DRMF Performers 2026

Sponsored by: Basin and Bloom An unlikely trio, based in Wolfville, NS Victor Scarnati – Portage Avenue hip.  (Vox, Dobro, Mando, Harp) Graham Stone – True North denizen   (Vox, Banjo, Mando, Gee-tar) Tim Peacock – East Coast salt  – (Vox – Git)…

Sponsored By: Bruce Hyundai A Celtic singing harpist, Adria Jackson blends traditional Celtic music, original compositions, Canadiana, and folk-inspired songs with soaring vocals and masterful harp playing. Drawing on her Celtic, English, and Scandinavian heritage, her performances span multiple languages,…

Sponsored by: The Grapevine From the remote fly-in village of Attawapiskat in Ontario’s Far North, Adrian Sutherland brings a voice that is genuinely unlike anything else on the folk and roots circuit — and Deep Roots is proud to welcome…

Sponsored By: Old Orchard Inn Alysha Brilla is a 3× JUNO Award nominated songwriter, producer and electrifying live performer, as well as the 2025 Women in Music International Leadership Honouree and a 2024 Canadian Screen Award nominee. Sounds of earth,…

Sponsored By: Friends of the Festival Blessing Sithole is a Zimbabwean singer and musician whose music is shaped by a deep, resonant vocal style that adds soul and character to each song. She is a member of the Manning Chapel…

Sponsored By: Schoolhouse Brewery Get ready to dance – Bluesmobile has been keeping the Annapolis Valley on its feet for over 15 years, and Saturday night at Deep Roots is your chance to find out why. They’re bringing it all to Devour!…

Sponsored By: Jane’s Born into a family steeped in Nova Scotia’s richest musical traditions, sisters Cassie and Maggie have grown into one of the most compelling forces in contemporary Celtic folk music. Rooted in their deep Gaelic heritage and raised…

Sponsored By: Kimball Law Originally from Scotland, Eilidh Campbell and Andy Webster are long-time friends and musical partners, having met while studying music together in Glasgow in the 1990s. After years of touring and recording together – including becoming finalists in the…

Sponsored By: Acadia University Daniel James McFadyen is an award-winning indie-folk artist whose expressive lyricism, charismatic stage presence, and road-worn storytelling have made him one of Canada’s most compelling contemporary voices. His 2025 sophomore album, Back To The Country (LHM Records), marks a defining moment in…

Sponsored By: Friends of the Festival Deer Jenny is an indie rock band from Wolfville, NS, made up of Noah Rafuse, Lennon Lang, Finn Paster, and Cameron Davenport. Originally formed as Summerhouse, the group came together through a shared love…

Sponsored By: Herbin Jewellers Born amidst a widespread longing to reawaken the gatherings for traditional music and dance that were held in stasis by the pandemic, Delhaven is a young, traditional Gaelic band hailing from rural, mainland Nova Scotia. Rapidly garnering the…

Sponsored By: Friends of the Festival Djugdjug Ensemble is a vibrant collective that masterfully blends traditional West African songs, rhythms, and arrangements with contemporary musical and theatrical elements to create performances that are as dynamic as they are unforgettable. At the…

Sponsored By: Friends of the Festival Don has been living in and playing music in the Annapolis Valley since moving here with his young family in 1979. Through the years, Don has had some wonderful opportunities come his way and…

Sponsored By: Eassons Transport LTD Donna Rhodenizer and Andy Duinker are the international performing duo, Donna & Andy. Their musical excellence has been recognized with a Juno nomination and multiple ECMA awards, including the 2026 ECMA Award for Children’s Artist…

Sponsored By: A.G. Custom Apparel HUSH is a dynamic acoustic duo based in the heart of Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley, blending the talents of vocalist Hannah Clausen and guitarist Scott Marsters. Together, they deliver an engaging musical experience, performing an…

Sponsored By: Elite Auto and Glass After 6 remarkable years as a band touring 3 continents and garnering Music PEI awards and JUNO, ECMA and CFMA nominations, Inn Echo already have much to reflect upon. They are beyond grateful for…

Sponsored By: Engel and Völkers Nova Scotia born Jesse Hemmings is a familiar face around the province’s local music scene, travelling with his Eastlink Community TV show “Atlantic Notes” and joining in on kitchen parties from Yarmouth to Cheticamp. Jesse…

