Gretchen Phillips is a Texan who now calls Ottawa home.  She has been performing cutting-edge queer music for over 50 years.  You can learn more about this restless creator via books, the internet, zines, archives, word of mouth and very occasionally social media

Glenn is the co-founder of Qu'ART – Ottawa Queer Arts Collective (est. 2018) and ChromaQueer (est. 2025). An accomplished musician, cabaret artist, and community arts programmer with 20+ years in Ottawa's arts scene, collaborating with Ottawa Chamberfest, NAC, VerseFest, and Writers Festival. As a piano player, songwriter and cabaret brat, Glenn’s solo and band performances have included Westfest, National Arts Centre Fourth Stage, Ottawa Bluesfest, and the Ottawa International Writers Festival.

Insert Girl Name is the title of multidisciplinary artist and musician Kathy Surkan. She can most often be found stalking the streets of Centretown with her band Afraid of Jazz, providing acts with album covers, and losing chess to her cat Oatmeal. Kathy can be reached under @insertgirlname on instagram or www.insertgirlname.com

Dupil Collective is a Filipinx trans disabled multi-arts collective currently comprised of Felix Policarpio and Lukayo (Estrella) Bito'on. They have performed and shown their work at fundraisers, cabarets, and fairs. A generous grant from the Ontario Arts Council supported the creation of literary and visual art pieces called Ang Nilikha / An Linalang (The Created), which is about Filipinx creation stories seen through creating ourselves as trans people.

Simona “Mo” Sonier has been an active part of Ottawa’s arts community under various names as creator, technical production support and administrator for many years.  A trained and skilled multi-instrumentalist and sound artist, she has collaborated with other musicians, poets, storytellers, filmmakers, dancers and theatre artists, including the grasshoppa dance exchange, Propeller Dance, the Max Middle Sound Project, Heather Dale and members of DARC.  She is shifting from a successful career in technical event production towards arts and non-profit management, while still being engaged with ongoing and new artistic collaborations and solo projects.

Maggie May Harder (they/them) is a comedian, event producer, graphic designer, and little boy running around with scissors. They are the co-creator of Small Fish, a comedy duo and variety show that has sold over 4000 tix and won awards across the country. Small Fish has been featured nationwide, most notably at Just for Laughs 2026. Maggie also runs routinely sold-out lesbian events, most known for their variety show “Fruit Cake,” where they can be found signing titties and licking a can of coconut whipped cream off some hot dyke ass. Maggie May is a friend of the world and they can't wait to invite you into their little freak mind palace.

Zraa is an Iraqi-Ottawan DJ with a passion for electro, techno, and indie dance music. Inspired by the underground scene and a love for dancing, she has pursued her artistic journey digging for different genres as she curates sets with sounds derived from her diasporic influences. Her musical taste includes fast percussions and grimy bass lines, striving to deliver immersive sonic experiences for her audience. Off the decks, she says, 'I love my downtime with a good book, cuddled up with my dog and cat, and with bokhoor/incense.'

The Velvet Duke (they/them) is a queer, Black, creator, producer, and facilitator from Toronto, based in Ottawa. In addition to their scripted socially-conscious productions, they're the creator-producer of popular improvisational shows ("All Request Radio", "Funny Heist”, “The Penultimatum”) touring international festivals. They're the creator of the Story Sharing program at Bruce House, and a member of Qu'Art, OMIC, Black Pledge Canada, and CANCOM

Xavior Kayvon Gough is an Ottawa-based African Nova Scotian singer-songwriter, musician, poet, and visual artist. Blending original music with spoken word and storytelling, his work explores identity, resilience, love, and belonging. Across stage and canvas, he creates relatable work rooted in lived experience and community connection.

C.E. Gatchalian (he/him) is a Filipino-Canadian queer writer, playwright, and editor born in Vancouver, now based in Toronto. His work explores race, sexuality, identity, and belonging. An award-winning author whose plays have been produced nationally and internationally, he is also the author of several books spanning prose, drama, and poetry. goes here

Chris Cowperthwaite is an Ottawa-based technologist and emerging digital artist exploring light, sound and vibration as creative media, from projection mapping to vibroacoustics. He is active in Ottawa’s queer community through projects like the Real Big Dills and Ten Oaks Project."

Hailing from Vancouver BC, Sacha has been writing music for over 25 years and plays ukulele, drums, and synthesizer. His music is inspired by a combination of influences from the theremin scores of 1950s science fiction films to modern progressive jazz from artists like Knower and JD Beck. Expect lush textural chords interwoven with arpeggiators and glitchy noises.