Amirali Sadegh Bonab is a Toronto-based music student originally from Tehran, Iran. With a strong foundation in music theory and performance, he is currently exploring a wide range of musical styles — from Persian traditional modes to jazz and contemporary pop.

Yalda is an Iranian clarinetist and multi-instrumentalist based in Toronto. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Western Classical Music Performance from the University of Tehran, where she trained in clarinet and performed with the Tehran Symphony Orchestra. She later joined the Iran National Orchestra and collaborated with Turkish and Arabic ensembles. Inspired by jazz and fusion, her work bridges traditions, blending classical and Middle Eastern influences to create fresh musical dialogues across cultures.

Arma Dharma is a multidisciplinary Indonesian artist based in Toronto. With a background in performance, choreography (specializing in traditional and contemporary Indonesian dance), singing, music composition, violin, makeup artistry, and hairstyling, Dharma brings a rich, expressive, and culturally rooted voice to every creative process.

A graduate of the Indonesian Institute of the Arts Yogyakarta (B.A., 2018), Dharma has performed on various national and international stages, proudly representing Indonesian culture. Since moving to Canada, Dharma continues to share Indonesian heritage through festivals, collaborations, and content creation, and works with NaiNai Indonesian Food, bridging cultures through art, movement, and meaningful stories.

Janice Jo Lee (she/they) is a queer folk musician, theatre maker and spoken word poet based in Toronto. Her artwork explores themes such as climate grief, antiracism, loneliness, friendship, and her Korean heritage. On stage, she performs poetic and clever sing-alongs, commanding the stage with her guitar, looping pedal, trumpet, and humour. Upcoming in 2025: singles from Lullabyes for End Times — valedictions, love letters, and laments for our dystopian world, and the band’s first tour to East Asia.

Mohammad Faruk, a staff member of the Aga Khan Museum, will perform Bengali folk songs, Indian movie songs, and ghazal music with his quartet. Mohammad Faruk plays harmonium, Mamunur Rashid plays tabla, Farzana Kazi sings vocals, and Choyon will play the dotara. 

Justin is a musician, instructor, and handpan enthusiast. His passion for sharing the mystical and soothing sounds of the handpan has taken him around the world to meet and play with musicians from all walks of life, and to learn from the most incredibly talented teachers.

Joelle Crigger is an accomplished and versatile violinist and fiddler who has served as concertmaster of the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra and the University of Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Within the past year, she has soloed with the Oakville Chamber Orchestra, the North York Concert Orchestra, the Cathedral Bluffs Symphony Orchestra, and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. A past winner of the Canadian Open Junior Fiddle Championship, Crigger is well-versed in playing a variety of fiddle styles and has received the 2023 Stingray Rising Stars Award.

Joelle recently completed her studies in Violin Performance at the University of Toronto in the studio of Jonathan Crow. She will be starting her graduate studies this September as a full scholarship student at the Glenn Gould School of Music, where she will be studying with Paul Kantor and Barry Shiffman. 

Tanya Hariharan is a 12-year-old budding sitarist, singer, and performer. She is one of the youngest sitar players in Toronto, Canada, having started learning the instrument at the age of 9. Tanya has also been studying Hindustani vocals and Western singing since the age of 7.
 
In addition to playing Hindustani classical ragas, she enjoys exploring and interpreting popular movie and album songs on the sitar entirely by herself, and has successfully performed these musical pieces at various events and in group settings. Tanya is also composing her own music, blending Indo-Western fusion styles on the sitar.
 
She currently performs sitar mehfils at many cultural events across the Greater Toronto Area and has received recognition and awards from Ontario MPPs and regional councillors. Tanya’s goal is to promote Indian classical music through the strings of her sitar and to enhance people’s mental well-being through the beauty of its acoustics.

Follow Tanya on Instagram or watch on YouTube.

Artist Videos

Originally from Castro, Isla de Chiloé, Chile, classical guitarist Karla García is a Toronto-based musician and teacher.   
 
After years of playing classical music, García discovered her passion for music composition, production, and Latin American music. In her compositions, García blends modern and traditional rhythms such as Waltz and Cueca from Chile.  
 
As a performer, she has played a wide variety of musical genres, including contemporary, folk, fado, rock, classical, Celtic, Latin American, and more. She has also participated in many guitar festivals and concerts around South and North America. 

Tichaona Daniel Maredza, popularly known as Tich Maredza, is a Juno Award–winning Zimbabwean-Canadian singer, multi-instrumentalist, and composer. While rooted in the traditional musical styles of Zimbabwe, his work carries a contemporary flair. His compositions are marked by rhythmic drive, melodic intelligence, and lyrical messages of challenge and hope—drawn from his experiences as both a musician and an immigrant.

