June 27 - July 21, 2024

DISTILLERY DISTRICT FREE CONCERTS

The Distillery's Sounds of Toronto FREE Concert Series celebrates the diversity and vibrancy of Toronto's incredible music scene. Performances will be 2:00 pm - 6:00 pm daily.

2:00 PM - 6:00 PM | June 27 - 30, July 17 - 21
Afternoon All-Stars

The Afternoon All Stars, hosted by Tim Shia (Worst Pop Band Ever, Holly Cole, Rich Underhill,etc), is a fun sampler of Toronto's diverse music scene that will be performing for the Distillery District's summer afternoon concert series. From playing with the African Guitar Summit to Lang Lang to Johnny Reid, the Afternoon All Stars features some of the most in demand musicians in the country, including a few Juno award winners.

Tim will be joined by guitarist/vocalist, Donne Roberts and keyboardist/vocalist Yukiko Tsutsui playing the music from Donne's native Madagascar; then from the East Coast, vocalist, Jessica Lalonde and keyboardist, Adrean Farrugia will regale with their interpretation of the American Song Book; vocalist, Shannon Butcher and keyboardist, Michael Shand will amuse with their eclectic arrangements of pop tunes and originals; and finally guitarist/vocalist, Fraser Melvin and bassist, Alex Furlott will keep things funky and bluesy.

Thursday, June 27th | 7pm to 7:45pm

City Choir

The City Choir consists of tremendously passionate volunteers and is led by some of Toronto’s finest musicians. They are known for their diverse repertoire, performing music of various styles as well as original compositions. The City Choir has graced numerous stages, including two Luminato festivals and the “SING!” a Cappella Festival. They have also brought infectious joy to smaller venues with their cabaret evenings. Their performances of traditional carols have become a staple at holiday events. In 2024, they are set to collaborate on a new work by Suba Sankaran, broadening their success.

11:00 AM - 3:00 PM | July 1 & 2:00 PM - 6:00 PM | July 2 - 4
Matinee Trio Groove

MATINEE TRIO GROOVE features Christopher Plock, a Juno award recipient, multi-instrumentalist and a seasoned performer. As a highly regarded singer whose high energy performance of diversified material, Christopher keeps any audience engaged, whether he is singing, playing flute, percussion or 2 saxes at the same time. Christopher has captivated audiences all over Canada, the Caribbean, Middle East, Germany, Israel, Egypt and other exotic destinations. He will be performing with his trios consisting of Eric St. Laurent on guitar and Mark Dunn on Bass or Stacey Macgregor on keys and Daniel Barnes on drums.

Monday, July 1st | 7:00pm
Artist, Songwriter, and Musician

Daniel Monte

Daniel Monte is a Canadian artist, songwriter, and musician, pushing boundaries with his ground-breaking ``Orchestral Pop/Rock” sound. A classically trained violinist, Daniel seamlessly weaves the rich tapestry of symphonic elements into his compositions. His performances are not simply concerts, but immersive journeys into a world where classical finesse meets the raw energy of rock. Daniel, alongside his band and collaborators, Antó (guitar) and Flavio Silva (keyboards/synth), have been captivating audiences across Canada since 2017 with their soul-stirring lyrics, captivating voice, commanding violin and melodic piano. With plenty of new music on the way, Daniel Monte is blazing his own musical trail.

Monday, July 1st | 4:00pm
BAQUE DE BAMBA

An Afro-Brazilian percussion group based in Toronto founded in 2009 by Juno Nominee, Aline Morales, leader of the former Maracatu group, Nunca Antes. They perform afro rhythms from the northeast of Brazil, mostly in the city of Recife, with a principal focus on the Maracatu de Baque Virado style, among other percussive styles like Coco, Ciranda and Ijexá. The group is a contemporary version of this century old Brazilian Afro tradition, represented through drumming, singing, and dancing, delivered with considerable energy and audience engagement. Natural elements (fire, earth, wind, and water), the Orixás (deitias) of the Candomblé tradition, and the meeting of cultures within Colonial Brazil and Africa inform the group’s music, which manifests pride, artistic expression, solidarity, resistance, empowerment, and a sense of community. Baque de Bamba shines a light into the depths of Brazilian folkloric music and dance, while still remaining entirely contemporary.

