Manitoba Artists Land Nods for 2018 JUNO Awards

Manitoba artists are strong contenders for top honours at the 2018 JUNO Awards. Homegrown acts are up for several awards, including five nominations for artists that currently call Manitoba home. The nominees for the 47th annual awards were announced by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) on February 6. Canada’s music awards are headed to Vancouver for JUNO Week, March 23-25, 2018.

Music legend Fred Penner adds to his list of accolades with a nod for Children’s Album of the Year for his latest recording, Hear the Music. This marks Penner’s 11th nomination in his storied career, which has earned him hardware three times, including for his last release in 2015.

Pop/rock powerhouse Indian City picked up a nomination for Indigenous Music Album of the Year for Here & Now. This is the band’s first nod, though bandleader Vince Fontaine earned four nominations and a JUNO with Eagle & Hawk.

Pop outfit The Color has earned its first JUNO nomination with a nod for Contemporary Christian/Gospel Album for First Day of My Life. The hard-touring, Winkler-based band recently won four Covenant Awards. Expats Jon Neufeld and Love & the Outcome also earned nominations in the same category.

Blues mainstay Big Dave McLean picked up a Blues Album of the Year nod for his Black Hen Records release, Better the Devil You Know. This is McLean’s third JUNO nomination.

The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra follows up last year’s win for Classical Album of the Year: Large Ensemble with another nomination, this time for The Shaman & Arctic Symphony with the Nunavut Sivuniksavut Performers. It won last year for Going Home Star – Truth and Reconciliation.

Former Brandonite James Ehnes picked up two nominations this year: Classical Album of the Year: Large Ensemble for Beethoven & Schubert:Violin Concerto and Classical Album of the Year: Solo or Chamber for Beethoven: Violin Sonatas Nos. 6 & 9 ‘Kreutzer’. This makes 26 nominations, and 11 wins, for him since 1997.

Manitoba-raised, Hamilton-based artist Iskwé landed her first JUNO nomination with a nod forThe Fight Within in the Indigenous Music Album of the Year category.

Winners will be announced at the exclusive JUNO Gala Dinner & Awards on March 24 and the 2018 JUNO Awards broadcast on CBC on March 25.  

For a complete list of 2018 JUNO Awards nominees, go to junoawards.ca.