Tich Maredza has performed at festivals across Canada, primarily in Ontario, including Afrofest, the TD Jazz Festival, Habari Africa, and the Small World Music Festival. He has also accompanied renowned African artists such as Zimbabwean legends Thomas Mapfumo and the late Oliver Mtukudzi.

Gandhaar Amin has been learning Indian classical music from his father since age 4. He has been performing at classical and fusion concerts for over 15 years and has also been producing music for film and TV for about a decade. Having been a part of the music scene in Mumbai since 2012, he has recently moved to Toronto. 

Burcin Yilmaz is a versatile violinist with over 20 years of experience in performance, spanning a range of orchestras and ensembles. Her artistry blends a deep foundation in Western classical music with a strong passion for Traditional Turkish music and the rich modal system of Turkish Makams, bringing a unique and expressive voice to her performances. Yilmaz holds both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in music education and is currently pursuing a PhD in Violin Teaching. Her work reflects a commitment to musical excellence, cultural dialogue, and fostering meaningful connections with her audience.

Mohammad Faruk, a staff member of the Aga Khan Museum, will perform Bengali folk songs, Indian movie songs, and ghazal music with his quartet. Mohammad Faruk plays harmonium, Mamunur Rashid plays tabla, Farzana Kazi sings vocals, and Choyon will play the dotara. 

Toronto-based and internationally renowned, guitarist, pianist, composer, and educator, Brian Katz, is celebrated for his instrumental mastery, fiery improvisations, and evocative compositions, where he forges jazz, classical, klezmer, and various world music influences into his very personal sound. Brian’s solo guitar performances at the Aga Khan Museum will feature a mix of his compositions, fresh interpretations of jazz, classical, Latin, and klezmer classics, and especially, free (open) improvisations forged right in the moment.
 

Brian will be joined by Martin van de Ven (clarinets) on Monday, May 19. The internationally acclaimed duo brings together a variety of musical traditions and influences informed by the diversity within the Klezmer world and by their own rich musical backgrounds. 

Ori Shalva, also known as the Makharashvili family, is a band like no other. They formed out of a love for Georgian polyphony, and despite being 9,000 kilometres away from their homeland, for the past two decades, they have nurtured the rare and intricate tradition of Georgian polyphony — an ancient musical form recognized by UNESCO as an intangible masterpiece of humanity. Their masterful performances offer a rare glimpse of the breadth of this complex singing tradition that remains largely inaccessible outside of Georgia. 

Elvis Bokosha band originated from Zimbabwe but then moved to Canada. The band was established in 2012 by Elvis Bokosha. Elvis is the lead singer and his gifted with a powerful voice.
This is a nine-member band comprising of the lead singer who plays acoustic guitar, bass guitarist, pianist , keytarist, drummer, electric guitarist and three backing
vocalists.
Our music can be classified as Afro Jazz but we would like to believe that it has a contemporary feel to it. We are a band that seeks to address social facts pertaining to
day to day life. All the songs are composed by Elvis and most of them are about love, motivation and guidance. The languages used in the music are mainly Shona, Ndebele and English. Shona and Ndebele being the native languages in Zimbabwe.
We have shared stage with most popular Zimbabwean musician like Oliver Mtukudzi, Tocky Vibes, Winky D , Shinsoman just to mention a few. Our performances have mainly been in Zimbabwe, South Africa, United Kingdom and Canada. In Canada we have performed at Bring on the sunshine festival, Habari Africa Festival and other events. 

Saba Zameni is a Toronto-based Iranian singer-songwriter who began her musical journey at the age of 12, learning from her mother and studying at the Conservatory of Tehran. She explores the fusion of Persian traditional music with genres like jazz, Sinti jazz, blues, indie, and rock, creating a sound that reflects both her roots and contemporary influences. Leading the band IN GIBBERISH, she continues to experiment with these styles, shaping a distinctive musical identity.

Saba faced numerous challenges in Iran, including being imprisoned for singing in public as a woman. During the Mahsa Amini revolution, she released a politically and socially charged song that went viral, garnering over 13 million views. It became a symbol of the movement, inspiring people around the world to perform it. 

Ensemble Topaz is a Toronto-based integrated dance-music ensemble dedicated to the traditions of Central Asia and South Asia, including regions of Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Iran, and India. They have performed widely across Canada, and their work has been supported by the Toronto Arts Council and the Ontario Arts Council. The ensemble’s Artistic Director, Paromita Kar, is the first to complete a PhD in Dance Studies in Canada. 

Photo by: Kirit Mistry

Saumya Sharma is a singer-songwriter, producer, recording and mixing engineer, and a recent graduate from the Music Mixing and Mastering Program at Metalworks Institute in Mississauga. For the past eight years, Saumya has gained extensive practice on vocals, guitar, piano, and harmonium, with a solid foundation in Indian Classical music.

