Apr 28 Sunday
The young diva of Moroccan Judeo-Arabic music LALA Tamar breathes vibrant new life into Sephardic, Flamenco and Middle Eastern musics. She is a collector of lost stories and women’s song in Haquetia, Moroccan Ladino. Accompanied by the virtuoso guitar of Ofer Ronen, the duo masterfully weaves an evening of tenderness and depth, enchanting listeners into a ritual that celebrates the roots of three cultures in one.
Famous on the streets of Marrakech, LALA’s videos have collected millions of hits. Coming off a sold out debut at Lincoln Center, the singer is an emergent force, delighting new and old friends across the globe. An evening with Duo Andalus is a pure gift, an unforgettable sweetness.
May 04 Saturday
Toronto's Polky, led by multi-talented immigrant female musicians, delights audiences with traditional vocals, unusual instruments, and energizing performances. Drawing deep inspiration from Poland's rich cultural tapestry, they push musical boundaries by fearlessly blending Polish traditional music with sounds and rhythms from across the globe.
Polky stands out for its distinctive elements, including the mesmerizing Eastern European-style traditional vocals and incorporating the 'suka,' an ancient lap fiddle reconstructed from historical paintings. Lead singer Ewelina Ferenc earned the prestigious Traditional Singer of The Year title at the 2022 Canadian Folk Music Awards. Marta Solek is an accomplished suka virtuoso who has performed alongside esteemed Polish artists like Same Suki, Maria Pomianowska, and Nikola Kołodziejczyk. Through their performances, Polky introduces Polish culture to North American audiences, embodying the role of cultural ambassadors for Polish modern traditions.
Co-presented with Twilight Music
May 16 Thursday
Effervescent and engaging, Boston-based fiddler Hanneke Cassel’s fiddle music fuses influences from the Isle of Skye and Cape Breton with Americana grooves and musical innovations. She has performed and traveled across North America, Europe, Australia and Asia. Hanneke’s music is a blend of the contemporary and traditional, described by the Boston Globe as “exuberant and rhythmic, somehow wild and innocent, delivered with captivating melodic clarity and an irresistible playfulness.”
The Hanneke Cassel Band features Jenna Moynihan on 5-string fiddle/vocals and Keith Murphy on guitar/vocals. Jenna Moynihan is regarded as one of the best in the new generation of fiddle players. Versatile and inventive, her fiddling style draws strongly from the Scottish tradition, but is in no way bound by it. A graduate of Berklee College of Music, Jenna performs as part of a duo with cutting edge harpist Mairi Chaimbeul and is the regular fiddler for the Seamus Egan Project. Newfoundland-born guitarist Keith Murphy began absorbing his native musical languages – folk songs, ballads and dance music – from an early age. A proficient multi-instrumentalist, he has long applied considerable energy to the rhythmic side of music, becoming a valued band member and highly sought-after sideman on guitar, mandolin and foot percussion.
Together, the Hanneke Cassel Band creates a cutting-edge acoustic sound that retains the integrity and spirit of the Scottish tradition.
Yann Falquet is a very active and creative acoustic guitar player on the Québécois music scene. He has explored many styles of music and completed a Bachelor's degree in Jazz. Since then, he has developed a personal guitar style for Québec folk music, inspired by the playing of the accompanists of different cultures (Brittany, Scandinavia, Ireland, North America).
Co-presented with Twilight Music.