2022 Artists with ukraine
Artists With Ukraine
This special concert on Friday, September 16 between 7 and 11 pm on the Community stage at Runnymede Rd, will feature some of the most prominent diverse artists of Toronto's music community, coming together, once again, in support of Ukraine. Newcomer and refugee artists from other countries affected by war and conflict, such as Ori Shalva (Georgia), Kazdoura (Syria), and Benny Esguerra (Colombia), will share the stage with the local Eastern European groups Polky (Poland) and Dumai Dunai (Ukrainian/Canadian Ska). This concert is programmed by Artists With Ukraine - a dedicated group of artists and performers from Toronto committed to helping people navigate and support Ukraine through the war.
This special concert on Friday, September 16 between 7 and 11 pm on the Community stage at Runnymede Rd, will feature some of the most prominent diverse artists of Toronto's music community, coming together, once again, in support of Ukraine. Newcomer and refugee artists from other countries affected by war and conflict, such as Ori Shalva (Georgia), Kazdoura (Syria), and Benny Esguerra (Colombia), will share the stage with the local Eastern European groups Polky (Poland) and Dumai Dunai (Ukrainian/Canadian Ska). This concert is programmed by Artists With Ukraine - a dedicated group of artists and performers from Toronto committed to helping people navigate and support Ukraine through the war.
Beny Esguerra - Two-time JUNO nominated multi-instrumentalist, arts educator, and activist from Colombia. Ruben “Beny” Esguerra arrived as a child to Tkaronto from Bacatá (Bogotá, Colombia) as a political refugee with his parents, who were receiving threats for their human rights activism. Today, he is a two-time JUNO nominated multi-instrumentalist/producer, spoken-word poet, arts educator and community worker. in 2021, he was chosen as the laureate of the 2020 Ontario Arts Foundation Arts Educator Award and was nominated and chosen as a finalist for the Toronto Arts Foundation’s Community Arts Award.
Dumai Dunai - Dub-punk Slavic folk band from Montreal - Dumai Dunai is a dub-punk Slavic folk band from Montreal formed in 2021. Rooted in the folk singing traditions of singer Natalia Telentso’s home country of Ukraine and melodies inspired by Juno-nominated bandleader Eli Camilo’s extensive adventures in bthe lands of the Danube, the band powers these influences with deep dubbed-out grooves and the energy of punk rock.
Kazdoura - Arabic Soul, Jazz, Funk Duo from Syria - Kazdoura is a Toronto-based band that serves up Arabic fusion with a modern twist. Equal parts nostalgia and reinvention, their style is a cross-cultural blend of Eastern and Western music that blends 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. Singer Leen is a newcomer from Syria whose passion for classical Arabic music led her to collaborate with jazz musician Johnny who has a Lebanese background in order to introduce this fusion music to a Canadian audience. In October 2021, Kazdoura released their debut single "Wain", song of their EP, set to be released June 2022. Kazdoura has been performing extensively in Toronto and Montreal and festivals like the Toronto Palestine Film Festival and the Taste of the Middle East.
Ori Shalva - Ori Shalva is a family ensemble that sings the haunting visceral harmonies of Georgian polyphony. Ori Shalva doesn’t just perform Georgian polyphony. When they sing the visceral harmonies of the millenia old singing tradition, they transcend space and time, and take you on a far-off musical journey of Sakartvelo (aka Georgia), a small and ancient mountainous country located on the borders of Asia and Europe.
https://musicampto.com/orishalva/
https://musicampto.com/orishalva/
Polky - Polish Female-led Eastern European Party Band - Toronto's own Polky was created by courageous Polish ladies, singer Ewelina Ferenc, dancer Ala Stasiuk, and multi-instrumentalist Marta Solek. Polky, meaning "Polish women," came together through a shared passion for Eastern European music's enigmatic and upbeat style. Joined by Canadian musicians, Polky brings its original sound to Eastern European traditional music by adding a uniquely Canadian and multicultural flavour. They take you on a musical journey to Poland, the melting pot of Eastern and Central Europe, with Ukrainian, Jewish, and Slovak musical influences!