NEWS + UPDATES
Yukon Territory at Folk Canada!
October 14, 2026
Music Yukon is thrilled to be heading back to Folk Canada, taking place October 14 to October 18 in Hamilton, ON.
Folk Canada brings together artists and music industry professionals from across Canada and beyond to celebrate and support the folk, roots, and traditional music community. The annual conference offers several days of live music, professional development, networking, and opportunities for artists to connect with industry professionals. This year, Yukon talent will be well represented in Hamilton, ON, with Ellorie McKnight, Ryan McNally, Joey O’Neil, Declan O’Donovan, Hendrika, Caleb Tomlinson, and The Lucky Ones taking part in the 2026 Folk Canada Conference.
Music Yukon will be on the ground in Hamilton supporting our artists, building connections with industry delegates, and helping create new opportunities for Yukon music beyond the territory.
Heading to Folk Canada? Make sure to check out these eight incredible Yukon artists are on your schedule
CALEB TOMLINSON
Catch Caleb Tomlinson at Folk Canada:
Thursday, October 15 | 7:20 PM | Ballroom Stage (with The Perseids)
Thursday, October 15 | 10:50 PM | Beckett Stage (with The Perseids)
Saturday, October 17 | 11:00 PM | Acoustic Showcase, Room 1021
Saturday, October 17 | 1:05 AM | Music Yukon Acoustic Showcase, Room 906
Caleb Tomlinson is a Yukon-based singer-songwriter crafting beautifully textured folk music rooted in the landscapes he calls home. His songs blend rich storytelling and well-honed musicianship, drawing listeners into the seasons and places of northern and western Canada. While his writing is grounded in place, Caleb’s warm stage presence and thoughtful banter create an immediate connection with audiences everywhere he performs. While his sound is uniquely his own, the lyrical depth and folk alt-country roots have drawn comparisons to Leonard Cohen and Steve Earle.
Instagram | Bandcamp | Spotify
Declan O’Donovan
Catch Declan O’Donovan at Folk Canada:
Thursday, October 15 | 12:20 AM | Beckett Stage
Saturday, October 17 | 11:20 PM | Lost Cat Presents Acoustic Showcase, Room 1004
Saturday, October 17 | 12:25 AM | Music Yukon Acoustic Showcase, Room 906
Declan O’Donovan’s music feels as much about nuance and immersion as anything easily traceable to an influence. Within the first bars of hearing Declan play, the transcendent connection between music and human experience is ignited… The beautiful melancholy of O’Donovan’s piano and the raw poetic rhythm of his voice deliver an eccentric richness of ideas that feel at the same time well-travelled and firmly rooted in place.
Website | Instagram | Bandcamp | Spotify | Apple Music
Ellorie McKnight
Catch Ellorie McKnight at Folk Canada:
Thursday, October 15 | 11:50 PM | Beckett Stage
Friday, October 16 | 10:00 AM | Culture in Climate Summit, Heritage
Friday, October 16 | 4:00 PM | Folk Dance Networking Party, Ballroom Stage B
Saturday, October 17 | 11:05 PM | Music Yukon Acoustic Showcase, Room 906
Ellorie McKnight (she/her) is a indie-folk singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and square dance enthusiast living, working, and creating art on the territories of the Ta’an Kwach’an Council & Kwanlin Dun First Nation in Whitehorse, Yukon. Delicate vocals, dynamic melodies, and lyrics painting reflections of both the individual and collective human experience define her songwriting. Threads of her experiences as a climate researcher, deep feeler, and systems thinker are woven into her songs, inviting listeners to settle into emotion and contemplation about relationships, modernity, and what comes next. When she’s not singing, you can find her with her fiddle looking for the old-time jam.
Website | Instagram | Bandcamp
Hendrika
Catch Hendrika at Folk Canada:
Thursday, October 15 | 12:50 AM | Beckett Stage
Saturday, October 17 | 8:00 PM | Heritage Stage
Saturday, October 17 | 12:45 AM | Music Yukon Acoustic Showcase, Room 906
Saturday, October 17 | 1:20 AM | Lost Cat Presents Acoustic Showcase, Room 1004
Sunday, October 18 | 6:15 PM | Community Folk Festival, Mills Hardware
With a performance style that is both powerful and magnetic, Hendrika effortlessly blends intricate folk-rooted melodies, classic rock riffs, and soaring vocals into a sound that is bold, expressive, and unforgettable. Every song feels like an invitation to get a little closer, a little louder, and completely swept away.
