Rhythms of Canada 2024: Performances

Date: June 29-July 1, 2024

Learn more about the exciting Rhythms of Canada Festival performers and performances.

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Saturday, June 29

 

Toronto Chinese Orchestra Presented by the Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Toronto
12 pm | Nanji Family Foundation Auditorium

 

The Toronto Chinese Orchestra (TCO) is the longest-running Chinese orchestra in Canada. They will perform pieces highlighting the rich and diverse cultural heritage of Chinese music.

 

The Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Toronto (CCC) is a vibrant multicultural hub in Canada with three decades of experience serving a diverse community. CCC takes pride in taking the leadership role when it comes to promoting and preserving Chinese culture and heritage in the context of Canadian society.

 

Performances Presented by the Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Toronto
2:30 pm | Nanji Family Foundation Auditorium

 

 

Experience an exciting performance showcase featuring:

• Martial Arts by Wayland Li Wushu Centre,
• Chinese dance performances
• Modern Taichi by Oleksii Kachan
• Face Change artist

The Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Toronto (CCC) is a vibrant multicultural hub in Canada with three decades of experience serving a diverse community. CCC takes pride in taking the leadership role when it comes to promoting and preserving Chinese culture and heritage in the context of Canadian society.

 

Nagata Shachu
3:45 pm | Park Stage

 

Toronto-based Nagata Shachu has enthralled audiences with their mesmerizing and heart-pounding performances of the Japanese drum (taiko) since 1998. The group has toured widely throughout Canada, the U.S., and Italy, and has performed at major engagements in both Lebanon and Mexico. While rooted in the folk drumming traditions of Japan, the ensemble’s principal aim is to rejuvenate this ancient artform by producing innovative and exciting music that seeks to create a new voice for the taiko.

 

Follow Nagata Shachu on Facebook

 

Lion Dance Presented by the Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Toronto
4:30 pm | Aga Khan Park

 

 

Experience a traditional Lion Dance — a dance believed to drive away bad spirits and negative energies, as well as usher in good luck and prosperity.

 

The Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Toronto (CCC) is a vibrant multicultural hub in Canada with three decades of experience serving a diverse community. CCC takes pride in taking the leadership role when it comes to promoting and preserving Chinese culture and heritage in the context of Canadian society.

 

 

Shaho Andalibi Ensemble
5 pm | Nanji Family Foundation Auditorium

 

Big Smoke Brass
6:15 pm | Park Stage

 

 

Born on the streets of Toronto in 2017, Big Smoke Brass is a leading voice in the Canadian brass landscape. With hundreds of performances under their belt, the band is equally comfortable on the streets, in clubs, at events, at festivals, or on the road. Their polished, high-energy sound is unmistakable and has captivated audiences all over, leading to numerous web and television appearances, shows alongside international artists, and a growing discography of original music and videos. The band maintains a busy performance schedule throughout the year, all while endeavouring to spread positivity and foster community with their listeners and the next generation of musicians.

 

Learn more about Big Smoke Brass
Follow Big Smoke Brass on Instagram

 

 

Sunday, June 30

 

Bollywood Dance Workout Workshop with AG Dance Fitness
Park Stage
FREE | Sunday, June 30 | 11–11:30 am | All ages

 

 

AG Dance Fitness is an emerging dance company based in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). Their dynamic classes combine high-intensity Bollywood-style workouts with elements of jazz, hip-hop, and traditional Indian classical dance. With studios conveniently located in Milton and Brampton, they have welcomed over 100 enthusiastic members who are reaping the stress-relieving benefits of their classes, led by lead Instructor AnupamZ, who has over 10 years of experience in the dance industry.

 

Follow AG Fance Fitness on Instagram

 

Alpha Rhythm Roots
3:45 pm | Park Stage

 

Originally from Guinea, West Africa, Alpha, the founder and artistic director of Alpha Rhythm Roots, has been spreading the joyfully infectious sounds of Mandé percussion from his base in Toronto for over twenty years. Along the way, he has taught countless students of all ages and provided traditional instruments for students and other clients near and far. Alpha will be performing alongside his fellow drummers, offering a rich banquet of interlocking grooves that are the hallmarks of West African percussion traditions.

 

Learn more about Alpha Rhythm Roots
Follow Alpha Rhythm Roots on Instagram, X, and Facebook

 

Running Rivers
5 pm | Nanji Family Foundation Auditorium

 

 

Combining elements of Western classical music, jazz, funk, and blues with South Asian classical and folk traditions, Running Rivers combines unique colours, moods, and resonance from their varied palettes of expression and experience. Running Rivers' unique sound is rooted in understanding, humility, insignificance, and a celebration of the collective human experience. 

Follow Running Rivers on Instagram

 

Kazdoura
6:15 pm | Park Stage

 

 

Toronto-based band Kazdoura fuzes nostalgia and reinvention in their modern interpretation of Arabic music. Their style is a cross-cultural blend of Eastern and Western music that combines old-world Arabic classics with jazz, funk, electro-pop, and disco. This project was founded in the summer of 2020, quickly finding success online, where their videos have collected more than 3 million views on Tik Tok. In June 2022, Kazdoura released their debut EP "Wain," which received support from the Ontario Arts Council, CBC, Danny Hajjar’s popular Sa'alouni El Nas Substack, and featured on Habibi Funk’s popular Spotify playlist.

Learn more about Kazdoura
Follow Kazdoura on Instagram

 

Monday, July 1

 

Band of the Royal Regiment of Canada
Canada Day Ceremony | 10:30 am | Park Stage

 

 

The Band of The Royal Regiment of Canada is based at Fort York in Toronto and has a continuous tradition reaching back to 1863, making it the oldest permanently formed military band in Canada. A decree by Queen Victoria authorized the Regiment to wear the distinctive scarlet uniform and bearskin cap of the "Guards" on all ceremonial occasions. The Band appears at various functions across Canada and internationally. The Band is under the musical direction of Captain Kevin Anderson, CD, Director of Music and is led on parade by Drum Major Steven Yasinsky.

 

The Band performs by kind permission of Lieutenant-Colonel Peter Martinis, MB, CD, Commanding Officer.

 

Toronto Klezmer Society
 1:15 pm | Park Stage

 

Maracatu
3:45 pm | Park Stage

 

PASSARIM
5 pm | Nanji Family Foundation Auditorium

 

PASSARIM celebrates the art of Brazilian composer Antonio Carlos Jobim, the creator of Bossa Nova, in a classy and modern tribute, framed through carefully adapted arrangements using synthesizers, vocal effects, and electric guitars. The project started in 2017, celebrating the 30th anniversary of Jobim's first gold album Passarim (1987). In their first international tour, the group will perform in Toronto, Montreal, and Ottawa, as well as the maritime provinces of New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island.

 

Follow PASSARIM on Instagram

 

More details coming soon!

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The Museum’s Performing Arts programming is generously supported by the Nanji Family Foundation.