Toronto’s Nickel 9 Distillery is offering live music in their atmospheric space on the last Sunday of the month. On August 31, September 28, and October 26, they’ll be presenting classical music and more.
VC2 Cello Duo, cellist India Gailey, and the Trash Panda Brass Band will be performing.
Nickel 9 Distillery has been operating as a small batch producer of craft spirits, bitters, and syrups since 2017. They aim to be a hub for events and more in the historic Junction neighbourhood.
Here’s a look at the artists from August until October.
August 31: VC2
Cellists Amahl Arulanandam and Bryan Holt are VC2 Cello Duo, an ensemble who have made a name for their adventurous approach to performance and repertoire, which includes music that spans centuries. VC2 has performed and/or collaborated with ensembles such as the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Canadian Opera Company Orchestra, National Ballet of Canada Orchestra, Soundstreams, Art of Time Ensemble, Continuum Contemporary Music, New Music Concerts, Music in the Barns, Thin Edge New Music Collective, and Against the Grain Theatre, among others.
They have performed as featured artists at Toronto Summer Music Festival, Ottawa Chamberfest, The Harbourfront Centre, Indian River Festival, Ottawa New Music Creators, 21C Music Festival, Ritornello Festival, the Prairie Cello Institute and soundSCAPE Festival (Italy). VC2 has commissioned several new works from Canadian composers, including on their latest album.
September 28: India Gailey
Canadian cellist / improviser / composer / multidisciplinary artist India Gailey is known for work that crosses genres, including classical and experimental music. Gailey performs as a soloist, chamber musician and collaborator, and has worked with filmmakers, dancers, and visual artists as well as other musicians. She has worked with composers such as Philip Glass, Yaz Lancaster, Amy Brandon, Fjóla Evans, Michael Harrison, Leilehua Lanzilotti, Nicole Lizée, and Julia Mermelstein, among others.
Her album Problematica (People Places Records, 2024), includes music written for her by Canadian composers. Her release Butterfly Lightning Shakes the Earth (Redshift, 2024), which featured her own compositions, was nominated for a 2025 JUNO Award for Classical Album of the Year. The titular track, recorded with Symphony Nova Scotia, wond an East Coast Music Award for “Composer of the Year.”
October 26: Trash Panda Brass
Trash Panda Brass was formed in the summer of 2022 busking on the streets of Toronto, and that’s where their message of spreading queer and inclusive joy through music began. They’ve since performed at the TD Jazz Fest, DoWestFest, Cultivate festival, and the Distillery District Concert Series, along with educational workshops. At Queens University, the band served as guest panelists at on the topic of queer representation in post-secondary music.
They released a debut EP in 2023 titled Opposable Thumbs. The Trash Pandas arrange their own music, with an emphasis on upbeat queer hits.
The Details
The concerts all begin at 7 p.m. on the date in question.
- Location: Nickel 9 Distillery (90 Cawthra Ave #100, Toronto, ON M6N 3C2) Phone: (647) 341-5959
- Admission is by donation with a suggestion of $10 per person.
Keep up to date at their Instagram account here.
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