Her latest EP, I Can’t Remember, has carried her to festival stages across Canada, including BreakOut West, Northern Lights Festival Boreal, NXNE, ArtsWells, the Edmonton Fringe Festival, and Folk on the Rocks. She has also toured internationally to Reeperbahn in Hamburg Germany. Along the way, her song “You’ve Got Gold” earned a place on CBC’s Top 100 Canadian Songs of 2024, and she was recognized as one of Exclaim’s Emerging Canadian Artists You Need to Hear in 2024. She is currently writing a new album to be released in 2027.
Website | Instagram | Bandcamp | Spotify | Apple Music
JOEY O’NEIL
Catch Joey O’Neil at Folk Canada:
Saturday, October 17 | 11:45 AM | Music Yukon Acoustic Showcase, Room 906
Critically acclaimed Yukon folk songbird Joey O’Neil is bewitching audiences across Canada with hauntingly heartfelt anecdotes from a woodland life. Offering vulnerable vocals, engaging banter, and bittersweet wordplay floating atop a bed of fingerpicked guitar, O’Neil’s clever sincerity is sure to make you laugh and cry simultaneously.
With a decade of touring to her name, her live performance has been described as “gentle and intimate” by Exclaim! and “absolutely touching, even a little heartbreaking” by NEXT Magazine. O’Neil’s spirit-focused album, Phantom Vibes, weaves poignant storytelling with her theremin’s ethereal howls and a mélange of folk-jazz instrumentation produced by Aaron Goldstein.
Her clever sincerity has earned her regular spins on CBC Afterdark, an appearance on Global News’ The Morning Show, as well as a place on !earshot’s National Folk/Roots/Blues chart. When taking a break from chopping wood and hauling water around her off-grid Klondike cabin, O’Neil has played more than 200 concerts around the country.
Website | Instagram | Bandcamp | Spotify | Apple Music
RYAN McNALLY
Catch Ryan McNally at Folk Canada:
Thursday, October 15 | 11:20 PM | Beckett Stage
Saturday, October 17 | 11:25 PM | Music Yukon Acoustic Showcase, Room 906
Saturday, October 17 | 1:00 AM | Just Right Music Acoustic Showcase, Room 904
Ryan McNally is a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and performer known for his distinctive interpretations of traditional acoustic blues, country and old-time music. Originally from rural southern Quebec, McNally discovered jazz and blues through his grandfather’s collection of 78 rpm records, sparking a lifelong fascination with the sound, history and traditions of American roots music.
Now based in Whitehorse, Yukon, McNally has developed a diverse musical voice grounded in the generations of players who came before him while continuing to explore his own signature sound. Equally at home on guitar, harmonica, mandolin, fiddle and banjo, his versatility has become a defining part of his work.
His album Steppin’ Down South earned a Western Canadian Music Award nomination for Blues Artist of the Year. A seasoned performer who has toured extensively throughout Canada and internationally, McNally continues to evolve as a musician and songwriter, with a new EP set for release December 4.
Website | Instagram | Bandcamp
The Lucky Ones
Catch The Lucky Ones at Folk Canada:
Friday, October 16 | 1:20 AM | Beckett Stage
Saturday, October 17 | 8:20 PM | Ballroom Stage
Sunday, October 18 | 1:25–1:40 AM | Music Yukon Acoustic Showcase, Room 906
The Lucky Ones are a country-roots ensemble from the Yukon Territory whose music blends traditional bluegrass and honky-tonk with contemporary storytelling. Evoking the spirit of old-time dances and kitchen parties, their sound is both timeless and fresh, a musical bridge between past and present. Dubbed “Yukon’s country heroes” by CBC Radio, The Lucky Ones music reflects the rugged landscapes and hard-lived stories of Canada’s last frontier.
