Kalàscima is one of Italy’s hottest and most innovative bands, meshing traditional dance music known as Taranta and the corresponding ancient ritual of pizzica tarantata with global styles like Balkan, klezmer, Celtic and electronica.

Born in Recife, Brazil, Lara Klaus is a multi-instrumentalist (percussionist, drummer and guitarist), singer, composer and educator dedicated to the study and teaching of percussion instruments from the Northeast of Brazil.

The all-female sextet Las Guaracheras was born in 2017 in the city of Cali, Colombia. It is an initiative of the percussionists Laura Linares and Mónica Castro, who as lovers of the son (“sound” in Spanish) and guaracha genres, decided to form an instrumental group in which they could express all their intense musical feelings while, at the same time, preserving the essence of guaracha.

Lazo (full name Lazarus John Finn) was born on the beautiful island of Dominica in the Caribbean. ‘Mr. Sunfest’, as he is affectionately known, is a crowd favorite who continues to

exude a ‘feel good’ vibe through his unique combination of roots reggae ‘riddims’, conscious lyrics, and an uncanny ability to connect with audiences.

Linked by strong friendship, the ten members of the French (European) a cappella band Les Mécanos – not to be confused with the Quebec music show about two crazy inventors – have been surveying their French and Occitan oral heritage since 2017 and share a common desire to reclaim regional song repertoires from each musician’s musical universe.

The Liquor Store is a Montreal-based band whose six accomplished young musicians explore a diversity of genres - R&B, funk, hip hop, soul, electronica and jazz - and offer a fresh vision of urban music in Quebec.

Winnipeg’s The Mariachi Ghost summons the ghosts of old Mexico through traditional Mexican

songs, haunting synths and explosive guitar lines, alongside rich harmonies, commanding lead vocals and spectral dance.

Moneka Arabic Jazz aims to bridge cultures and create a dynamic space for musical collaboration and exploration. It draws upon bandleader Ahmed Moneka’s Afro-Iraqi heritage and his journey from Baghdad to Toronto – with many stops in between.

Last summer, Laura Niquay was awarded the annual TD Indigenous Songwriter Award. This critically acclaimed Attikamek artist from Trois-Rivières, Quebec is being recognized for her songs Moteskano' and Nicto Kicko, which offer a glimpse into her energized folk-grunge universe.

Known to her fans as “The Desert Diva,”Montreal soprano Fairouz Oudjida invites audiences to discover her world through a fascinating story — that of a young girl who grew up in the Algerian desert and was passionate about singing from an early age.

A Montrealer since 2006, Rommel Ribeiro is an award-winning Brazilian (originally from the city of São Luís do Maranhão) singer-songwriter, composer, lyricist, guitarist and producer who stands out for his versatility.

With Rick Lazar as grand referee, Toronto's ubiquitous Samba Squad makes a welcome return to TD Sunfest. For 24 years, the Squad has been following the path of the drum from Brazil to Toronto – and often to London, where it has opened our festival with a Brazilian carnaval-style parade around Victoria Park.

Sangjaru is one of South Korea’s most exciting folk fusion bands, combining the dynamism of Korean folk and traditional music with the catchy rhythms of gypsy swing and improvisation to create what they describe as “all new Korean modern music.”

Versatile and adventurous, Quebec trumpeter Jacques Kuba Séguin composes for his jazz bands MiGRATIONS, Litania Projekt and Odd Lot, and also writes for symphony orchestra. Séguin's pieces are explosive and complex, but at the same time melodic and accessible.

Velvety-voiced keyboardist Elizabeth Shepherd arrived on the international scene in 2006 when her debut recording Start To Move was voted one of the top jazz albums of the year by listeners of the influential Gilles Peterson Show on BBC Radio.

Relying on the potency of silky bass lines and honey-soaked horns, paired with exacting lyrics about sky-high ambitions, this eight-piece rap-jazz-R&B crew from Winnipeg channels the beating heart of ‘90s East Coast hip hop into thrilling live performances. In 2020, Super Duty Tough Work’s debut EP, Studies in Grey, was long-listed for Canada’s Polaris Music Prize. “We try to make it interesting in that, it’s not the same structure or formula over and over again,” says lyricist and frontman Brendan Grey. SDTW is self-described as “golden era taste, current era based,” with top Winnipeg talent and globally sourced players drawn from as far as Argentina.

Rachel Therrien is an innovative trumpet and flugelhorn player, composer and music producer working between New York City and Montreal. She is considered one of the most promising jazz musicians of her generation (Downbeat, All About Jazz, Radio-Canada), internationally lauded for her personal touch and the many influences she incorporates from the worlds of traditional jazz, Afro-Latin jazz and global music.

In 2001, Veeby (Vanessa Kanga) moved from Doula, Cameroon to Montreal to study political science and economics. But music soon beckoned. In 2016, the Quebec newspaper La Presse hailed Veeby as “one of the emerging artists of the increasingly contagious Afro-soul trend” with a sweet voice – ever fluid, energetic and flamboyant – that soars to the summits and then plunges, only to soar again, tirelessly. As tirelessly as the artist herself, who passionately advocates for diversity and inclusion through a thrilling combination of jazz, hip hop and soul with strong African overtones.