New Canadian Artists to visit schools May 2009!

Alicia Borisonik (Argentina)

Alicia enjoyed countless musical successes in Argentina. As a singer, arranger, composer and performer, Alicia’s talents were regularly called upon in the thriving musical scene of Buenos Aires. She performed and toured with rock groups, Broadway-type musicals and theatre companies. However, she was unhappy living under a repressive and unpredictable regime. While visitng her sister in Canada she fell in love with the sense of freedom the country offered and so, in 1994, Alicia emmigrated to Canada.

Willy Terrones Gamarra (Peru)

The hauntingly beautiful melodies coaxed from Willy’s flutes transports one to a lush dreamscape with visions of ancient cultures and magical lands. Willy developed strong roots from traditional Andean music in his native Peru. Playing a variety of flutes, charango and guitar, he has performed with the folkloric groups Siwar and Alturas in concerts and festivals in Peru, Bolivia, Brasil, French Guyana and Suriname.

At Carifesta VII, a Caribbean music festival that takes place once every 5 years, Willy became incorporated into the Waïono Arawak music group in Suriname. A new blend of music between Andean and Arawak native music was formed. Willy has been collecting songs of Mother Earth from various world traditions and with Andean flutes and flamenco/folk guitar, fusing disciplines.

Mansa Sissoko (Mali)

Mansa Sissoko

Mansa Sissoko is a kora player and singer who comes from Mali, West Africa. He was born in the village of Ballya, near Kita in the region of Kaye, about 200 kilometres from the capital, Bamako. Following his parents and grandparents, who were also musicians, his musical and ethnic roots are Malinké (or Mandinge). Mansa is more than just griot. More than family history. More than song. Mansa is contemporary written all over.

Mansa lives and breathes our world of transnational culture, of identity found in both place and
space. His music rings of tradition that can only be reproduced from roots sunk deep in the soil, of those who till the earth, of hunters, of women who bear their children with the wind and the stars. His music touches the heart stone of those who turn to music to find peace and soul in a connected, but cacophonic, chaotic world. Mansa on stage is a warm, welcoming smile, a voice singing to each of us across the timeless ties that bind. Wired or unplugged, solo or ensemble,
Mansa is a musician of our times.

Luanda Jones (Brazil)

Luanda Jones

Emerging Brazilian singer/songwriter Luanda Jones has been captivating audiences for over a decade with her unique blend of suave, jazz-inflected vocals and stylized guitar harmonies, interpreting some of the Brazil’s most cherished popular musicians. Her influences cover a wide artistic spectrum, ranging from João Gilberto and Gilberto Gil to the Beatles.

Originally from Rio de Janeiro, has been singing and composing professionally for more than ten years. Born into a musical family, she has lived and breathed music from a very early age, sharing her home with a veteran rocker in father Luis Moreno, and mother Irinéa Maria, a composer of bossa nova.

Luanda is now living in Toronto, Canada, where she has performed at a number of venues (Lula Lounge, Rivoli, Distillery District ,Drake...),opening for such esteemed local and international artists as Lal, Badi Assad, Carmen Souza and Maracatu Nunca Antes.

Bahram Dehghany (Iran)

Bahram Dehghany was born in 1967 in Esfahan, Iran. He was fascinated by music from childhood and began his formal music training at the age fourteen. His first instrument was the tombak (Persian Goblet Drum). The tombak is the chief percussion instrument of Persian classical music. Bahram studied playing the tombak in the Esfahan Conservatory. He later focused on the technique promoted by the tambak masters Farhagfar and Ostad. Bahram achieved a national presence in Iran, based in Tehran playing the tombak and then pursued a second instrument, the Persian flute << ney >>. The ney is a vertical reed flute with a long history in Persian classical music. Bahram has studied music in the Institute of Arts in Tehran. Bahram has performed in Barbad Orchestra in Iran and Chakavak Ensemble in Ottawa-Canada

Coalition of New Canadians for Arts & Culture (CNCAC)

The involvement of these five New Canadian Artists has been made possible through our partnership with the Coalition of New Canadians for Arts and Culture. We are grateful to the Coalition for their hard work and dedication making this celebration of world music in the schools possible. For more information on the Coalition, click here.

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New Canadian Artists to visit schools May 2009!