Marie-Josée Dandeneau has been awarded the Indigenous Full Circle Prize, one of the Manitoba Arts Council’s 2019 Prizes in the Arts. This is a $ 10,000 prize awarded every other year to an Indigenous artist or Knowledge Keeper in recognition of their achievements.
“Marie-Josée Dandeneau’s artistic achievements span a 20-year career, touring all over the world, with recording credits on more than 50 full-length albums. She is a leader in the Indigenous music community who is constantly giving back. We’re very fortunate to have such an incredible artist in Manitoba.”
– Alan Greyeyes, Aboriginal Music Manitoba Inc. (nominator)
Marie-Josée Dandeneau
Marie-Josée Dandeneau is a talented multi-instrumentalist and music entrepreneur of Anishinaabe and Métis ancestry. Over the past 20 years, she has successfully created a fiercely independent musical career that includes numerous TV performances, studio session recordings, various theatre work and not to mention producing and performing all around the world. She has been recognized for her musical contributions on various recording albums that have received awards such as the Canadian Junos, the Western Canadian Music Awards and the Canadian Folk Music Awards.
Her deep-seated roots to her French-Canadian and Métis heritage are translated and embodied in the music she creates. One of MJ’s true passions, in addition to being a musician and entrepreneur, is to be a strong advocate and mentor to young people aspiring to find their own success in the music industry. She is dedicated to live by and to instill the values of the sacred teachings passed on by her elders, of love, respect, courage, honesty, wisdom, humility, and truth, to all of the young people she interacts with.
