World Music - my/maSCENA

Browsing: World Music

Kleztory at Toronto Summer Music. Photo: Lucky Tang

Review | Kleztory Makes a Joyous Return to Toronto Summer Music

By Joseph So on 22 July 2026 Concert Reviews, Toronto, World Music

As a long-time Toronto Summer Music audience member going back to its earliest days, I have experienced many memorable moments of unforgettable music. One of the highlights has got to be my first Klezmer concert, performed by the Montreal-based Kleztory. That was back on July 22, 2019, almost exactly seven years ago. That 2019 concert was Kleztory’s first appearance at TSM. It was also my first exposure to this genre of high energy, exuberant music, and it left an indelible impression. It inspired me to read up on its history—that Klezmer is a Romani-inspired musical tradition founded by Ashkenazi Jews…

L-R: Raaginder & Rashmeet Kaur with band at Vancouver's Indian Summer Festival. Photo: Kaitlyn Chan

Review | Vancouver’s Indian Summer Festival: Inspiration is at Your Fingertips

By Kaitlyn Chan on 15 July 2026 Concert Reviews, Contemporary, Folk, Vancouver, Vocal, West, World Music

This year’s Indian Summer Festival demonstrates a beautiful truth: inspiration is all around. In the two concerts I attended, artists reinterpreted words from the songs they heard growing up, sampled melodies from film soundtracks, and translated the natural bioelectric signals of plants into audible sound. These concerts (seen July 11 & 13) offered a look into artists’ connections with their cultures, friends and family, and the natural world. In its mission statement, Indian Summer aims to “address a gap in Vancouver’s cultural landscape and to break stereotypical perceptions of South Asian art as ossified, traditional, and nostalgic”. After attending this…

Guitarists José Brites & Rodrigo Simões, singer Suzi Silva & percussionist Ziya Tabassian. Photo: Peter Graham

Review | VoixMonde: Fado Transports Audience to Portuguese Seaside

By Heather Weinreb on 18 June 2026 Concert Reviews, Montreal, Vocal, 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…

Newswire | Vancouver New Music Announces 2026-27 Season

By Newswire on 5 May 2026 Classical Music, Newswire, Vancouver, West, World Music

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…

Left: Denise Torre; Right: Dorothéa Ventura & Vincent Lauzer. Photo: Brenden Friesen

Les Idées heureuses: Chaconnes and the Taste of Chocolate

By Benjamin Goron on 3 April 2026 Baroque and Early, Chamber Music, Classical Music, Montreal, World Music

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…

Omar Sosa. Photo: Jon Razinger

Review | Vancouver, Get Up and Dance with SUBA Trio

By Kaitlyn Chan on 17 March 2026 Concert Reviews, Jazz, Piano, Strings, Vancouver, West, World Music

“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:…

Newswire | Call for Proposals for the 2028 Azrieli Music Prizes Now Open

By Newswire on 6 February 2026 Canadian Music, Music Competition, Newswire, Toronto, World Music

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…

Andrew Wells-Oberegger. Photo: Alex BG

La Nef: Folkdance, Ancient Style

By Nathalie de Han on 2 February 2026 Dance, Folk, Montreal, World Music

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…

Snow Bai (erhu) with Toronto Festival Orchestra conducted by Yong-yan Hu

Review | Li Delun Music Foundation Celebrates East-Meets-West

By Amanda Wong on 6 January 2026 Classical Music, Concert Reviews, Orchestral, Piano, Strings, Toronto, Vocal, World Music

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…

New Year’s Concert 2019 with conductor Xincao Li

Newswire | Li Delun Music Foundation Announces 2026 “East-Meets-West New Year’s Concert”

By Newswire on 8 December 2025 Chamber Music, Classical Music, Newswire, Piano, Toronto, Vocal, World Music

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…

1 2 3 … 11 Next

Current Issue

PDF HTML

Next Issue : September

Ad Deadline : Aug. 28, 2026

Past Issues, Subscriptions, Advertising