Curated by Canada’s Music Incubator (CMI), TO Live’s Studio Sessions will features KUNÉ on April 2. KUNÉ means “together” in Esperanto, and the ensemble is a collective of immigrant musicians from Iraq, Cuba, Peru, Burkina Faso, and China, alongside one Métis Canadian artist.
TO Live Studio Sessions are cabaret-style concerts that take place in the Studio Theatre of the Meridian Arts Centre, and focus on showcasing the broad diversity of Toronto’s music community. The intimate vibe brings audiences closer to the artists, and their stories.
Toronto is one of the world’s most diverse cities, and many immigrants bring musical skills and traditions that don’t fit into the mainstream music scene of classical, pop, country, and hip hop. The members of KUNÉ perform with artistic practices that reflect the real Toronto.
The instruments they perform on, such as the tar, dizi, cajón, and ngoni, don’t typically come together on the same stage. That’s the Toronto element — where all those cultures and traditions can blend together to create truly original music.
KUNÉ
KUNÉ’s history began at the Royal Conservatory of Music, and with Mervon Mehta, Executive Director of Performing Arts, and his desire to create an ensemble that reflected the people he saw in downtown Toronto everyday.
About 150 immigrant musicians were auditioned for the ensemble, and 12 were chosen for its inaugural configuration. The cohort included 11 newcomers to Canada, and one Métis Canadian whose ancestors lived in this country long before the first European ships arrived.
KUNÉ was launched in December 2016 with David Buchbinder as artistic director, and the ensemble recorded their first album in 2018, which was released by Universal Music.
Today, the ensemble performs with 11 musicians from Iraq to Burkina Faso, Peru and China, alongside one Métis-Canadian artist. Traditions are not forgotten or subsumed; the varied backgrounds of the musicians become the basis for a dialogue, and a community of music and blended sound worlds.
KUNÉ transitioned into an independent musicians’ collective and a not-for-profit organization in 2021. It shifted the direction of the ensemble toward creation that was self-direction, along with a bigger push for community engagement and education that supported immigrant musicians beyond its own members.
They recorded their second album “Universal Echoes” in 2023.
In 2025, KUNÉ became a hub for immigrant musicians, fuelled by research, community programming and artistic residencies.
Details
KUNÉ’s upcoming concert with TO Live was curated by Canada’s Music Incubator (CMI). CMI has supported more than 1,800 artists and music professional across the country since its inception in 2012. The goal is to help artists develop sustainable careers in Canada, and the organization works towards its goals through a variety of initiatives, including its flagship Artist Entrepreneur Program.
Alumni of the program include 2026 JUNO-nominated artists Noeline Hofmann, Jutes, Sebastian Gaskin, Cassie & Maggie, Aysanabee, and Anthony Delesandro.
Studio Sessions: Canada’s Music Incubator presents KUNÉ is also presented in partnership with the City of Toronto.
The concert takes place April 2 at Meridian Arts Centre, Studio Theatre.
- Find tickets and other show details [HERE].
Are you looking to promote an event? Have a news tip? Need to know the best events happening this weekend? Send us a note.
#LUDWIGVAN
Get the daily arts news straight to your inbox.