In honour of International Women’s Day, SaskMusic is hosting a free, virtual concert featuring some of the best female acts the province has to offer.

The concert will showcase 23 artists from around the province who specialize in a variety of music styles.

Lorena Kelly with SaskMusic says due to the concert being virtual, it actually allows them to show more up-and-coming artists.

“It’s always really great to be able to present new artists to people that they maybe haven’t heard of before, and kind of kickstart that career in the sense of, ‘you know what, here’s a wonderful artist that you need to be following’,” said Kelly. “And kind of raise the pride, in general, about how much talent we have here in the province.”

Kelly says it’s important to showcase Saskatchewan talent, but even more so to feature talented female artists in the province.

“I think it’s so important, because a lot of times, they’re subject to things like not getting the same level of airplay as male artists, not appearing on the same festival bills as male artists,” said Kelly. “The only way, we feel, that’s going to change is by showing people just how strong of artists these women are.”

Kelly says more people are starting to pay more attention to female artists in Saskatchewan thanks to the international success of women like Tenille Arts, Jess Moskaluke, and Megan Nash.

While the concert is free to watch, people are encouraged to donate to the Provincial Association of Transition Houses and Services of Saskatchewan (PATHS) and the Unison Benevolent Fund. Both charities are aimed at providing emergency relief to those in need.

The concert can be seen on SaskMusic’s Facebook and YouTube page Sunday night at 7:00 pm