Due to the name this date bears (no not Wednesday) I wanted to give you a story about Canadian Women in Music but I decided against this because I am not Female and today is the day we should listen to that half of the population even more than we usually do.

So with that in mind, I offer you a short list of articles about Canadian women in music from female perspectives.

Beauty in the music of Canadian Women in Song at Peterborough Singers concert

Last week I was musing on how we Canadians must now, thoughtfully and assertively, create and strengthen our cultural and political reality in the next little while to counter what is happening to America.

And then on Saturday, I witnessed a stunning and unexpected demonstration of this very thing.

Out of local talent that is second to none anywhere in this country, and from a gem of an idea from my esteemed fellow columnist David Goyette, came a program of music that celebrated Canadian women, Canadian life, in a way I have never seen.

Carried to fulfillment by the brilliant husband and wife duo of Syd and Pam Birrell and the 100 trained voices of the Peterborough Singers, the concert, called Canadian Women in Song enthralled some 900 attendees at Calvary Church.

International Women’s Day: Celebrations highlight how much further we have to go

Today, March 8, is International Women’s Day (IWD), and many Canadians are celebrating what we believe to be achievements made by women, and the gains made for gender equality, in our country.

It is also a moment for us to remember heroines like the Famous Five Alberta women, whose petition to the Supreme Court of Canada led to women being legally considered “persons.” However, in the midst of our celebration, it is easy to forget that a notion of “inclusive” gender equality, embracing many different demographics of women in our communities including veiled Muslim women, indigenous women, women of colour, and others on the margins, remains an important and necessary goal.

It is easy to forget that it was one of the Famous Five, Emily Murphy, who remarked about Chinese Canadians: “We do not understand these people from the Orient, nor what ideas are hid behind their dark inscrutable faces.”

Celebrate female DJs and producers this International Women’s Day

If you’re a music junkie, you may have been invited to non-profit organization turn(the)tables on’s global International Women’s Day event. The Facebook event, A Call to Dedicate DJ Charts to Female Producers on International Women’s Day as a Pledge for Parity, is essentially inviting all stakeholders in the dance music industry to log on to their favourite music store or website on March 8, 2016, and create charts dedicated to female producers.

The non-profit’s intention is to take an honest look at inequalities within the industry, raise awareness about the gender gap and highlight the women and groups who are already pushing for positive change in this area.

Islamic hip-hop duo Deen Squad empower hijabi women with new single ‘Cover Girl’

The music art form of hip-hop is not usually associated with Islamic teachings, yet here is a group that is trying to bring the two worlds together.

In their first EP that was released on Sunday, Deen Squad feature influential hijabi women from all around the world for the music video of their single ‘Cover Girl’.

The Canadian group, who has been making waves with “halal remixes” since they began two years ago, released their single in celebration of International Women’s Day to empower Muslim women around the world.

“‘Cover Girl’ is about hijab empowerment, it’s to uplift the spirit of our sisters all around the world internationally,” Karter Zaher told Al Arabiya English.

The video features Ibtihaj Muhammad, the first American Olympian to compete in a hijab and won a bronze medal in the sabre-fencing event last year.

Who are your favourite Female Musicians, Producers, Sound Engineers?