Ctrl+Shift | A Strategy Session Series

We are pleased to introduce a new public talk series called Ctrl+Shift - a strategy session series that invites influential members of Toronto’s creative community to propose solutions to urgent challenges that affect the artists living in this city. Structured as a panel discussion, Ctrl+Shift seeks to facilitate productive conversations and actionable strategies that can elicit change in our shared creative landscape.  This event is free and welcome to everyone.

Session #2: Femme/Female Representation in Toronto’s Music Scene
December 8th, 2017 | 7pm-9pm

Description:
The second iteration of Ctrl+Shift is scheduled for December 8th, from 7pm-9pm and will occur at InterAccess. The panelists will discuss strategies they use to boost exposure and performance opportunities for female-identified DJs and musicians, in order to create equal opportunities in an often male-dominated scene.

Discussants and Affiliations
Carmen Elle | Member of band, DIANA | Operator of Less Bar
Carmen Elle is a musician/songwriter from Toronto. She began writing music, playing shows and recording albums in her teens and for the past decade has played in several bands, most notably: DIANA, Army Girls and Austra. Carmen has opened for Tegan and Sara, Iron and Wine and Cocorosie, performed at SXSW, Iceland Airwaves and The Great Escape in the UK. In 2014, DIANA's debut full length "Perpetual Surrender" was long-listed for the Polaris Music Prize. In addition to working as a musician, Carmen has written and spoken about her experiences with Anxiety and Depression. She has been featured in Nylon Magazine, Vice, MTV and the Toronto Star speaking out on behalf of musicians who struggle with mental health. In the fall of 2017 Carmen opened a small music venue in Toronto with an inclusive mandate aimed to prioritize Queer, BIPOC, female-identified musicians, DJ's and performers. 

Kristel Jax | Writer, Musician and Artist  | The Music Gallery
Kristel Jax is a Canadian writer and artist based in Toronto. Her work includes sound, video, photography, writing, and illustration. She currently performs music as Brigitte Bardon't, a project that includes longterm project O / L and mixtape series Infinite Poolside. As a visual artist she makes comics and illustrations. Her non-fiction writing examine subjects that include DIY culture and kitsch. Until 2013 she toured and recorded as part of experimental music duo Alpha Couple. For one year Jax co-ran Freud's Bathhouse & Diner, a DIY art space in Winnipeg.

Witch Prophet | Musician | Co-Founder and Director of indie label 88 Days Of Fortune
Ayo Leilani aka Witch Prophet is a queer, Ethiopian/Eritrean, singer/songwriter. She is the Co-Founder and Director of Toronto based indie label 88 Days Of Fortune, a member of feminist-based electro dub hop group, Above Top Secret and a solo alternative r&b artist under the name Witch Prophet.

Cindy Li | DJ and Promoter | Organizer of It’s Not U It’s Me and Work in Progress
Ciel, born Cindy Li, is a producer, DJ, promoter, and radio programmer based out of Toronto, Canada. She currently runs two of the country’s most forward-thinking party series (It’s Not U It’s Me and Work in Progress) and hosts a female-focused radio show (where she only plays music produced by females) on n10.as. Ciel has used every ounce of influence created by her career to advocate for the safety and presence of women, people of colour, and the LGBTQ community. Her undying efforts have significantly raised the safety standards of underground parties in Canada and have played a key role in the music community enforcing a 0 tolerance policy against individuals who have abused others.

Moderator
Erica Shiner is a communications specialist and feminist activist with an emphasis on digital campaigning. In 2015 she successfully organized to have a hateful musical artist removed from the lineup of NXNE, with her petition garnering over 40,000 signatures. She worked on the 2014 Olivia Chow mayoral campaign, the 2015 Jennifer Hollett campaign, and her own campaign for TDSB trustee in 2016. She sits on the board of directors of the Revue Cinema, where she produces a feminist film and panel series called Bechdel Tested, which serves to advance women's roles in various industries.