As Small World Music celebrates its 20th year, we’re proud to be part of the greater movement to bring culturally diverse music to Toronto audiences. Going forward, we want to do even more – for audiences, artists and the community. To that end, we’re pleased to join with 11 of this city’s formidable live music presenters through our latest project –  Polyphonic Ground. It’s the promise of more innovative programming, amazing special events, and opportunities to discover.

Polyphonic Ground will launch with an inspiring monthly double-bill series presented by a new combination of presenters each time. We’re delighted to bring you the inaugural event on September 14 to open our 16th annual Small World Music Festival. More details to come soon.

Join us in building Toronto as a place where the music of the world is celebrated and shared – where the bands on stage reflect the diversity of the people who live here!

Connect with Polyphonic Ground on Facebook, follow @PolyphonicTO and #HearToronto!

As we look forward to next week’s Mbongwana Star Toronto debut, we’re pleased to be able to announce an added special event! Join us at the Small World Music Centre the night before, on Tuesday evening, for a FREE screening of Benda Bilili! the documentary about the legendary band that gave birth to ‘the Star.’ And members of the band will be on hand for an insightful Q&A with the audience.

“Benda Bilili! is a film about outcasts who defy a system that defines them as marginal. It is not a musical film, but the band’s songs complement the narrative. Every problem encountered by the Staff Benda Bilili group gives rise to a song they then try out on the streets.” – Directors Renaud Barret and Florent de la Tullaye

The film premiered at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival Directors Fortnight, and was nominated for Best Documentary at the 2011 César Awards, the national film award of France.

While this event is free, space is limited, so reserve your seat here. And tickets are going quickly for the Wednesday concert, so don’t miss out on the advance price!

Sunday at the Centre, our friend George Koller has assembled a compelling program under the name Songs of Gaia. It starts with traditional songs and chants from the Sakha Republic of Siberia sung by renowned Saina, who specializes in the ‘khomus’ (mouth harp) and has sung in 25 different languages. The evening mixes improvisation with traditional elements, featuring a crack quartet of George Koller, Jocelyn Barth, David Restivo & Bruce Cassidy.

We’re counting down to the new sound of Kinshasa hitting Toronto – Mbongwana Star are at the Great Hall in under 2 weeks! Their North American tour includes many of the major festivals and we’re lucky to have them in such an intimate setting. Warming up the dance floor is Small World’s resident ethnomixologist, DJ medicineman, set to unleash a rare-groove set of vintage global beats. Tickets are selling fast for the 19th, so be sure to secure yours for what promises to be the hottest show of the summer! Here is “Malukayi (feat. Konono No.1)” for a glorious reminder of what they are capable of.

This weekend, the embarrassment of musical choices continues following the Canada Day feast! Many of our partner organizations are busy: Afrofest takes over Woodbine Park with two full days of summer sounds, Futuro Libre presents ÌFÉ at the Mod Club, and Bollywood Monster Mashup rocks Mississauga. All this while Sunfest shines brightly in London, and Kultrún Festival conquers Kitchener.

With the upcoming celebration of Canada’s Sesquicentennial (time is running out to use that fun word!) there’s so much great cultural programming that it’s going to be really hard to choose where to go and when.

No doubt about it, our friends at the City of Toronto’s Cultural Events office have knocked it out of the park! Over the course of the Canada Day weekend at four locations, there will be dozens of great performances from a wide range of genres, a good deal of which will be of interest to newsletter readers.

We’ll give a taste of what’s in store with a partial listing below. For full festival info. go to  www.toronto.ca/canadadays  Happy 150!

Nathan Phillips Square, Friday June 30 – Monday July 3
Pat Thomas & Kwashibu Area Band
Bixiga 70 / H’Sao / Los Poetas
Poirier Migration Sound System
Wesli / Ziskakan

Scarborough Civic Centre July 1
Les Filles de Illighadad
Kingston All-Stars
Lan Shin Band

Humber Bay Park West, July 1
Diely Mori Tounkara
Bareto / Iskwe
DhakaBrakha

Mel Lastman Square, July 1
Noreum Machi
Zuze / The Jerry Cans
Aline Morales & Baque de Bamba

Friday is a busy evening, with three other alternatives to choose from: At the Small World Centre, one of the world’s preeminent tabla artists graces the stage as Anindo Chatterjee performs a solo recital. Known for accompanying some of the greatest names in Indian music, including Ravi Shankar and Ali Akbar Khan, he’s also the guru of our good friend and tabla player Ravi Naimpally.

By the lakeside, Harbourfront Centre x Revolutions Per Minute x YES YES Y’ALL join forces to bring their alternative take on Canada 150 with UNCEDED, a next level party to celebrate the opening night of the OUR HOME ON NATIVE LAND festival. With so many Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists in town for the weekend, you never know who might show up.

Finally, we have FREE tickets to Friday’s Jazz Festival show – the Toronto debut of Bokanté – a multi-lingual, multi-cultural and multi-generational ensemble featuring top musicians from a variety of musical styles. The band rocks hard (with four guitars how can it not?) between global music and jazz. The first respondent to this message who correctly names the opening act on the bill gets a pair!