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October 2018
Falun Dafa Association of Toronto | Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra
Falun Dafa Association of Toronto presents Music that Runs Millennia Deep Exquisite Chinese instruments meld with a grand Western orchestra in a perfect harmony of East and West. New York-based Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra blends the two musical traditions in what critics call a breakthrough in classical music. Western strings, percussion, woodwinds, and brass accentuate the melodies of soul-stirring ancient Chinese instruments like the plucked pipa and two-stringed erhu. Part of the renowned Shen Yun Performing Arts classical Chinese dance company that…
Find out more »Small World Music Society | Rumi Symphony Project
On Sunday October 21st at 7:00 pm, two of Iran's most celebrated musical artists return to Toronto after a four-year absence. Legendary singer Shahram Nazeri and his son, composer Hafez Nazeri will showcase new works and beloved classics in a concert at the Sony Centre, 1 Front St. East, presented by Small World Music & Link Music Lab. Information @ smallworldmusic.com and tickets at 1-855-872-SONY or Pegah Books : 416-223-0850 Khorak Supermarket 416-221-7558 Between them, Shahram and Hafez Nazeri constitute one of the most…
Find out more »January 2019
Canadian Opera Company | World Music Series: Kamancello
After a very successful European debut at the Cello Biennale Amsterdam, Kamancello will be kicking off 2019 with a FREE noon hour performance in the COC's beautiful Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre. Kamancello, comprised of Shahriyar Jamshidi and Raphael Weinroth-Browne, is an East-meets-West duo whose music transcends genres and cultural boundaries. Their highly evocative improvised performances unite the Kurdish kamanche with the classical cello while travelling beyond both musical traditions. The duo has made waves with performances at Montreal's Place des Arts…
Find out more »February 2019
Royal Conservatory | Lemon Bucket Orkestra and Aline Morales
“Adventurous, multicultural and amazing!” (The Wall Street Journal) “Toronto's most beloved global-folk party punks raucous and hot-blooded live show” (Exclaim Magazine) is "amazing, frenetic, gloriously anarchic and ultimately joyous!” (Winnipeg Free Press) The guerilla-punk-Balkan-folk-brass band that started on the streets of Toronto has amassed a battalion of like-minded musical souls and become a full-blown Orkestra. Lemon Bucket shares the evening with Aline Morales, dynamic Juno Award-nominated Brazilian singer, percussionist, bandleader, and member of KUNÉ – Canada’s Global Orchestra. Tickets, here.
Find out more »April 2019
Attila Glatz Concert Productions | Zoltan Maga
Dazzling music by Hungary’s foremost violinist and his fiery orchestra: the Budapest Gypsy Virtuosi. Fiery music brought to life through the flair and passion of Hungary’s preeminent violin virtuoso, Zoltán Mága. As a crossover artist, Zoltán is equally at home in classical repertoire as he is with pop and Hungarian folk. Over his career he has shared the stage with 16-time Grammy-winner David Foster, Ekaterina Lekhina, Julia Novikova, Kristin Chenoweth, Kenneth Babyface Edmonds, Aida Garifullina,and Shlomo Mintz, was featured on a…
Find out more »July 2019
Toronto Summer Music | Crossings: In the Footsteps of the Griot
Ensemble Constantinople with Ablaye Cissoko For five years, the musicians of Montréal’s middle eastern/early music group, Constantinople, and a griot (pronounced “gree-oh”; a West African storyteller), Ablaye Cissoko, have been touring the stages of the world with their program, Itinerant Gardens. This ongoing collaboration has produced captivating new works, the fruit of dialogue and communion between the four artists. Their TSM program crosses land and sea, conveying us from the East to the New World by way of Africa. Constantinople continues its international musical explorations through…
Find out more »Toronto Summer Music | KLEZTORY
For nearly 20 years now KLEZTORY has wandered across the globe playing klezmer music. Like the music itself, KLEZTORY takes its musical influences from the band members who have come together from across the world. Although deeply rooted in the Jewish tradition KLEZTORY takes the liberty of adding their own personality and infusing their arrangements with hints of jazz, a touch of classical, or a few drops of the blues. From China to Brazil, from Norway to Mexico, across Eastern…
Find out more »October 2019
Canadian Opera Company | Free Concert Series: Cultural Crossroads
WORLD MUSIC SERIES The Korean Traditional Music Association of Canada (KTMAC) brings the richness of Korean traditional music to the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre in a performance that features a variety of string, wind and percussion instruments. By blending traditional and contemporary music, they are able to transport ancient sounds into a modern context.
