Les Rugissants Innovation, Excellence, and Wonder. These are the watchwords of Les Rugissants (the Roarers), a professional vocal ensemble based in Montreal. Founded by its conductor and artistic director Xavier Brossard-Ménard, the ensemble deploys projects that explore current themes and new formats for vocal and choral art. For Les Rugissants, music knows no limits and they rejoice to sing classical, folk, and popular works. All this to account for the world in which we live! Les Rugissants love to incorporate other disciplines  (dance, theatre, architecture, culinary arts) and a variety of cultures (Spanish, Italian, Ukrainian, Jewish) in their performances. They also love to forge alliances and partnerships (FIFA, the Canadian International Organ Competition, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Montreal Museum of the Hospitallers, Casa d’Italia, Italian Cultural Institute of Montreal). In May 2017, Les Rugissants made their first appearance during the Festival Classica at the Westmount Victoria Hall, in an a cappella project inspired by the letter B. Voces de España, the second project of the group, first took shape in December 2018, and reappeared in the Festival Classica in 2019 as well as a 10-show tour during winter 2022, in the middle of the pandemic! In December 2020 and 2021, the ensemble performed Haendel’s Messiah with the Orchestre classique of Montreal at Saint Joseph’s Oratory. In 2021, the ensemble launched their series ARCHES which adjoins music and architecture. Between 2021 and 2023, more than twenty video capsules and no less than 15 ambulatories saw the light of day, covering geographical locations such as the city of Westmount, the South-West borough and downtown Montreal, or cultural communities such as italo-montrealers and their built heritage. In 2022, Les Rugissants create their first theatrical production, (nu.e.s), a contemporary exploration of vulnerability, intimacy, and sexuality. In spring of 2023, the ensemble presented Égéries, a program for women’s choir and string quartet, as well as performing Fauré and Duruflé’s Requiems at the Festival Classica.

Schmaltz&Pepper This groundbreaking ensemble features the extraordinary talents of Eric Abramovitz, the principal clarinetist of the Toronto Symphony and the Grammy-nominated multi-instrumentalist and arranger, Drew Jurecka, virtuosic violinist/vocalist/composer, Rebekah Wolkstein founder/leader of the acclaimed Payadora Ensemble, Juno-nominated bassist, Michael Herring and Juno-award winning pianist, Jeremy Ledbetter. This ensemble is redefining the traditional boundaries of Yiddish music, blending classical mastery with innovative compositions and soulful arrangements. This band has an exhilarating trajectory. A mere 6 months after Abramovitz and Wolkstein came up with the idea to form a band, they had a full show of original music and inventive arrangements. Their debut performance was a live to air broadcast with a studio audience at Zoomer Hall in Toronto for Classical 96.3FM in May, 2024. Since then, they have sold out shows for Ashkenaz, Toronto Summer Music Festival, Jewish Music Week in Toronto and headlined the ‘Put a Yid on it’ festival in Winnipeg. They performed at many of the top chamber music festivals in Canada in 2025 — Toronto Summer Music, Ottawa Chamberfest, Stratford Summer Music, Eloria Music Festival, Tuckamore Festival in Newfoundland — and completed a sold-out 11-show tour of Florida. Their debut album is nominated for a Canadian Folk Music Award for Best Compositions 2026. In January 2027, the band returns to Florida for another tour and continues performing across Canada and the USA.

Tamar Ilana & Ventanas is a Toronto-based ensemble performing original and traditional material in over 20 languages. Their performances weave together fiery Flamenco, Greek, Turkish, and Sephardic love songs, upbeat Bulgariantunes, and lyrical melodies, leading audiences through “windows” into diverse lands and cultures. Lead singer Tamar Ilana’s powerful vocals are complemented by Flamenco guitar, Middle Eastern darbuka, Greek oud, classical violin, contrabass, and Jazz improvisation. Tamar Ilana is Ashkenazi Jewish and a member of Pasqua First Nation, with Scottish and Roma-Romanian ancestry. Growing up on the road with her ethnomusicologist mother, Dr. Judith Cohen, deeply influenced her career. Formed in 2011 after Tamar returned from studying Flamenco in Seville, Ventanas includes musicians of Greek, Italian, French Canadian, and Peruvian descent. Their name, meaning “windows” in Spanish, reflects a sound as multicultural as Toronto itself. During the pandemic, Ventanas helped found FabCollab, a non-profit showcasing BIPOC women and minority voices. As the resident band for the Women in Song series, they have collaborated with stars like Meesha Shafi and Measha Brueggergosman-Lee. These performances, livestreamed by the National Arts Centre, have reached international audiences of up to 43,000. The group has toured Canada, the US, Ireland, Colombia, Spain, and Portugal. Notable venues include Koerner Hall, the Aga Khan Museum, Vancouver Folk Music Fest, and the Skirball Centre, solidifying their reputation as a powerhouse of global music and dance.