Raise the Roof! with Matt Andersen, Lloyd Spiegel and Joce Reyome Sponsored By: Valley Credit Union With a voice that radiates power and vulnerability in equal measure, Joce Reyome has carved out a sound that blends classic blues grit, raw…

Sponsored By: Michelin Ken Whiteley is a Canadian folk legend whose remarkable career spans six decades of performing and touring across North America. He has won many awards including the Canadian Folk Music Award, a Genie Award for Best Original…

Sponsored By: Rewind 89.3 Wolfville-based singer-songwriter Lily Gunn writes songs that feel like they belong to a specific stretch of Nova Scotia road – ones you know by feel more than by name. Her music lives at the intersection of folk-indie and…

Raise the Roof!  with Matt Andersen, Lloyd Spiegel and Joce Reyome Sponsored By: Long & McQuade Lloyd Spiegel is a bluesman at his core, a guitarist by trade, a comedian by nature and a showman at heart. He blends powerful…

Sponsored By: Friends of the Festival Marilyn Manzer has taught and performed music in Wolfville for 31 years and taught Kindermusik® for over 16 years. The 2011 Valley Arts Award winner sings, plays piano and recorder, and has been music…

Sponsored By: Home Hardware Bulding Centre Halifax-based Mat Hughes is more than a singer-songwriter and piano virtuoso – he’s a storyteller and performer of unique magnetism who makes each audience member feel like they’re catching up with an old friend. For Hughes,…

Raise the Roof!  with Matt Andersen, Lloyd Spiegel and Joce Reyome Sponsored By: Chicken Farmers of Nova Scotia When Matt Andersen steps on stage, he brings a lifetime of music to every note he plays. His latest album, The Hammer…

Sponsored By: Town of Wolfville Meredith Moon arrived at folk music the way few artists do – by living it from the very beginning. Daughter of legendary Canadian singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot, she grew up immersed in the language of song, and spent…

Deep Roots Artist in Residence, in collaboration with Ross Creek Centre for the ArtsArtist at Acadia, in collaboration with Acadia University Sponsored By Bruce Dienes, Community Consultant Described by BBC Radio 3 as “a voice that transports you from ancient markets to modern…

Sponsored By: Made with Local Rad News Bears (RNB) is an Annapolis Valley, Nova Scotia power trio delivering raw energy, bold riffs, and an all-original sound to every stage they hit. Formed in 2025, the band wasted no time making…

Sponsored By: Friends of the Festival Harmony Workshop – Saturday Sept. 26 Singer-songwriter, church organist, and music therapist Rebecca Fairless has been a part of the Deep Roots community in various roles for over ten years. After making a musical…

Sponsored By: Gates Insurance Rob Lutes has spent more than two decades quietly building one of the most distinctive bodies of work in Canadian folk and roots music. Montreal-based but shaped by his New Brunswick upbringing as one of six…

Sponsored By: Friends of the Festival Kwe’, teluisi Sandy-Lynn Fisher and I am from the Annapolis Valley and reside in my community of Glooscap First Nation. I attended the festival these past few years and provided a smudge with my…

Sponsored By: Friends of the Festival Harmony Workshop – Saturday Sept. 26; Rise Up Singing – Sunday Sept. 27 Sarah McInnis writes songs for people who feel things deeply but laugh about it anyway. Blending folk-rooted melodies with sharp lyrical…

Empathy Circle – Thursday Sept. 24th We are pleased to welcome back Selah Rose for an Empathy Circle at the Harriet Irving Botanical Gardens, a gentle prelude to the Deep Roots Music Festival. Selah Rose (she/her) is a community mediator and…

Sponsored By: Giant Tiger The Vaudevillian are Jitterbug James & Norah Spades, a husband-and-wife duo from Saugeen Shores, Ontario, who play washboard, resonator guitar, banjo, harmonica, and musical spoons like they’re trying to revive the entire Prohibition era in a…

Sponsored By: Friends of the Festival Wee Giant Theatre is renowned for its captivating performances and interactive workshops that seamlessly blend storytelling, clowning, dance, music, mask work, vibrant costumes, and puppetry. Under the creative direction of Monika Wildemann, every element – from the…