AMPLIFY – Northern Sound Exchange Presented by Polaris & Cultural Industries Ontario North (CION)
September 4, 2026 | Knox Hall, Sudbury, ON | Ticket Link
In celebration of the 2026 Polaris Festival, presented by SiriusXM Canada, Polaris presents Northern Sound Exchange in partnerships with the Cultural Industries Ontario North (CION), a regional gathering designed to support artist discovery, industry dialogue, and cultural connection in Northern Ontario aligning with the mandate of the Cultural Industries Ontario North (CION).
The 2026 Polaris Festival is a month-long celebration of Canadian music as art, bringing together concerts, salons, listening sessions, conversations, artist development initiatives, and the Polaris Concert & Award Ceremony at Massey Hall. Through the Festival, Polaris creates space for audiences to listen differently, gather around important Canadian albums, and explore how music shapes culture, identity, memory, and belonging.
Northern Sound Exchange brings the Festival beyond Toronto through a day of conversation, connection, and live music in Sudbury. This is an opportunity to create space for artists, presenters, cultural workers, and audiences to come together around the future of Canadian music beyond traditional industry centres.
The gathering will explore how music scenes grow outside major urban centres, how artists build sustainable careers across regions, and how presenters, festivals, cultural workers, and community partners can better support artist discovery in Northern Ontario.
Through roundtable conversation, industry dialogue, and live performance, Northern Sound Exchange reflects Polaris’ and the Cultural Industries Ontario North (CION) commitment to carrying Canadian music forward by creating opportunities for artists and communities to connect beyond the usual industry routes.
Performers + Contributors
PONY
PONY specializes in a fuzzy yet melodic brand of guitar pop that draws its core inspiration from early-nineties grunge and vintage indie-pop traditions. Led by vocalist and guitarist Sam Bielanski, a Sudbury native, and multi-instrumentalist Matty Morand. Clearly Cursed PONY’s most recent album is long listed for the 2026 Polaris Music Prize and comes following an extensive touring schedule that had PONY playing alongside acts like Jimmy Eat World, Drug Church, Militarie Gun, Pool Kids, MSPAINT, and more.
Mistaken for Wayne
Mistaken for Wayne is the project of Northern Ontario farmer and musician Wade Montpellier, created in collaboration with close friends and longtime musical partners. Following the 2024 release of the EP This Time of Year, the group is set to release their debut full-length album Whitefish on September 25th, 2026. Rooted deeply in themes of place and identity, Whitefish explores the idea that “it’s in the water”— a reflection on how environment shapes who we are. Now fully settled back in his hometown, Montpellier offers a more intimate look at the land, community, and self that have long informed his music.
Aurel
Aurel was born into a multicultural family and has always written songs in the three languages she learned as a child: Spanish, French, and English. Trained in piano from a young age, she blends the instrument’s sounds with trilingual poetry. Her artistic journey is closely tied to her search for identity as a Mexican and a Franco-Ontarian. In 2021, she released her debut EP, “Piano Sessions en el Naufragio,” in San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas. She was then accepted as an artist-in-residence at La Slague in 2022 to launch a brand-new project: “Soundscape sudburois.” The project, divided into two parts, was launched in 2023 with a first EP, “Soundscape sudburois: Summer,” followed by its counterpart, “Soundscape sudburois: Winter,” in 2025.
About Cultural Industries Ontario North (CION)
The mandate of Cultural Industries Ontario North (CION) is to stimulate and promote Northern Ontario’s film, television and music industries, as well as provide educational programs to foster the advancement of our region’s emerging talent.
With a population of nearly 800,000, millions of hectares of forest and six major cities ready to host film productions, Northern Ontario is a thriving cultural destination that balances urban life with relaxing respite. We’re here to connect and support local and international creators who want to discover what the North has to offer.
About Polaris Music Prize
Polaris Music Prize is a Canadian charitable arts organization honouring music as art. Through its Album, Song, and Heritage Prizes, Polaris amplifies Canadian artists based on artistic merit — not genre, sales, or algorithmic popularity.
The 2026 Polaris Festival is presented by SiriusXM Canada and made possible through the support of Experience Ontario, Ontario Creates, the City of Toronto’s Cultural Festivals Funding Program, FACTOR, the Government of Canada, Canada’s private radio broadcasters, and the Festival’s many community and venue partners.
