
helps adults brush up on their musical skills. For the last 11
years, they’ve also operated the YONA-Sistema program,
connecting disadvantaged students to musical opportunities
and nurturing their talent.
The Winspear Centre houses a concert hall with a