Canadian Artists, Heard and Seen
Northern Dial Sessions is a proposed live and virtual performance program built around independent Canadian artists, intimate performances, artist conversations and documentation that can continue to circulate after the event ends.
Turn Discovery Into an Encounter
The station and artist library help listeners find Canadian musicians. Sessions would create the next step: a place to hear those artists perform, talk about their work and connect with audiences in a format that Northern Dial can document and share.
The project is intentionally being developed as a distinct presentation program rather than simply adding video to the radio stream.
Built to Work Live, Online or Both
Live Sessions
Small-format performances in Ontario venues, studios, community spaces or partner locations with a focus on close listening rather than large-scale production.
Virtual Access
Selected performances or conversations made available online so the audience is not limited to the room where a session takes place.
Artist Conversations
Short interviews or contextual segments that connect the performance to the artist’s scene, process, community and body of work.
Documentation
Edited audio, video, photography, transcripts or written features that give each session a useful life beyond the original presentation.
What the Program Would Protect
Artist Fees
Professional artists should be budgeted and paid appropriately for funded presentations and recorded work.
Canadian Focus
Programming would prioritize Canadian artists, with room for regional, emerging and under-documented voices.
Public Access
Digital access, documentation and accessibility are part of the presentation model, not an afterthought.
A Presentation Program Grounded in Existing Discovery Work
Northern Dial already curates a 24/7 Canadian stream, maintains a growing artist library, publishes artist features and operates a listener-facing discovery tool. Sessions would use that existing editorial and discovery infrastructure to select artists, provide context and keep performances discoverable after presentation.