Asian Music & Dance + Fundraiser for Earthquake Victims

Now that May is here, Toronto is finally experiencing the glories of spring. We’ve also been basking in some wonderful music courtesy of the 13th Annual Asian Music Series, sponsored by TD Bank. Dorjee Tsering’s splendid concert last weekend reminded us of the tragic circumstances faced by people in Nepal, Tibet, and surroundings stemming from the recent earthquake there.We’re pleased to announce a way that you can help – on May 25, some of our favourite artists will donate their talent and energy in performance at the Small World Centre to raise funds for earthquake relief. Participants of the recent Voices of Asia project – Suba Sankaran, Bandana Singh, Vandana Vishwas, Amely Zhou, Ed Hanley and Dylan Bell – will be joined by Dorjee Tsering, Justin Gray, Debashis Sinha, Pushpa Raj Acharya, Anand Rajaram and Sheniz Janmohamed. All proceeds will go to the UNICEF Canada Nepal Fund, providing emergency healthcare in Nepal’s hardest hit regions – a wonderful night of music for a most worthy cause.Coming up this weekend the Series moves to at the beautiful Aga Khan Museum for a trip down the Silk Road. The Footsteps of Babur brings together musicians from Afghanistan, India and Tajikistan. Homayun Sakhi, the outstanding Afghan rubab player of his generation, is joined by Rahul Sharma (santur) and Salar Nader (tabla) forming a sublime trio that will transport audiences to the palaces and great rooms of Mughal India and Afghanistan.

Dancer Sashar Zarif presents a new work at the Small World Centre this weekend. Moving Memories – ‘Creating Living Steps Out of Ancient Traces’ is an intimate performance exploring mystical Sufi and Shamanic traditions of Western and Central Asia through a contemporary lens. Choreographed by Sashar and performed by him and Louis Laberge-Côté, the two new solos unlock the spirits of awakening and light through the revisiting of memories.