Browsing: World Music

On June 16, the VoixMonde concert series, which presents traditional music of Montreal’s immigrant communities, continued with a performance of Portuguese fado at le 9e (Eaton Centre). Literally translated to “destiny,” or “fate,” fado songs evoke a sense of longing and nostalgia in listeners.  What you missed As singer Suzi Silva sang of lost mariners, and the lovers who longed for them, the audience was immersed in the atmosphere of a salty seaside Portuguese tavern. She artfully described the content of each song’s lyrics before performing them, and was a very effective storyteller for this music. As a singer, she…

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VANCOUVER, BC – Vancouver New Music’s 2026-27 season gathers a remarkable group of artists from across the world – Japan, Korea, Egypt, Australia, US, Canada – each with a distinct cultural identity and singular instrumental voice. In their unique ways, they explore experimental performance practices at the intersection of acoustic and electronic sound. Our exciting new season launches with the highly anticipated first night of the VNM Festival: Open Frequencies featuring Kuniko Kato Quartet (Japan) performing a program celebrating Steve Reich’s 90th birthday. The program will showcase Reich’s complex and beautiful percussion compositions in new adaptations specially curated by Kato…

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With Chaconne et chocolat : délectations espagnoles, Les Idées heureuses continues a musical adventure it began a few years ago. Its theme: the fascinating chaconne. Having explored France, Germany, Italy and England, this new program invites audiences on a trip to Spain with a few detours to South America, cradle of many artistic influences that have nourished this musical form. The heart of the project is the richness and diversity of the chaconne. “The chaconne as a dance and an instrumental form is rather a chameleon: you can enter into all sorts of emotions, choose any genre, discover music that’s very…

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“There are three things you have to do as a professional performer,” said kora-player and singer Seckou Keita during SUBA Trio’s concert at the Chan Centre (March 13). “One, make the audience smile. … Two, make the audience dance. … Three, make the audience cry. Tears of joy!” While I may not have cried, I couldn’t help smiling and dancing throughout this dynamic and cross-cultural event. SUBA Trio—Seckou Keita, Omar Sosa and Gustavo Ovalles—delivered a memorable night that left the audience buzzing and eager for more. As the lights dimmed, one’s eyes were drawn to the various instruments on stage:…

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Toronto, ON, Canada, February 5, 2026 – The Azrieli Music, Arts and Culture Centre (AMACC) has opened its Call for Proposals for the 2028 Azrieli Music Prizes (AMP). Created in 2014 by Dr. Sharon Azrieli CQ for the Azrieli Foundation, the Azrieli Music Prizes celebrate excellence in music composition. From February 4 through May 6, 2026, composers are encouraged to submit proposals for three commissions: the Azrieli Commission for Jewish Music, the Azrieli Commission for Canadian Music, and the Azrieli Commission for International Music. The Prizes are open to composers of all nationalities, genders, faiths and backgrounds, and it is completely free to apply. “With each…

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Returning from a master class in Austria, Andrew Wells-Oberegger proposed the idea of a program of balfolk—Aufregend! Exaltant!—to Claire Gignac, artistic director of La Nef. It is inspired by traditional dances and music from Austria, France and Sweden that date back to the 18th and 19th centuries. Wells-Oberegger’s Déjouer le glas was nominated for concert of the year at the 29th Opus Awards Gala. For his La Nef show, he draws on the form and rhythm of period tunes, adding in contemporary accents to render them timeless. From his Austrian travels, Wells-Oberegger brought back a bock—or Bohemian bagpipe—and it is…

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With the new year comes a host of celebrations, and the Li Delun Music Foundation’s East-Meets-West New Year’s Concert is no exception. An impressive and relatively ad hoc Toronto Festival Orchestra gathered to play a program of—you guessed it—both Eastern (primarily Chinese) and Western music to ring in the new year.  Named for Li Delun (1917-2001), the pioneering Chinese conductor, the foundation carries forward his lifelong mission to make classical music universally accessible, without age or socioeconomic discrimination. Throughout the latter half of the 20th century, Li helped bridge Eastern and Western classical traditions—a legacy the foundation honours through its…

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Celebrate the arrival of the New Year with the Li Delun Music Foundation’s unforgettable musical celebration—an artistic, cultural, and emotional journey that has become a cherished Toronto tradition. Since its establishment in 2003, the annual New Year’s Concert has become one of the most anticipated cultural celebrations for overseas Chinese communities and is part of the global Happy Chinese New Year celebrations. The 2026 performance marks the 19th edition of this signature event, continuing its mission of showcasing cultural harmony through music. This 2026 Concert Celebrates the Year of the Horse with musical selections connecting historical, cultural, and mythical imagery…

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Montréal, November 27, 2025 — Traquen’Art is proud to present in Montreal the latest monumental creation by Jordi Savall, Un mar de músicas 1440–1880, a sweeping musical and historical journey spanning four centuries of Atlantic memory. This exceptional Montreal and Quebec premier will bring together some thirty artists from Europe, Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean on the stage of the Maison symphonique on Saturday, April 18, 2026, at 8 p.m. With this powerful and evocative musical fresco, the Catalan maestro — an essential figure of the viol and a pioneer of historical performance — explores the Atlantic as a…

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Since its creation in 1989, Ensemble Caprice has lived several lives, crossed continents, and continually reached ever-greater heights, reaching the size of a large orchestra that, depending on the project, is also capable of returning to more intimate dimensions, similar to the spirit of its beginnings. Their 2025-26 season perfectly illustrates these multiple facets, often reflecting their two contrasting venues. Performances at the large Maison symphonique and the intimate Le 9e, a new hall on the Montreal Eaton Centre’s art-deco style restored ninth floor, are symbolic of the musical treasures that this versatile ensemble seeks to bring to light. Ensemble…

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