Justin is a musician, instructor, and handpan enthusiast. His passion for sharing the mystical and soothing sounds of the handpan has taken him around the world to meet and play with musicians from all walks of life, and to learn from the most incredibly talented teachers.

Marieva Dávila began studying music and piano at an early age. She obtained the academic title of Performing Pianist and studied contemporary harmony, composition and improvisation, and flamenco dance. The musical language created by Marieva is reflected in her compositions, which blend the fundamental elements of academic music, jazz, flamenco, and Venezuelan music. 
She has recorded three albums, the first, “Piano de Ida y Vuelta” (2010), is a solo piano with a repertoire of classical works and her own compositions. The second “Un piano, dos hermanas” (2014) and third album, “Travesía, canciones de Latinoamérica” (2017), were recorded with her sister, the pianist, singer, and songwriter Prisca Dávila. Both records contain four-handed songs, her own compositions, and classics of Venezuelan and Latin American music. 

Ragamalika Mohanraj is an IT Engineer by profession and an Indian Classical dancer by passion. She is a first-generation artist and Immigrant from South Asia to Canada. Starting Bharatanatyam at age 4, she trains with Gurus Shijith Nambiar and Parvathy Menon. She also studies Odissi under Barnalee Sarkar and has explored other dance styles and body conditioning. In Canada, she is pursuing the Martha Graham Technique at Toronto Dance Theatre and collaborates with freelance dancers, providing opportunities for women constrained by career or family. She has performed across Canada, the USA, and India, earning the North American Tamil Excellence Award 2024.

Majd Sukar is a Syrian Canadian clarinetist, saxophonist, composer, and educator whose artistry has left an indelible mark on Toronto’s vibrant music scene. Renowned for his groundbreaking fusion of Middle Eastern folk and classical traditions with jazz, Sukar’s distinctive sound continues to redefine cross-cultural music in transformative and innovative ways.

As a soloist and improviser, Sukar has brought his unique voice to Canada’s diverse music landscape, collaborating with acclaimed Canadian musicians such as Robi Botos, Drew Jurecka, and Rich Brown. His dedication and talent have made him a sought-after performer, leading to prominent collaborations with celebrated Toronto-based bands including Sultans of String, Romani Jazz, Moskitto Bar, and Moneka Arabic Jazz.

Fusing Spanish, Celtic, and Slavic music on classical guitar, Kyler Mackenzie’s musical journey began in Toronto and has since taken him worldwide. He has performed his take on the Modern Folk Fusion in Eastern Europe, France, and Portugal.

Dimitra Kahrimanidis is a Greek-Canadian singer, songwriter, and lute player. She is a graduate of the University of Toronto, Faculty of Music in Canada, majoring in Voice. Kahrimanidis is also a graduate of the Department of Music Studies of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece, majoring in Ethnomusicology and Cultural Anthropology.
 
Dimitra has performed on albums including, “Ti kala to leei t’aidoni” and “The Old Song of Small Aegean.” She has also performed on TV shows such as “Radio Arvila” and ”Oloi oi kaloi horane” in Greece. She has performed in many festivals and collaborated with artists and groups in Greece, Canada, and the USA.

Diar ( دْيَار ) is a Syrian band dedicated to reviving and preserving traditional Syrian and Arabic songs by infusing them with a flamenco touch. The term “Diar” ( دْيَار ) refers to the open space of a courtyard in Damascus’ traditional houses, also known as “Ard Diar” ( أرض دْيَار ). This term evokes memories of their homeland in Syria and of their musical roots.

El Ceibo is an Argentinian folk music group formed in 2019. They blend original arrangements of traditional and contemporary compositions, creating an eclectic mix of authentic rhythms, melodies, and harmonies enriched by jazz elements. Their dynamic performances have been featured in festivals such as the Toronto Jazz Festival and on CBC Radio 1 and Jazz FM. Based in Mississauga, El Ceibo consists of musicians from Canadian and Latin American backgrounds, celebrating the diversity of both Argentinian music and the local music scene.

Dani Garcia (vocals)
Patrick Arteaga (Guitar)
Patricio Llovet (Percussion)

Atish Mukhopadhyay is one of the finest sarod virtuosos representing the renowned lineage of Maihar Senia Gharana, rooted in 16th-century North Indian Classical music. With nearly four decades of musical journey, he blends tradition with contemporary artistry.

Atish has performed globally across Canada, India, the United States of America, Russia, Bangladesh, and Uzbekistan. In 2022, he became the first Indian musician to receive the prestigious ‘Nikolai Rubinstein Medal’ from Moscow Tchaikovsky State Music Conservatory for his contributions to cultural cooperation.

Passionate about intercultural collaborations, Atish’s innovative projects span India, Russia, and Canada, establishing him as a mentor and cultural ambassador worldwide.