Artist in Residence

As a not-for-profit charitable organization, The Corporation of Massey Hall and Roy Thomson Hall has spent more than a decade investing in the development and support of mid-level emerging artists, helping them pave their own unique roads to one day headlining Massey Hall and a career at the iconic concert Halls.

We’re proud to introduce the inaugural group of artists taking on the role as our first-ever official Artist in Residence: Celeigh Cardinal, Sebastian Gaskin, and Julian Taylor.

This year-long residency takes place throughout Allied Music Centre – Canada’s newest cultural ecosystem and home of Massey Hall. It offers bespoke support, designed to the needs of the artist and their teams, including mentorship, studio time, live performance opportunities, creative collaborations, professional development, content creation and more.

The Artist in Residence program was made possible through the support of a generous donor.

Celeigh Cardinal’s powerful voice and storytelling have earned her widespread acclaim. Her third studio album, Boundless Possibilities, is a deeply personal journey through grief, independence, and spirituality.

The Cree Métis artist from Edmonton, Alberta, has earned the Western Canadian Music Award for Songwriter of the Year, the 2025 Canadian Folk Music Award for Indigenous Songwriter of the Year, and two 2025 JUNO nominations including Adult Contemporary Album of the Year and Contemporary Indigenous Artist of the Year.

In 2024, she graced the TD Music Hall stage twice—once as part of FabCollab Presents: Indigenous Grooves and again during the International Indigenous Music Summit—and recently became the first artist to perform a public concert in the new Allied Music Centre Theatre.

Toronto-based, Tataskweyak Cree Nation-raised multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter, and producer Sebastian Gaskin blends bold intuition with musical mastery, evoking the timeless spirit of Bill Withers, the virtuosity of John Mayer, and the wordplay of Post Malone and Pro Era.

A dynamic producer, Gaskin has collaborated with Evan Miles (dvsn, renforshort) and Milano (Icona Pop), pushing the boundaries of every genre he touches. With performances alongside artists like Common, T-Pain, Feist, and Sam Roberts Band, Gaskin recently released his debut album LOVECHILD via Ishkōdé Records and Universal Music Canada.

He won the Vince Fontaine Indigenous Song Award at the 2024 SOCAN Awards for “Medicine” and he took home the 2025 JUNO Award for Contemporary Indigenous Artist of the Year.

With a soulful voice and magnetic stage presence, Toronto-based Afro-Indigenous artist Julian Taylor blends blues, roots, and folk into a sound entirely his own.

His career spans continents, with loyal audiences in Canada, Europe, and the US. Taylor’s accolades include four JUNO nominations, eight Canadian Folk Music Awards, and five Native American Music Award nominations, along with a Polaris Music Prize nomination.

In 2024, he performed on stage at Massey Hall, backed by Blue Rodeo, to pay tribute to Gordon Lightfoot as part of Celebrating Gordon Lightfoot. He also made history with Live at TD Music Hall, the first live album fully recorded, mixed, and mastered at Allied Music Centre.