Monday, July 1st | 4:00pm
VENTANAS

Amirali Alibhai, Director of Programming, Aga Khan Museum Ventanas has released three albums (2013, 2015, 2019) and been nominated for four Canadian Folk Music Awards, including Best Traditional Singer (Tamar Ilana) and Best Ensemble. They are currently working on their 4th album, to be released in October, 2024 which includes three new works that they debuted with the Scarborough Philharmonic Orchestra in April 2022. Featuring some of the city’s finest musicians from across the globe, Ventanas has showcased at APAP, FAI, Pacific Contact, Mundial Montréal, CINARS, Global TO, Mundial Montréal in both Montreal and WOMEX in Lisbon, resulting in multiple cross-Canada tours, tours on both coasts of the US, Colombia, Ireland, Spain and Portugal. Ventanas, meaning “windows” in Spanish, merges the members’ musical and cultural backgrounds together, creating their own sound which reflects the sound of their city, Toronto.

2:00 PM - 6:00 PM | July 5 - 7
Lady Son

One of the most arresting voices on the Canadian music scene, often drawing comparisons to music legend Celia Cruz, Lady Son (Yeti Ajasin), brings a powerful yet gentle contemporary voice to the rich vocal and percussion traditions of Afro- Cuban music.

Friday, July 5th | 7:00pm
Professional Drummer

Exclusive Connection

Oluwadamilare David Odede, a professional drummer, founded “Exclusive Connection” in 2020 with a goal of reviving cultural values through music. “Exclusive Connection” is a testament to David’s vision of creating a harmonious blend of tradition and modernity, a symphony that resonates with the soul, echoes rich heritage, and speaks to the beauty and inter-connectivity of shared human experience. The band has graced stages across Nigeria and Europe with their extraordinary talent, passion, and dedication.

Saturday, July 6th |7:00pm
Tabla player

Gurpreet Chana

Gurpreet Chana brings a multidisciplinary approach to music that meets at the intersection of arts and sciences. His love of music is inseparably woven in the fabric of his upbringing as he has been an avid Tabla player, a type of hand drum, since the age of three years old. His unique amalgamation of music and engineering gave birth to SURmUN, a venture he co-founded. As its creative engineer, he masterfully blends his extensive experience in engineering and supply chain with his passion for music, and crafting designs that reverberate throughout the music industry.

Sunday, July 7th | 7:00pm
Blues Guitarist

Michael Maguire

The tenacious and outstandingly talented Michael Maguire began his musical journey from an incredibly young age. Although a questionable ear test threatened his career at the age of nine years old, Maguire persisted, becoming a part of various rock bands in his teens, continuing into his early twenties. His dedication led him to learn the steel guitar, Spanish guitar, and later go on to study music. His studies led him to masterfully publish a film score for Cinron Productions. The passion in which he expresses when performing his jazz music is nothing short of pure serenity.

2:00 PM - 6:00 PM | July 8 - 12
Gene Hardy Trio

Canada's foremost Rock & Roll saxophonist, GENE HARDY began his musical journey on violin at age 9 then on saxophone a year later in Victoria, British Columbia. After studies at Victoria's Conservatory of Music & UVic, he moved to Toronto in 1986 and traded in his classical pursuits for a post-graduate degree in funk with Toronto's infamous Bourbon Tabernacle Choir.

Chances are, you've heard him play. Since the Bourbon's mid '90s break-up, Gene has become the horn player of choice for many of Canada's best-known exports & domestic successes. In fact, he’s has recorded and performed with hundreds of acts - pop & rock, jazz & blues, country to punk and everything in between with the likes of;

Barenaked ladies, Michael Buble, Johnny Reid, Steven page, The Dreamboats, Miss Tammy Darling, Billy Ray Cyrus, Esthero, Big Sugar, Colin James, Downchild Blues Band, Ronnie Hawkins, Lily Frost, Chuck Jackson, Matchedash Parish, Emm Griner, Jordan John, Tyler Yarema & his Rhythm, Rheostatics, The Lincolns, Hock Walsh, Veda Hille, Que Vida, Kevin Quain & the Mad Bastards, Ford Pier (of Doa), Dutch Mason, Michael Kaeshammer, The Bourbon Tabernacle Choir and Jamaica's Third World.