Find out more »November 2019
Royal Conservatory | Carminho and Pilar
Two powerhouse singers in an unforgettable night of Portuguese fado and Italian cabaret. Platinum-selling Portuguese artist Carminho is one of the most outstanding and heartfelt voices to come out of the fado resurgence. Italian singer, lyricist, and actress, Pilar blends Italian singer-songwriter tradition with jazz, folk, pop, and theatrical flourishes, backed by a Toronto all-star band featuring Michael and Roberto Occhipinti. After the concert, enjoy a beverage and more music at the Postlude Performance. Tickets, here.
Find out more »Royal Conservatory | Formidable! Aznavour – The Story of a Legend
Following their sold-out Koerner Hall performance of Piaf! The Show, this new production brings us into the streets of Paris at the time of La bohème, to tell the story of Charles Aznavour’s incredible career. Surrounded by five French musicians, Jules Grison embodies, lives, and vibrates to the rhythm of music, transported by lyrics, all in the tradition of the great French song. Tickets, here.
Find out more »January 2020
Royal Conservatory | 21C Music Festival: Zane Dalal conducts the Royal Conservatory Orchestra with Zakir Hussain, John Patitucci, Danilo Pérez, and Brian Blade
Legendary tabla master, Zakir Hussain, and jazz trailblazer/bassist, John Patitucci, bring an extraordinary program conducted by Zane Dalal, Associate Music Director of the Symphony Orchestra of India. Hear the Canadian premiere of Hussain’s tabla concerto, Peshkar, and the world premiere of Patitucci’s Hypocrisy for orchestra and jazz trio, featuring Danilo Pérez on piano, Brain Blade on drums, and Patitucci on bass. The concert will open with an improvisation by Hussain and the trio. The Glenn Gould School (GGS)’s Royal Conservatory Orchestra (RCO) is…
Find out more »March 2020
Esprit Orchestra | Taiko Returns
Ishii demands physical power, delicate precision, emotional strength and willpower from our guest taiko drummers to make Mono-Prism the explosive conclusion of our concert. Goddard’s musical mastery extends to his performance as a pianist in what is, for the composer, a project of passion that Esprit is thrilled to foster. Astapov brings his Russian heritage to the fore in setting a text by one of today’s most important under-forty Russian poets. Croall’s presence as a performer brings a powerful Anishinaabekwe plea for…
Find out more »April 2021
KITCHENER-WATERLOO SYMPHONY | iskwē with the KWS [*New Date]
iskwē with the KWS Andrei Feher, conductor Indigenous artist, musician, and creator iskwē joins the KWS for a collaboration featuring music from her latest award-winning album, acākosīk, and previous acclaimed releases. A collection of sonic explorations that blur the lines between sources and styles, acākosīk incorporates more intense and urgent tinges of alternative, post-rock, and even industrial. The cohesive-yet-combustible result tips a cap to modern innovators like Florence + The Machine and FKA twigs while simultaneously borrowing sounds accumulated over…
Find out more »June 2021
Royal Conservatory | Kobo Town and Wesli
LINEUP CHANGE: Kobo Town has replaced Mokoomba. This online concert was originally scheduled for Wednesday, April 14, 2021. Montreal-based Haitian musician Wesli won the 2019 Juno Award for Best World Music Album. Concert link HERE.
Find out more »August 2021
Music Mondays | Papalote
Papalote (Larry Lewis - tres/guitar/vocals, Neil Gardiner - trombone/piano/vocals, Marcus Chonsky - percussion,Ted Sankey - bass, and special guest Jonno Lightstone - flute/clarinet) is a Toronto-based Latin music group that has created a unique sound and repertoire rooted in the Cuban tradition of Son Montuno, with its seductive blend of folkloric poetry and complex rhythms: the Cha-cha-cha, Nengon and Son. Musically, Papalote balances rural and urban traditions within the genre. More than interpretive, their adaptive approach and stylistic innovations resonate…
Find out more »September 2021
Canadian Stage | Dream In High Park: An Evening with Jeremy Dutcher
Come down to High Park a concert by the incomparable Polaris Prize-winning performer, composer, activist, and musicologist Jeremy Dutcher. A member of Tobique First Nation of New Brunswick and trained in the western operatic traditional, Dutcher’s music playfully integrates classical influences into traditional songs of his Wolastoqiyik Nation people. An intimate evening under the stars, this will be a rare opportunity to commune with one of the most exciting and essential artists in the country.
