Hannah Naiman

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A singer, a caller, and multi-instrumentalist, Hannah Naiman plays clawhammer banjo, fiddle, ukelele and guitar.  Her work as a singer/songwriter earned her the Canadian Folk Music Award for Traditional Singer of the Year (2017). Hannah has travelled coast to coast in Canada and the US promoting “Know the Mountain” and her debut album, “Tether My Heart” (2013). Since moving to Northern Ontario four years ago, she has continued to develop her songwriting with support from the Ontario Arts Council, and grown her career as a children’s musician and music educator. Hannah has begun work on her third record, “Wheels Won’t Go;” featuring songs inspired by her move from Toronto to northern Ontario, the COVID pandemic, and her experience of new motherhoo.

Hannah comes from a long line of folk musicians and dancers, and has been dancing her entire life.  Her specialty is American Oldtime Squares- dances from Appalachia.   This includes teaching square dances, and children’s singing games, as well as clogging from that region.

Hannah began teaching folk dancing roughly 10 years ago, starting with Ontario Step Dancing, then ceilidh dances, contra dance, family dances, and squares.  She has called for dances across Eastern Ontario, Quebec and the USA

Hannah’s first children’s album, “Savez-vous plantez des choux?” (2002) was distributed to more than 10,000 babies across Ontario as part of the Early Years Literacy Kit. “Here We Go Zodeo”, an album recorded with Kathy Reid-Naiman, was nominated for a Canadian Folk Music Award and a SiriusXM Indie Award and was awarded a 2012 Parents’ Choice Gold Award. Hannah has just released a new children’s album, “Ça suffit pour s’amuser” which features French songs and singing games in a variety of different musical styles.

Hannah has been leading classes, workshops and concerts for over a decade. Hannah brings joy into the classroom through engaging songs and techniques that are accessible for all ages.  For many years, Hannah was a member of Mariposa in the Schools, an organization dedicated to bringing high quality music to school children in Ontario, and she helped develop curriculum with Le Petit Atelier, Toronto’s only french children’s music organization serving daycares and after school programs.