NEWS: ECMA Announces Performers for Music Awards Gala

(Charlottetown) – The East Coast Music Association (ECMA) announced the artists who take to the stage as part of the Bell Aliant ECMA 2011 Music Awards Gala presented by RBC Royal Bank. Country music superstar George Canyon will host the event which is taking place Sunday, April 17th at 8pm in the Homburg Theatre at Confederation Centre of the Arts.

The gala show will take the audience through a glimpse of traditional Island flavour with Gordie MacKeeman & His Rhythm Boys, Haunted Hearts and Meaghan Blanchard. Rockers The Trews, Slowcoaster, and Carmen Townsend will heat up the Homburg stage, while Ashley MacIsaac, Richard Wood, Colin Grant, Cynthia MacLeod, and Kathleen Gorey-McSorley will get toes tapping with an all-star Fiddlefest.

Amelia Curran, Dave Gunning, David Myles, Ghettosocks, Matt Andersen, Hey Rosetta!, Marko Simmonds & Artists for Haiti, and Chelsea Nesbitt will also be making special gala appearances.

There will also be a special tribute to 2011 Lifetime Achievement award winners Haywire.

ECMA Executive Director Su Hutchinson says the gala will incorporate non-traditional musical collaborations highlighting this region’s unique culture. “The 2011 gala is programmed to embrace the collective output of some of this year’s award nominees and performers. This is a celebration that people will not want to miss.”

Eight awards will be handed out at the awards gala: Bell Aliant Entertainer of the Year, Group Recording of the Year, FACTOR Recording of the Year, Francophone Recording of the Year, Rising Star Recording of the Year, SOCAN Songwriter of the Year, Bell Aliant Fan’s Choice Video of the Year and Vibe Creative Group Single of the Year.


Tickets for the Bell Aliant 2011 ECMA Music Awards Gala presented by RBC Royal Bank are available at the Confederation Centre of the Arts box office.


The ECMA Satellite Awards Party will take place on Sunday, April 17th at the Delta Prince Edward and run simultaneously with the awards gala. There will be a special performance by 2011 Lifetime Achievement Award recipients Haywire as well as performances by Tom Fun Orchestra and Chris Kirby & The Marquee. Additional performers will be announced at a later date. Tickets are available via ticketpro.ca.


East Coast Music Week 2011 will take place in Charlottetown, PEI, from April 13-17. The event is part of the ECMA's mandate to foster, promote and develop East Coast music.

The East Coast Music Association would like to acknowledge the financial support of FACTOR and the Government of Canada through the Department of Canadian Heritage (Canada Music Fund) and of Canada’s private radio broadcasters.