“Clearly, Carmen Braden is an exceptional artist with distinct stories and music that Canadians, and the world, need to hear.”- John Miller, Artistic Producer, Stratford Summer Music
Juno-nominated contemporary composer and singer/songwriter Carmen Braden is a dynamic force in the world of new music, hailing proudly from Yellowknife NWT. Carmen is a “multi-talented artist” (BK on the Scene) recognized as an “acoustic ambassador of the Canadian Subarctic” (Musicworks). She has played intimate theatres and main stage folk festivals, and smoothly jumps between genres of songwriting and composing. Her contemporary classical compositions are nationally recognized, with commissions and performances by world class ensembles and performers including the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, James Ehnes and the Canadian Chamber Choir.
Carmen has released four studio albums: A Hard Light (2024), Seed Songs (2021), Songs of the Invisible Summer Stars (2019) and Ravens (2017). Carmen has been nationally recognized, with compositions on Juno-nominated albums in 2025 and 2026, and winning the Western Canadian Music Award for Classical Composer of the Year in both 2020 and 2019. Additional nominations include Classical Album of the Year 2020 (East Coast Music Award - Songs of the Invisible Summer Stars), Classical Artist of the Year (WCMA 2019), and Classical Composition of the Year (WCMA 2017).
About her music: “a spacious and rich journey into how we as humans internalize and connect to our environment (The Sound Cafe - for Seed Songs) “Braden’s music is clear, and it is bright…this recording is captured psychogeography.” (Whole Note - for Songs of the Invisible Summer Stars); and her songwriting: is “quirky and clever…à la Joni Mitchell” (The WholeNote - for Ravens).
Carmen performs her quirky folk songs with chamber-pop ensembles. From intimate theatre stages to folkfest mainstages, Carmen brings sincerity and curiosity to her live performances.
As an educator, Carmen regularly gives workshops, individual instruction, guest lectures and collaboration facilitation ranging from elementary-level to university graduate level, both online and in-person.