Payadora Ensemble

“A World Class Contemporary Chamber Ensemble” – Ottawa Citizen

“The beloved ensemble that is tango and beyond. It is world. It is classical. It is jazz. It is tango…a delicious swirl of music that is the Payadora Ensemble.” – Classical 96.3 FM

Payadora is an award-winning chamber music ensemble that performs original compositions as well as original arrangements of a core repertoire drawing from Argentinian/Uruguayan Tango and Folk music. Made up of a group of players who are each musical powerhouses in their own right, this “superstar group” has combined their their deep knowledge of tango with their classical, jazz and world music backgrounds to create something entirely new. Payadora is officially endorsed by the Argentinian Consulate in Toronto for its adherence to the spirit of tango  Their performances convey joy, virtuosity, humour and their intense passion for the music that they play.  

“Each musician is a star soloist in their own right. Playing together has allowed them to develop and mature turning Payadora into a superstar group.” – The WholeNote

Payadora won the 2024 Folk Music Ontario Award for best album for their critically acclaimed album “Silent Tears: The Last Yiddish Tango.” The album reached #1 on the World Music Charts in Europe, accompanied by rave reviews, airtime, and press coverage around the globe, including the BBC, CTV, CBC television and radio, the Bangkok Post, NPR, and RTE Irish Public Radio. “…The most memorable release I have ever had the privilege to listen to and review” (WholeNote Magazine).  They have been named on “Best of” lists on NPR’s Rhythm Atlas, Finnish National Radio and CBC Classical.  They were also nominated for the Folk Music Awards as  “Best Performing Artists.”

Payadora won the German world music prize in 2024 (Weltmusikpreis RUTH award) and performed at the famous world music festival, Rudolstadt where they received the award. 

“Playful, Spontaneous and Sexy!” -Classical 96.3 FM

#1 Album on the World Music Charts Europe March 2023 Payadora Tango Ensemble Tops the World Music Charts Europe in March 2023 

They are currently touring  Tango Apasionado– a music act or music/dance performed with PointeTango Dance Company (fusion ballet/tango duo) and The Legend of Carau- a legend told through original music, illustrations, narration and videos of dance filmed in Argentina. They are also touring their album, “Silent Tears: The Last Yiddish Tango” , released by Six Degrees Records, the critically acclaimed for which they composed and arranged music based on testimonies of women who survived the Holocaust. It has received rave reviews and press coverage around the globe, including reports on the BBC, CTV, CBC television and radio, the Bangkok Post, NPR, and RTE Irish Public Radio. “Moving, heartbreaking… the most memorable release I have ever had the privilege to listen to and review.”– Wholenote 

Payadora’s lineup features some of the most respected chamber musicians in Canada: Rebekah Wolkstein (violin, vocals), Drew Jurecka (bandoneon, violin, mandolin), Joseph Phillips (double bass, guitar) Mark Camilleri (piano) and Elbio Fernandez (vocals). 

“With influences from Argentina to Eastern Europe to the great Astor Piazzolla, Payadora plays the tango like it’s meant to be: sultry, steamy, but with grace and precision. You  will be entertained!”  – Words + Music magazine

Founded in 2013, Payadora’s broad scope in tango draws from the height of Buenos Aires’ Tango tradition, including compositions by De Caro, Pugliese, Troilo, and Salgan, to the masterful, contemporary sounds of Astor Piazzolla and beyond. They compose and arrange their own repertoire. They created and recorded the score for a one hour film with PointeTango Dance Company with whom they are performing upcoming shows  at Toronto Summer Music Festival and various festivals. They have received creation and recording grants from Ontario Arts Council and Toronto Arts Council. They received a generous grant from the Canada  Council for the Arts to create a multi-arts digital presentation telling an Argentine folk tale through music, dance, illustration and words This project will be free to the public and online in June 2023. Their newest album was in the top 20 albums on the Transglobal World Music Chart.

