Luminato Festival (Toronto) news

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FYI

http://exclaim.ca/News/torontos_luminato_ropes_in_joel_plaskett_kd_lang_they_might_be_giants_kronos_quartet_for_2011_festival

Toronto's Luminato Ropes In Joel Plaskett, k.d. lang, They Might Be Giants, Kronos Quartet for 2011 Festival

By Alex HudsonThis summer, the multi-disciplinary Luminato festival will return to Toronto for its fifth year. The organizers have announced the musical acts that will be gracing this year's instalment of the event, with highlights including k.d. lang, the Joel Plaskett Emergency, They Might Be Giants, Nitin Sawhney and Kronos Quartet.

The festival runs from June 10 to 19. The bulk of the music will take place at Metro Square at the corner of King Street West and John Street, which will be transformed into a free outdoor venue known as the Festival Hub.

The free music will be kicked off by the Joel Plaskett Emergency, as the Maritime folk rocker and his band will perform at Metro Square on June 10. The festival's other headline performer, k.d. lang, will take to the same stage on June 17.

Other free highlights from throughout the festival include a family-friendly set from They Might Be Giants (June 11), Kronos Quartet (June 12), Yemen Blues (June 14) and Nitin Sawhney (June 19).

There are also some paid-admission shows, including more appearances by Kronos Quartet and a performance by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.

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Even better:

http://www.luminato.com/media/11

Luminato Announces 2011 Music and Celebrations Program

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

TORONTO (March 1, 2011) – Luminato, Toronto Festival of Arts and Creativity, today announced the Festival’s 2011 music and celebrations program. The fifth anniversary edition of Luminato introduces a new downtown Festival Hub, marks the return of fan favourites such as Kronos Quartet and Nitin Sawhney, and introduces a diverse line-up of musical artists from around the world.

Luminato 2011 presents the Grammy Award-winning, genre-bending Kronos Quartet in four concerts that reflect Kronos’ ongoing global musical journey through cross-cultural collaborations. A series of concerts – including a free outdoor concert – and initiatives with Luminato’s Education and Outreach programs comprise the Kronos Quartet Residency at Luminato 2011. Performing with Kronos for the first time in Canada are international guest artists the Alim Qasimov Ensemble, leading exponents of the Azerbaijani sung poetry known as mugham; Afghan rubâb player Homayun Sakhi; and Wu Man, whose virtuosity on the ancient Chinese pipa has won that instrument a new place in the modern musical world. The Kronos Quartet also performs a free concert at Metro Square on June 12.

Following last year’s critically acclaimed TSO Goes Late Night: Beethoven Symphony 9, Luminato and the TSO partner to present TSO Goes Late Night: Mahler 5, a concert of Gustav Mahler’s epic “Symphony No. 5,†conducted by TSO Music Director Peter Oundjian. This audience-wide party with TSO musicians, guest artists, and live music takes place on June 18 at Roy Thomson Hall, and includes a post-concert reception in the lobby.

For the first time in the Festival’s history, Luminato's free music program inhabits one central, downtown location for the entire 10 days of the Festival. From June 10-19, Metro Square, located at the corner of King Street West and John Street, is transformed into Luminato’s Festival Hub, serving as the home to nightly free concerts, a variety of interactive events, and the return of President’s Choice® 1000 Tastes of Toronto™, where more than 70 chefs prepare a decadent assortment of gourmet street food from around the world. Free concerts at the Festival Hub cover a wide spectrum of musical genres and styles, ranging from an opening night concert featuring Montreal-based trip rock artists Beast and Halifax-based rockers The Joel Plaskett Emergency, to a musical tribute to the Italy 150 celebrations, to a rare performance of Egyptian pop music sensation Hakim, to a concert by bhangra superstar Malkit Singh, to a performance by k.d. lang of her upcoming album Sing it Loud.

On Friday, June 17, Luminato presents multi-award-winning singer/songwriter k.d. lang. Winner of four Grammys and eight Junos, k.d. lang has consistently defied conventional categorization. From her early-career reinvention of country rock with a dash of punk, to her stunning covers of standards by artists such as Leonard Cohen and Roy Orbison, elements of torch song, jazz and even bossa nova have found their way into a style she has made uniquely her own—a style as elegant and sophisticated as it is impassioned. k.d. lang kicks off the Canadian leg of her tour at Luminato’s Festival Hub.

“Luminato’s free celebrations are the heart of the Festival,†said Janice Price, CEO of Luminato. “We are tremendously pleased that, for the entire Festival, Metro Square will be home to free concerts, a Festival box office, a gourmet street food fair, and a host of other free, participatory events. Luminato 2011 celebrates 10 days of free creativity in a centrally located, outdoor public space.â€

“Over the past four years, Luminato has presented a diverse musical program, ranging from world music stars, to renowned orchestral ensembles, to Canadian pop and folk icons,†said Chris Lorway, Artistic Director of Luminato. “Now, celebrating the Festival’s fifth year, Luminato presents a music program that runs the gamut of musical genres, representing artists from all over the world, as well as those here at home.â€