International arts and ideas celebration Luminato Festival Toronto presents Guided by Starlight — Exploring Toronto's Musical Galaxy, a five-part docu-series premiering online October 13 to 17 as this year's virtual iteration of the festival, "Love Letters to Toronto."
The series will step into some of the communities holding down Toronto's diverse music scene with a stunning bill of performing artists, including SATE (pictured), TiKA, Zaki Ibrahim, Hex, Kristi Lane Sinclair, Lenka Lichtenberg, Bruno Capinan, Säye Skye, Baobá, Navz-47 and OKAN, as well as Raging Asian Womxn Taiko Drummers (RAW), Toronto Kiki Ballroom Alliance and curators Eyeda Sophia & Maxhole's ILLuminato Cypher exhibition. Guided by Starlight highlights both well-established fixtures of the local scene and exciting new voices on the rise.
"Luminato has made an effort to support local and independent artists in a fresh new way to help us connect with new audiences and music lovers in the GTA and around the world," Luminato artistic director Naomi Campbell said in a statement. "We need to propel our local artists, not just give them attention after they get a buzz. Instead, we need to help them create that buzz."
CEO Celia Smith added:
During the pandemic, Torontonians have connected more deeply with our neighbourhoods and communities – and we know that now more than ever before, people appreciate opportunities to support and lift up our creative music and art makers. We're excited to help shine a light on the tremendously talented artists who call Toronto home through a beautiful performance series that spotlights our artists and takes virtual audiences into hidden corners of the city.
Tickets to tune into the virtual festival can be reserved online now — free of charge, with accessibility supports available.
Following its daily festival episode premieres, Guided By Starlight will be available to stream in its entirety on-demand until November 30.
Visit the festival's website for more information about the artists writing "Love Letters to Toronto," and see the full lineup for Luminato's Guided by Starlight below.
Exclaim! recently spoke with TiKA about breaking down barriers in film and TV with creative agency for BIPOC performers after her long-awaited debut album Anywhere But Here made our list of the 31 Best Albums of 2021 So Far.
10/13 Fractal Futures in Hip Hop (9 p.m. ET)
Uncovering Toronto-based hip-hop and its international and form-defying offshoots.
TiKA
Zaki Ibrahim
Toronto Kiki Ballroom Alliance
10/14 Star Gliding (9 p.m. ET)
Traversing the soulful constellations that make up the Toronto ballroom and R&B scenes
Kristi Lane Sinclair
Lenka Lichtenberg
Raging Asian Womxn Taiko Drummers (RAW)
10/15 Discovering The Divine (9 p.m. ET)
Explorations of the inter-connectivity and international scope of Toronto's music scene
Säye Skye
ILLuminato Cypher curated by Eyeda Sophia and Maxhole
Navz-47
10/16 A Reverberations of Tongues (9 p.m. ET)
A testimonial to the echoes of language and blood that are at the root of Toronto's Afro-LatinX community
Bruno Capinan
Baobá
OKAN
10/17 Screaming Dreams (9 p.m. ET)
A prophetic look at the impact of disappearing spaces, lineage and condos on one of Toronto's hardest-hit musical genres
Hex
SATE
The series will step into some of the communities holding down Toronto's diverse music scene with a stunning bill of performing artists, including SATE (pictured), TiKA, Zaki Ibrahim, Hex, Kristi Lane Sinclair, Lenka Lichtenberg, Bruno Capinan, Säye Skye, Baobá, Navz-47 and OKAN, as well as Raging Asian Womxn Taiko Drummers (RAW), Toronto Kiki Ballroom Alliance and curators Eyeda Sophia & Maxhole's ILLuminato Cypher exhibition. Guided by Starlight highlights both well-established fixtures of the local scene and exciting new voices on the rise.
"Luminato has made an effort to support local and independent artists in a fresh new way to help us connect with new audiences and music lovers in the GTA and around the world," Luminato artistic director Naomi Campbell said in a statement. "We need to propel our local artists, not just give them attention after they get a buzz. Instead, we need to help them create that buzz."
CEO Celia Smith added:
During the pandemic, Torontonians have connected more deeply with our neighbourhoods and communities – and we know that now more than ever before, people appreciate opportunities to support and lift up our creative music and art makers. We're excited to help shine a light on the tremendously talented artists who call Toronto home through a beautiful performance series that spotlights our artists and takes virtual audiences into hidden corners of the city.
Tickets to tune into the virtual festival can be reserved online now — free of charge, with accessibility supports available.
Following its daily festival episode premieres, Guided By Starlight will be available to stream in its entirety on-demand until November 30.
Visit the festival's website for more information about the artists writing "Love Letters to Toronto," and see the full lineup for Luminato's Guided by Starlight below.
Exclaim! recently spoke with TiKA about breaking down barriers in film and TV with creative agency for BIPOC performers after her long-awaited debut album Anywhere But Here made our list of the 31 Best Albums of 2021 So Far.
10/13 Fractal Futures in Hip Hop (9 p.m. ET)
Uncovering Toronto-based hip-hop and its international and form-defying offshoots.
TiKA
Zaki Ibrahim
Toronto Kiki Ballroom Alliance
10/14 Star Gliding (9 p.m. ET)
Traversing the soulful constellations that make up the Toronto ballroom and R&B scenes
Kristi Lane Sinclair
Lenka Lichtenberg
Raging Asian Womxn Taiko Drummers (RAW)
10/15 Discovering The Divine (9 p.m. ET)
Explorations of the inter-connectivity and international scope of Toronto's music scene
Säye Skye
ILLuminato Cypher curated by Eyeda Sophia and Maxhole
Navz-47
10/16 A Reverberations of Tongues (9 p.m. ET)
A testimonial to the echoes of language and blood that are at the root of Toronto's Afro-LatinX community
Bruno Capinan
Baobá
OKAN
10/17 Screaming Dreams (9 p.m. ET)
A prophetic look at the impact of disappearing spaces, lineage and condos on one of Toronto's hardest-hit musical genres
Hex
SATE