Performance Highlights: 

In October, 2024 Payadora toured Atlantic Canada with Debut Atlantic. In January 2025, Payadora performed their show “Tango Apasionado” with PointeTango Dance Company across Florida including shows in Miami, Key West and Palm Coast.

Payadora has presented concerts and sold-out shows in Poland, Austria, Brazil, Argentina, at the National Arts Centre, Ottawa Chamberfest, St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts, Toronto’s Harbourfront Centre, Stratford Summer Music, Toronto Summer Music, Festival of the Sound, Vancouver Island MusicFest, Toronto Jazzfest, the COC’s World Music Series at the Four Seasons Centre and the World Accordion & Tango Festival in Victoria, Music in the Morning in Vancouver and Vancouver Island Music Festival.  Payadora has also collaborated with the London Symphonia, the Cathedral Bluffs Symphony and the Hannaford Street Silver Band, as well as with PointeTango Dance Company, which explores the intersection between classical dance and Argentine tango.  Their sold-out 2023 European tour (Madrid, Copenhagen, Budapest and London) included a live-to-air BBC performance. 

 In November 2025, they will be featured once again with the London Symphonia.

While rooted in the folk drumming traditions of Japan, the ensemble’s principal aim is to rejuvenate this ancient art form by producing innovative and exciting music that seeks to create a new voice for the taiko. Taking its name from founder Kiyoshi Nagata and the Japanese word shachu meaning group, Nagata Shachu, has become renowned for its exacting, physically demanding and energetic performances on the taiko, as well as for its diverse repertoire. Their playing is the combination of unbounded spirit and passion with the highest levels of musicianship and discipline.

Nagata Shachu has the unique distinction of being the only group outside of Japan with the sponsorship of four major Japanese drum manufacturers, a testament to their mastery of the art form. In addition to having recorded five CDs of original music and four DVDs, Nagata Shachu, has produced its own annual concerts focusing on the presentation of new works. For the last seven years, Nagata Shachu has produced a three-concert season, featuring collaborations with both local and international artists.

Featuring an arsenal of taiko (including the massive O-Daiko drum), bamboo flutes, the three-stringed shamisen and an array of gongs, cymbals, shakers and wood blocks, Nagata Shachu will take you on a musical journey beyond all borders

Our mission is to create inspiring experiences of contemporary Indigenous arts and culture that transform society. We drive our passion forward and elevate Indigenous arts and culture in ways that celebrate, uplift, and respect Indigenous cultures.

Now in our 20th year of performance (dance, theatre, music and media), Red Sky’s work highlights the originality and power of contemporary performance, enabling new creations to expand the breadth and scope of Indigenous-made work in Canada.

The vision of Red Sky Performance derives from its creator Sandra Laronde (Misko Kizhigoo Migizii Kwe) which means “Red Sky Eagle Woman” in Anishinaabemowin (Ojibway) language from the Teme-Augama Anishinaabe (People of the Deep Water). Her vision is dedicated to expanding and elevating the ecology of contemporary performance informed by Indigenous worldview and culture.

Laronde’s concept of performance explores the relationship between movement, live music, theatricality, and image. Her engagement in these disciplines involves collaborations with dancers, musicians, composers, choreographers, visual artists, actors, writers, designers, researchers, and culture keepers are integral to Red Sky Performance’s distinct productions.

Touring since 2003, we have delivered over 2,755 performances across Canada including international performances in 17 countries on four continents, including two Cultural Olympiads (Beijing and Vancouver), World Expo in Shanghai, Venice Biennale, and Jacob’s Pillow, among others. At the same time, we remain deeply rooted and invested on a grassroots level and regularly perform in urban, rural, and reserve communities across Turtle Island.

We are the recipient of 16 Dora Mavor Moore awards and nominations, two Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards, three International Youth Drama Awards from Shenzhen, China, and the Smithsonian Expressive Award, among other recognitions.