Hi, my name is Janet Evans, and I’m fundraising for my son, Tyler Evans-Knott, a dedicated Anishinaabe flutist whose current instrument is failing. Tyler has played flute for 17 years, and he now needs a professional (gold) flute so he can continue auditioning, performing, and pursuing the next stage of his music career.

The video above features Tyler performing "Birds" (Beeftink), as a member of The Gardellino Trio (Victoria Conservatory of Music, 2025).

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Tyler picked up the flute when he was nine years old and never put it down.

For 17 years, he has practiced two to five hours a day, moved across the country for music, auditioned, performed, composed, earned scholarships, and built his life around becoming a professional orchestral musician.

Now, at one of the most important turning points in his career, the flute that carried him this far can’t carry him any further.

You see, Tyler has a physiological condition that causes his body chemistry to react with the silver plating on his flute. His instrument is now tarnishing and pitting from the inside out — affecting the keys, tone, responsiveness, and long-term reliability. His repair technician has confirmed that the flute is on its last legs.

For a professional-level flutist, this is not cosmetic. It directly affects his ability to perform and audition at the level required.

Tyler needs a professional gold flute, which is far more resistant to the reaction damaging his current instrument. It will also give him the projection, warmth, range, and reliability needed for the concert halls and audition rooms he is stepping into.

The cost, including setup and taxes, is approximately $16,000+.

Tyler is Anishinaabe, autistic, and deeply committed to classical music — a space that has not always been built for people like him. But he has shown up anyway, every single day, with extraordinary discipline and heart.

His accomplishments already speak for themselves. He has performed as a featured flute soloist with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra at the Orpheum Theatre, was part of The Path Forward, a historic collaboration with the VSO and Coast Salish host nations, and was featured in CBC News Indigenous.

He was selected as a fellow at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity’s Classical Indigenous Music Residency, where he composed and premiered his first original work. He has performed with the Victoria Symphony, Vancouver Island Symphony, and at major Indigenous arts and reconciliation events. He has received multiple awards, scholarships, and festival honours.

Most recently, Tyler was accepted into McGill University’s Schulich School of Music and is preparing for major auditions and opportunities this coming year, including the Glenn Gould School, McGill, and additional performance pathways in Victoria and Vancouver.

He has also applied to ‘Reverie: The Indigenous Music Residency’ — a month-long opportunity for four Indigenous musicians from across Canada to create, perform, and record new work.

Every one of these opportunities requires a fully functioning, professional-grade instrument.

Tyler is pursuing grants and funding wherever possible, but instrument funding is limited, competitive, and slow. He needs this flute before these next doors open — not after.

If you believe in Indigenous artists being heard on major stages, if you believe in neurodivergent artists finding their path, or if you have ever been moved by live music, please consider helping Tyler take this next step.

Every donation brings him closer to walking into the next audition room with an instrument that finally matches the music he hears in his head.

Every share helps this story reach someone who may be moved by it.

With deep gratitude,

Janet Evans

On behalf of Tyler Evans-Knott

Victoria, BC