White text and a logo for "MMF MUSIC MANAGERS FORUM CANADA" are displayed on a vibrant blue background with subtle wave-like patterns.

Polaris Music Prize Inc.

LXCL:General Admission

General Admission

<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/hxn9dbuhd/image/upload/v1786897829/wysiwyg/pok4aaxjsygkmfe1xhdp.png" style="width: 600px; display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; padding: 0px 1px; user-select: none; max-width: 100%; position: relative; box-sizing: inherit;" fr-original-style="width: 600px; display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center;" fr-original-class="fr-draggable"> In celebration of the 2026 Polaris Festival, presented by SiriusXM Canada, Polaris presents The Value of the Music Manager: Their Role in Supporting Canadian Music as Art, a salon-style conversation exploring the labour, care, strategy, and responsibility of artist management in Canada&rsquo;s music ecosystem.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 &amp; 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. Register Free to Reserve Your SpotThe Value of the Music Manager uses music manager burnout as an entry point into a larger discussion about what it takes to support Canadian music as art. Managers are often positioned as the people behind the artist, coordinating opportunities, shaping strategy, managing relationships, solving problems, supporting releases, navigating funding, protecting boundaries, and helping artists build sustainable careers.Yet this work is often invisible, under-resourced, emotionally demanding, and difficult to measure. As artists are asked to do more with less, managers are often expected to absorb industry pressure while also providing care and long-term vision.This conversation asks what happens when the people responsible for supporting artists are themselves unsupported. By speaking honestly about burnout, the panel makes visible the value of managers not only as business representatives, but as cultural workers, creative partners, advocates, and caretakers of artistic possibility. PanelistsGabbie &ldquo;Gibs&rdquo; Clarke&nbsp;is a music manager, producer, and operations strategist who supports emerging artists in building their careers through strategic rollout campaigns rooted in authenticity. After starting in campus radio at TMU, she built her foundation in commercial audio engineering at Vapor Music, then transitioned to radio promotion at Warner Music Canada, promoting releases to Indie88, CBC, and SiriusXM. Today, through her agency Emergency Contact, Gabbie manages Roc Nation Distribution signee Ania Hoo and electro-pop artist Lockimara, whose sophomore album earned features on KEXP, NPR, and Spotify. An MVP Prism Prize-funded producer for Juno winner Ryan Ofei, Gabbie brings a rare mix of technical craft, major-label experience, and independent strategy to the panel. Jordan Circosta is a Toronto-based artist manager and VP of Enlightened Management. Since joining the company in 2023, he has supported the careers of Celtic icons Natalie MacMaster and Donnell Leahy, folk singer-songwriter John Muirhead, and oversees EM&rsquo;s growing producer division, which includes JUNO-nominated producer Ryan Worsley. Jordan previously toured internationally as a founding member of JUNO-winning band MONOWHALES, co-writing six Top 10 hits and earning millions of streams. He now applies that hands-on industry experience to guide artists through touring, recording, marketing, and career strategy, offering a strategic, artist-first approach to building sustainable, globally minded creative careers. More To Be Announced About Music Managers ForumMusic Managers Forum Canada (MMF Canada) is a non-profit trade association and is one of many such associations around the world. We offer education, networking and advocacy on behalf of our members, their artists, and the wider Canadian music community. We aim to be the go-to source for Canadian artists and managers on issues related to music management in Canada and around the world. As the management sector&rsquo;s voice in the industry, MMF Canada advocates to various levels of government on behalf of its members on key issues that affect managers and their artists. Our members come from across Canada and work in various genres at a range of levels, including self-managed artists, new managers and highly experienced managers representing some of the largest acts in Canada. We work collaboratively with strategic partners within the larger music community to offer workshops, webinars and other programming that allows our members to connect with each other while developing their management skills and industry knowledge. About the Polaris FestivalPolaris 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.The 2026 Polaris Festival is presented by SiriusXM Canada and made possible through the support of Experience Ontario, Ontario Creates, the City of Toronto&rsquo;s Cultural Festivals Funding Program, FACTOR, the Government of Canada, Canada&rsquo;s private radio broadcasters, and the Festival&rsquo;s many community and venue partners.

