Mary Jane Lamond

Meet the Council

Mary Jane Lamond

Singer and Musician, Glendale, Inverness County

 

Coming from the Gaelic community, Mary Jane knows the benefits of having a rich cultural life and how much it contributes to health and well-being. As an artist, the opportunity to be part of a community where culture is celebrated and the arts are ingrained has played a major role in her success. Mary Jane is an internationally renowned musician who is also dedicated to maintaining Gaelic culture for future generations.

During her career, Mary Jane has released five CDs and received multiple East Coast Music Awards and Juno Awards. In 2010, she was honoured with the Portia White Prize for cultural and artistic excellence. She is currently touring and releasing a new CD as well as working on a film score with a group of Scottish Gaelic singers. The film chronicles the unique journey of artists and scientists to the Outer Hebrides to explore how climate change affects culture.

When she's not performing, Mary Jane is active in many culturally driven initiatives. At the Highland Village Museum (part of the Nova Scotia Museum) in Cape Breton, she works with staff on Gaelic language and cultural content for interpretation. As co-chair of the Gaelic Council of Nova Scotia, she helped create a cultural mentorship program for youth and is currently on the steering committee for a Gaelic Folklife School. Working with the Creative Nova Scotia Leadership Council, Mary Jane would like to help create opportunities for all Nova Scotians to enjoy and share a rich cultural life.

To continue developing successful artists, we need to ensure young people have the opportunity to grow up in vibrant communities where the arts are practiced. There is a Gaelic proverb that says "An ni nach cluinn thn 'n diugh, cha'n aithris thu màireach." - The thing that you do not hear today, you cannot communicate tomorrow.