Sunday July 12th | 7:00pm | Trinity Theatre - Distillery District

Dicko Fil and Amadou Kienou

Dicko Fil, born in a small village near Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, moved to the Ivory Coast as a teenager where he was greatly inspired and influenced by reggae music. A combination of modern and traditional instruments such as the bass, balafon, djembe, tamani, and the kamalé n’goni contribute to the deeply cultural, immersive experience his music creates. Through his outstanding vocal range and the incorporation of local rhythms from the Dioula and Peulh people, Dicko Fils’ reputation spread rapidly throughout West Africa, bolstered by the release of albums in 2007, 2010, and 2012.

Amadou Kienou is a masterful musician-composer, dancer, choreographer, and instructor from Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, whose principal instrument is the djembe. A descendant of the Dafin people, Amadou was initiated as a djeli or griot (an oral historian), one of a long line of griots whose role is to preserve and transmit their people’s history, culture, and values. Nowadays, bringing the traditional to the contemporary, Amadou delights international audiences with his unique polyrhythmic expression of emotions and memories. Amadou has resided in Toronto since 2008, performing around the globe and regularly teaching dance and drumming workshops in schools, universities, and at festivals throughout the nation.

2:00 PM - 6:00 PM | July 13 - 16
Clair et le Jazz Hot

Claire Riley is a passionate jazz vocalist. Music is her first love. For nearly a decade, she’s been performing locally with some of Toronto’s most renowned musicians. Her repertoire features timeless jazz standards, light swing, blues, pop, and smooth Latin beats. She also includes classic French tunes in her performances for an additional sprinkle of joie-de-vivre.

Claire’s a proud fifth-generation Canadian, originally from the Maritimes. She also lived in Montreal, Quebec City, and Vancouver. Montreal Gazette columnist Bill Brownstein described Claire as the ultimate hyphenate: “You want credits? Claire Riley has credits. Credits in TV news, film, radio, theatre, industrial videos, commercials, choreography, and stage production. You want impressive critical notices? Riley has a truckload of those too, since she is able to cross the cultural frontier and work in both official languages.”

Claire has performed as jazz vocalist for private, corporate, community, and cultural events in some of the coolest neighbourhoods in Toronto: The Beaches, Cabbagetown, Danforth-Greektown, Dovercourt, Leslieville, Little Italy, Roncesvalles, the Downtown Core. Her performance style is tailored-made for each occasion; fine entertainment topped off with her uniquely piquant vinaigrette. She continues to expand her artistic expression and creative horizons, carving her niche, continually embracing the unchanging adage, “Music is food for the soul.”

Chris Bottomley
2:00 PM - 6:00 PM | July 16 - 21
Chris Bottomley

The distinctive funk, rock, reggae and jazz stylings of Canadian bassist, singer, and songwriter Chris Bottomley have been vibrating through Canadian music lovers for over 30 years.

Combining soulful vocals and adventuresome lyrics, catchy hooks and memorable melodies, Bottomley lays it down thick and heavy on the bass, supported by the steady groove of drummer Great Bob Scott, Malagasy guitarist Donne Roberts and stellar saxophone players Rich Underhill & Perry White.

Saturday July 20th | 7pm

Nichole Noel

Hailing from the island of Jamaica, J. Nichole's creative prowess spans from musical genius to written works of varying genres. Some of these accomplishments include three audio CDs, eight books of soul-stirring poetry, and enchanting children’s stories. Her musical repertoire is as diverse as it is captivating. She takes care to implement and seamlessly fuse elements from a broad range of musical genres including Reggae, Classic Rock, Ska, Soca, Jazzy-Blues, Country, and Pop to create a symphony that satisfies every listener.

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