Find out more »Small World Music | Andrew Kay & Ravi Naimpally
Presented by Small World Music, in partnership with Raag-Mala Toronto, as a part of 25 for 25 - Small World Music's 25th Anniversary Program Recorded live at the Small World Centre, this performance provides an immersion into Indian Classical Music and showcases a Jugalbandi (duet), from the outstanding presenters. Accompanying Pankaj Mishra (Sarangi) and Andrew Kay (Saxophone & Himalayan Singing Bowls), is Abbas Janmohammed (Tabla). Both Andrew & Abbas are accomplished alumni of SWM’s eMERGEnce artist-development program. This event is…
Find out more »November 2021
Canadian Opera Company | Espiral by OKAN (online)
With a name that means “heart” in the Afro-Cuban religion of Santeria, the Toronto-based women-led group OKAN crafts songs that explore immigration, courage, and love. Having received JUNO, Canadian Folk Music, and Independent Music Award nominations for their debut album Sombras, OKAN's sophomore offering, Espiral delves deeper into the group's rich Cuban roots, finding renewed inspiration in that musical heritage. In this concert, OKAN performs selections from Espiral, their 2021 Juno Award-winning album, fusing jazz, folk, and global rhythms with Afro-Cuban roots.…
Find out more »March 2022
Royal Conservatory | Galilee Chamber Orchestra, Saleem Abboud Ashkar, and Jon Kimura Parker
Conducted by Saleem Abboud Ashkar, the 35-musician Galilee Chamber Orchestra broke ground as the first professional orchestra in Israel comprised of equal Jewish and Palestinian members. Ashkar came to prominence as a soloist with Daniel Barenboim’s West East Divan Orchestra. This concert marks their first appearance in Canada. Known for his passionate artistry and engaging stage presence,Canadian pianist (and RCM alum) Jon Kimura Parker is “insightful, energetic” (The New York Times), with “absolutely top-notch music-making, as fine as one could ever expect…
Find out more »July 2022
Toronto Summer Music Festival | Zuleykha
Journey back to historical times with Zuleykha, a new opera from Loose Tea Music Theatre by composer Afarin Mansouri. This opera upends the traditional narrative of Potiphar’s wife as a sinner and seducer of the Prophet Joseph, exploring instead a story of how she had to overcome a male dominant society to discover her true inner voice. Sung in the Farsi language and featuring traditional Eastern music within the European operatic tradition. Afarin Mansouri, composer and librettist Alaina Viau, dramaturg, producer,…
Find out more »Toronto Summer Music Festival | Kleztory
Airat Ichmouratov (Leader), clarinet, bass clarinet and duclar Elvira Misbakhova, violin and viola Mark Peetsma, double-bass Mélanie Bergeron, accordion Raphaël D’Amour, guitar David Ryshpan, piano Kleztory embodies, with passion and virtuosity, the music originating from Eastern European shtetlech—small Eastern European villages or ghettos in Yiddish. Like the music they perform with brio, Kleztory is a rich mosaic of cultures and musical orientations (Russian, Québécois, Canadian), with different training (conservatory, self-taught) and diverse musical sensibilities (classical, contemporary, jazz, blues, traditional, country, and folk). Their uplifting shows, peppered…
Find out more »October 2022
Royal Conservatory of Music | Farruquito
Farruquito (Juan Manuel Fernández Montoya), heir to the most renowned flamenco dynasty, is the “greatest flamenco dancer of this new century” (The New York Times). His performances are powerful, raw, true expressions of pure flamenco.
Find out more »March 2023
The Royal Conservatory of Music | DakhaBrakha
Reflecting fundamental elements of sound and soul, DakhaBrakha (which means “give/take” in the old Ukrainian language) creates a world of unexpected new music.
Find out more »March 2024
The Royal Conservatory of Music | Sona Jobarteh and Taj Mahal
With her shimmering 21-string kora melodies and distinctive voice, Sona Jobarteh is “a griot for a new generation of West Africans” (BBC).
Find out more »April 2024
The Royal Conservatory of Music | Ladysmith Black Mambazo
The Grammy Award-winning South African ensemble makes their fourth appearance in Koerner Hall. Founded in the early 1960s by the late Joseph Shabalala, they catapulted to global fame through their collaboration with Paul Simon on his album Graceland.
Find out more »The Royal Conservatory of Music | Oumou Sangaré
Hailed as “one of the great queens of Malian music” (Rolling Stone), charismatic Grammy and UNESCO Award-winning vocalist Oumou Sangaré’s music is defiantly uplifting, full of buoyant West African grooves, hypnotic melodicism, and her joyful, soulful voice.
Find out more »
