Summer is almost here and with it comes the bevy of festivals, activations and events that enliven our fair city. This June, Luminato returns from the 7th to 18th. The arts and and culture extravaganza will filled to the brim with outstanding entertainment.
Founded in 2007 by David Pecaut and Tony Gagliano, Luminato Festival Toronto is an international arts festival that works at the intersection of artists, spectators, and city spaces to produce once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Each year the hardworking staff behind this festival curate a selection of big, bold contemporary works of art that cut across traditional artistic boundaries of music, dance, theatre, and visual art, and this year is no different.
Walk with Amal, a the 12ft tall puppet that takes multiple puppeteers to operate, will be taking to the streets of all over the GTA. Amal means hope in Arabic, and this childlike wonder will be weaving its way through our city throughout the festival.A wide variety of dancers, singers, performers and special guests will be joining Amal as she explores Toronto.
The most anticipated theatrical performance of Luminato this year is Treemonisha. Co-presented by TO LIVE, this is an adaptation of the 1911 Scott Joplin’s piece set soon after the abolition of slavery and written by a survivor of that era. It combines classical music with the sounds of ragtime, folk, and gospel featuring the first all-Black orchestral ensemble in Canadian opera history. Treemonisha is conducted by the first Black woman conductor in Canadian opera history, Panamanian-American Kalena Bovell, directed by award-winning, internationally acclaimed Canadian stage director Weyni Mengesha, and will be featuring Canadian rock and R&B powerhouse SATE in the role of Nana.
For dancer lovers, legendary Canadian choreographer Jean-Pierre Perreault’s Nuit returns. Nuit is one of the most important pieces in the history of Canadian choreography. Artistic Director Laurence Lemieux danced in the original production and brought it back to the stage for the first time since Perreault’s passing. Nuit runs from June 8-10th.
If music is what you’re looking for, there will be a Music Weekend on June 17-18th outside at David Pecaut Square with headliners like Princess Noika and hip hop sensations Snooty Nose Rez Kids. This is a free mega outside concert, perfect to check out for one hour or 6.
Visual art lovers need to check out Echoes Calling Back, a massive inflatable public art piece of an antler by Jordan Bennett at College Park.
For more information, check out https://luminatofestival.com/
Nadia Elkharadly
Nadia Elkharadly is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of Addicted Magazine. Her myriad of addictions include music, fashion, travel, technology, boxing and trying to make the world a better place. Nadia is also a feminist, an animal lover, and a neverending dreamer. Keep up with her on social media through @thenadiae.
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