SHERRYL SEWEPAGAHAM

Sherryl Sewepagaham (Cree-Dene), a proud member of the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, Canada, is an accomplished composer, educator, and singer deeply committed to Indigenous song practices and language revitalization. She is currently pursuing Doctoral studies in Ethnomusicology at the University of British Columbia, of which she holds a 2024 Vanier Scholar title, and was awarded a SSHRC Doctoral Award and a UBC Indigenous Graduate Fellowship award in all the same academic year. Sherryl holds degrees in Education, Music Therapy, as well as a Master of Education focused on Indigenous curriculum and pedagogy. Her research examines how Cree song practices impact language reclamation, and she advocates for the resurgence of nêhiyawêwin (Cree language) songs sung by women–work that contributes to her ongoing efforts in music education, research, the choral arts, and community song revitalization. Sherryl’s work also centres nêhiyawêwin through Standard Roman Orthography (SRO) to establish linguistic sovereignty within her choral compositions and infusing Indigenous epistemologies of sound and voice creating a distinct Indigenous sonic presence that disrupts Eurocentric choral aesthetics.

Sherryl’s impact on Canadian music spans national choirs, creating documentary film scores, and her 2014 album Splashing the Water Loudly, which earned an Indigenous Music Award nomination. Her Cree-language choral works have been performed and recorded by renowned choirs such as the Canadian Chamber Choir, Pro Coro Canada, Luminous Voices, Vancouver Youth Choir, Toronto Children’s Chorus, Amadeus Choir of Greater Toronto, and the 2025 Iowa All-State Chorus. Bridging Indigenous knowledge, artistic expression, and scholarship, Sherryl continues to shape the future of Indigenous music education and the choral arts. Her composition mitêh (Heart) is featured in the spring 2026 CBC Music Class Challenge, powered by MusiCounts. Additionally, her collaborative album with the Canadian Chamber Choir, Where Waters Meet, has been nominated for a 2026 Juno Award for Classical Album of the Year–Large Ensemble category.

For 22-years, Sherryl was a member of the now retired, multi award-winning trio Asani, which performed at prestigious venues like Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and the 2010 Winter Olympics. She returned to the Carnegie Hall stage on May 25, 2026 to sing Cree songs with her moosehide hand drum and rattle, accompanied by the participating choirs and an orchestra performing her Cree-language compositions.

Through her work, Sherryl elevates Indigenous voice and presence on concert stages, in classrooms, and within the choral arts, blending tradition with innovation in all her vibrant artistic expressions.  (Sherryl’s photo credit – Milana Ward)