Evie Mark is a throat singer, seamstress and filmmaker from Ivujivik, Nunavik who currently resides in Montreal, QC. Raised by her grandparents, who taught her about her cultural heritage and throat singing; Mark first started learning the practice at age 11, from her Inuktitut language teacher. Mark gave her first public performance at age 18 during a multicultural week, which initiated her professional career as a singer [1].
When speaking about the resurgence of throat singing Mark has said, “I think it was so strong that it didn't want to die. So, I think it is coming back to us” [2]. Mark engages with contemporary innovations in her throat singing and is driven to continue her community’s traditions as well as learn about other regional styles. Mark has toured nationally and internationally as a performer, notably with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra’s (OSM) production Tusarnituuq! Nagano In The Land Of The Inuit (2009) [3]. Another notable performance was at a ceremony held at the Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal in which throat singing was recognized as a form of intangible heritage under the Cultural Heritage Act [4].
In addition to her music career, Evie Mark has a background in television production, filmography and journalism. She received a creative arts degree from John Abbott College in Montreal, QC in 1996 and continued her studies at the Banff Centre, AB [5]. In 2007 Mark directed the documentary Ullumi (Today) that examines changes around identity and cultural autonomy that have occurred within Inuit communities in Nunavik and Nunavut as a result of the Internet and globalization as told through the perspective of four young Inuit [6].
Mark is an active teacher and cultural liaison. She has helped to lead youth cultural programs in the Torngat Mountains, NL and at Aqpik Jam in Kuujjuaq, Nunavik. Mark has worked as an educator for the Kativik School Board (KSB), the Nunavik Regional Board of Health and Social Services (NRBHSS) and has acted as an interpreter for the KSB, NRBHSS and the Makivik Corporation [7]. She currently teaches Inuktitut and Arts at Nunavik Sivunitsavut in Montreal, QC and continues to travel for her throat singing performances [8].