Hi <span contenteditable="false" data-custom-variable="{{firstname}}" fr-original-class="fr-deletable styled-tag-chip" fr-original-style="" style="color: rgb(42, 42, 196); overflow-wrap: anywhere; user-select: none; background-color: rgb(248, 248, 255); border: 1px solid rgb(191, 191, 255); border-radius: 4px; margin: 0px; padding: 1px 8px; font-size: 11px; display: inline-block; box-sizing: inherit;">First name, <p fr-original-style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.5px; text-align: start; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1.5;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.5px; text-align: start; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px; width: 100%; box-sizing: inherit;">Thank you for registering for our event: The Value of the Music Manager and Their Role in Supporting Canadian Music as Art<p fr-original-style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.5px; text-align: start; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1.5;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.5px; text-align: start; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px; width: 100%; box-sizing: inherit;"> <span fr-original-style="font-size:11pt; font-family:Nunito,sans-serif; color:#000000; background-color:transparent;" style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Nunito, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; box-sizing: inherit;">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 &mdash; not genre, sales, or algorithmic popularity. <span fr-original-style="font-size:11pt; font-family:Nunito,sans-serif; color:#000000; background-color:transparent;" style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Nunito, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; box-sizing: inherit;">The 2026 Polaris Festival is presented by SiriusXM Canada and made possible through the support of Experience Ontario, Ontario Creates, the City of Toronto&rsquo;s Cultural Festivals Funding Program, FACTOR, the Government of Canada, Canada&rsquo;s private radio broadcasters, and the Festival&rsquo;s many community and venue partners.<p fr-original-style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.5px; text-align: start; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1.5;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.5px; text-align: start; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px; width: 100%; box-sizing: inherit;">&nbsp;<p fr-original-style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.5px; text-align: start; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1.5;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.5px; text-align: start; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px; width: 100%; box-sizing: inherit;">Learn more at polarismusicprize.ca.<p fr-original-style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.5px; text-align: start; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1.5;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.5px; text-align: start; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px; width: 100%; box-sizing: inherit;"> <p fr-original-style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.5px; text-align: start; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1.5;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.5px; text-align: start; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px; width: 100%; box-sizing: inherit;">Looking forward to seeing you soon!&nbsp;<p fr-original-style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.5px; text-align: start; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1.5;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.5px; text-align: start; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px; width: 100%; box-sizing: inherit;"> <p fr-original-style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.5px; text-align: start; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1.5;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.5px; text-align: start; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px; width: 100%; box-sizing: inherit;">Amber Still<p fr-original-style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.5px; text-align: start; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1.5;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.5px; text-align: start; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px; width: 100%; box-sizing: inherit;">amber@polarismusicprize.ca

<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/hxn9dbuhd/image/upload/v1786897829/wysiwyg/pok4aaxjsygkmfe1xhdp.png" style="width:600px;display:block;vertical-align:top;margin:5px auto;text-align:center;cursor:pointer;padding:0px 1px;user-select:none;position:relative;box-sizing:inherit;max-width:100%" /> In celebration of the 2026 Polaris Festival, presented by SiriusXM Canada, Polaris presents The Value of the Music Manager: Their Role in Supporting Canadian Music as Art, a salon-style conversation exploring the labour, care, strategy, and responsibility of artist management in Canada’s music ecosystem.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 &amp; 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. Register Free to Reserve Your SpotThe Value of the Music Manager uses music manager burnout as an entry point into a larger discussion about what it takes to support Canadian music as art. Managers are often positioned as the people behind the artist, coordinating opportunities, shaping strategy, managing relationships, solving problems, supporting releases, navigating funding, protecting boundaries, and helping artists build sustainable careers.Yet this work is often invisible, under-resourced, emotionally demanding, and difficult to measure. As artists are asked to do more with less, managers are often expected to absorb industry pressure while also providing care and long-term vision.This conversation asks what happens when the people responsible for supporting artists are themselves unsupported. By speaking honestly about burnout, the panel makes visible the value of managers not only as business representatives, but as cultural workers, creative partners, advocates, and caretakers of artistic possibility. PanelistsGabbie “Gibs” Clarke is a music manager, producer, and operations strategist who supports emerging artists in building their careers through strategic rollout campaigns rooted in authenticity. After starting in campus radio at TMU, she built her foundation in commercial audio engineering at Vapor Music, then transitioned to radio promotion at Warner Music Canada, promoting releases to Indie88, CBC, and SiriusXM. Today, through her agency Emergency Contact, Gabbie manages Roc Nation Distribution signee Ania Hoo and electro-pop artist Lockimara, whose sophomore album earned features on KEXP, NPR, and Spotify. An MVP Prism Prize-funded producer for Juno winner Ryan Ofei, Gabbie brings a rare mix of technical craft, major-label experience, and independent strategy to the panel. Jordan Circosta is a Toronto-based artist manager and VP of Enlightened Management. Since joining the company in 2023, he has supported the careers of Celtic icons Natalie MacMaster and Donnell Leahy, folk singer-songwriter John Muirhead, and oversees EM’s growing producer division, which includes JUNO-nominated producer Ryan Worsley. Jordan previously toured internationally as a founding member of JUNO-winning band MONOWHALES, co-writing six Top 10 hits and earning millions of streams. He now applies that hands-on industry experience to guide artists through touring, recording, marketing, and career strategy, offering a strategic, artist-first approach to building sustainable, globally minded creative careers. More To Be Announced About Music Managers ForumMusic Managers Forum Canada (MMF Canada) is a non-profit trade association and is one of many such associations around the world. We offer education, networking and advocacy on behalf of our members, their artists, and the wider Canadian music community. We aim to be the go-to source for Canadian artists and managers on issues related to music management in Canada and around the world. As the management sector’s voice in the industry, MMF Canada advocates to various levels of government on behalf of its members on key issues that affect managers and their artists. Our members come from across Canada and work in various genres at a range of levels, including self-managed artists, new managers and highly experienced managers representing some of the largest acts in Canada. We work collaboratively with strategic partners within the larger music community to offer workshops, webinars and other programming that allows our members to connect with each other while developing their management skills and industry knowledge. About the Polaris FestivalPolaris 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.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.

Polaris Music Prize Inc.

The Value of the Manager Polaris x MMF Canada Panel Discussion

468 Queen St W

General Admission

Free