Saturday, July 20 | 12 –10 pm & Sunday, July 21 | 12– 6 pm
Join us for a weekend of art, food, and music that will get you grooving under the sun and by the light of the moon. We've lined up some of the city's best performers to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first lunar landing. From R&B and whirling dervishes, to psychedelic pop and Indian geets, you'll find your sound here at our Moon Landing Festival.
ISKWE
July 20 | 8:45 pm
Electronic beats, trip hop, and R&B meet in the music of Juno-nominated artist iskwé. Influenced by her Cree/Dené and Irish heritage, she's known for speaking truth to power in songs like "Nobody Knows," which was featured in the Netflix series Between. With her soulful vocals and powerful lyrics, you won't want to miss her headliner performance.
ABSOLUTELY FREE featuring GURPREET CHANA
July 20 | 6:30 pm
This psychedelic Toronto trio plays mesmerizing soundscapes that weave analog electronics with cross-cultural melodies and the contagious sound of pop — a mix that garnered their debut album a Polaris Prize nomination. Known for transportive live shows, they'll be joined by Gurpreet Chana and the hypnotic rhythms of his tabla drums, which have led him to share the stage with Nelly Furtado.
MEHBOOB TEJANI
July 20 & July 21 | 12, 1, and 3 pm
Having begun formal training in Indian classical music as a child, Mehboob Tejani's career as a vocalist has spanned decades and continents. Today his performances focus on geet and ghazal, two popular genres in South Asia and beyond. His soothing melodies offer the perfect ambience for a weekend afternoon.
DANIEL BARNES / WOLDEMICHAEL ETHIO-JAZZ QUARTET
July 20 | 2:15 pm
Two musical masters unite to play the kind of jazz that will make you move. Drummer and composer Daniel Barnes met saxophonist Girma Woldemichael in Ethiopia. Now the Toronto-based musicians have formed a quartet, showcasing original compositions along with the classics of Ethio-Jazz, a cross-cultural genre that emerged in the 1960's.
GRACE SCHEELE
July 20 | 4 pm
No ordinary musician, Grace Scheele reimagines the harp as an electronic instrument, defying sonic expectations. From her home-bases in Chicago and Kitchener-Waterloo, she creates evocative and original music marked by looping and bowing effects. You won't want to miss your chance to hear her entirely original sound.
DATU
July 20 | 5:15 pm
Tapping into Toronto's legacy of genre-blurring music, the producers behind DATU— Alexander Junior and Romeo Candido — deliver fresh beats that are equal parts North American and Filipino. This tribal music crew combines hip-hop and electronic music with their ancestral Filipino rhythms, gongs, and stories of love and destruction, transporting listeners to a space between cultures.
ADRIA KAIN
July 21 | 4:15 pm
With her soulful voice, nostalgic sound, and flowing style this R&B singer has topped national and international lists of "Artists You Need to Know." She's carved out a place for herself in Toronto's music scene, performing on almost every stage in the city, and even opening for Quest Love and BJ The Chicago Kid.
SAYR ENSEMBLE
July 21 | 2 pm
Sayr Ensemble is a new trio, showcasing mystical music and movement from the Persian and Sufi traditions. Composer Amir Koushkani performs on the tar, setar, and vocals, along with Amir Amiri on the santour, and whirling dervish Farzad AttarJafari.
BAOBÁ
July 21 | 3 pm
From salsa and cumbia to funk and original compositions, Baobá takes traditional Latin rhythms to the next level. Featuring three of the city’s top percussionists, Anita Graciano, Y Josephine, and Mari Palhares, the trio draws inspiration from their respective roots — Columbia, Venezuela, and Brazil — to bring you beats and vocals that'll have you on your feet.
Credits
© The Aga Khan Museum, 2019. Images from top to bottom: hero image by Tihmily Li; iskwe image courtesy of the artist; Absolutely Free image by Colin Medley; Gurpreet Chana image courtesy of the artist; Mehboob Tejani image courtesy of the artist; Daniel Barnes and Woldemichael Ethiopian Jazz Quartet image by Girma Teffesse and Peter Longworthy; Grace Scheele image courtesy of the artist; DATU image by Ramy Arida; Adria Kain image courtesy of the artist; Sayr Ensemble image courtesy of the artist; Baobá image by Michael Zender.