Category Archives: Blog
BrouLaLa at Night of Dread!
Don’t miss out on Toronto’s best festival!! Night of Dread
Where Torontonians are invited to call on, mock and banish their private and collective fears through parade and pageantry, music and masquerade, dance and a devilishly good party.
Drawing on Georgian, Bluegrass, Appalachian, Lithuanian and other musics, BrouLaLa (Andrea Kuzmich, Ryan Brouwer, Lieke van der Voort and Jackson Welchner) will be singing, sounding, improvising and memorializing in the Valley of Remembrance.
Saturday October 27
5 – 9+ PM (BrouLala performing around 7ish)
Dufferin Grove Park
BrouLala Nigtht of Dread 2016 with Hats on to keep us warm!!
Poetics of Food and Song
A rare chance to experience Georgian cuisine and song…
Friday October 19 2018 7 PM $80 Limited seating (max 15)
RSVP for exact location (near Dufferin Grove Park)
Concert includes a gourmet 5 course homemade Georgian meal (Georgian menu below) and 2 glasses of wine. Songs (by GABO’s TRIO and the MAKHARASHVILI FAMILY) and toasts interspersed through the evening. For more info or to reserve your spot, email MusiCampTO at Gmail.com or visit our contact page. Also visit our FB event page for occasional postings on the cuisine of Georgia.
Foodies and music lovers would be interested to know that on October 19th MusiCamp is hosting a fundraising concert that is also an exceptional dinner, featuring Georgian cuisine, “the best little-known cuisine in the world“. In the Post-Soviet states, Georgian food is loved for its elaborate blend of spices, walnuts, and fresh herbs and fruit that result in savoury stews, purees, sauces and salads. In Soviet times, it replaced the French haute-cuisine of the Tsarist era and grew in such popularity. But the only way to understand why this is, is to try it!
Here’s your chance to not only try it but to experience it in one of the most authentic performance opportunities of Georgian song – not on the concert stage but around a dinner table, sharing food, song and toasts!
It is known that Georgian food is best consumed with traditional Georgian song and wine! So what better way to experience the flavours than in this rare chance at this dinner-concert. And given that Georgia is also known as the cradle of wine (the oldest archeological finds of wine making are from Easter-Georgia), of course a few glasses of wine will accompany the dinner.
The Evening’s Menu is still being developed but it would look something like this:
- Charkhlis Mkhali or Pkhali (beet or spinach puréed with walnuts and fresh herbs)
- Kharcho (walnut-garlic infused beef stew),
- Adjapsandali (eggplant stew) and
- Khachapuri (Georgia’s most famous cheese pie).
- Salad Nigvitz (cucumber, tomatoes and red onions salad with walnut dressing – with an option to have the dressing on the side).
All will be served with fresh bread, mint-infused yogurt and walnut puree sauces. Desserts will also be served (yet to be decided, but don’t be surprised if there will be something featuring walnuts!).
For more info or to reserve your spot, email
MusiCampTO at Gmail.com or visit our contact page.
If you want to know a little more about Georgian food, consider The Washington Posts’ article “Is Georgian Food the Next Big Thing” or have a look at National Geographic’s Street Food Episode on Georgia.
GABO’s TRIO: heading back to Georgia
GABO’s TRIO has a new page.
GABO’s TRIO is Gabriel Makharashvili, Andrea Kuzmich and Mario Morello. Formerly known as Trio From Canada, they first formed in 2016 to sing at the biennial Symposium on Traditional Polyphony in Georgia, Eurasia. They represented two polyphonic traditions that are practiced in Toronto: Georgian polyphony and Ukrainian ridnyj holos. Towards the end of their 2016 trip, after singing at many Georgian family tables, they started being called Gabo’s Trio. Andrea – an ethnomusicologist and performing musician – and her 10-year-old son, Gabriel, are both part of the Ori Shalva (also known as the Makharashvili Family), a singing family that performs Georgian polyphony for private family and calendric events and cameo appearances on stages in Toronto, New York and Georgia. Mario, an ethnomusicologist, Balkan-singing specialist and student of Georgian polyphony, joined Andrea and Gabo to sing songs from the Makharashvili repertoire and elsewhere.
Past Shows of GABO’s TRIO in Toronto 2018!!
Sunday Sept 30 2018 3-5pm Mel Lastman Square Discover Geogia – Cradle of Wine
Sunday Oct 14 2018 2-9pm 8th Annual Ossington Village Alleyway Party
Friday Oct 19 2018 7pm Poetics of Food and Song
Thursday Oct 25 2018 6-9pm Drom Taberna
UPDATE: Since returning from Georgia in the fall of 2018, GABO’sTRIO released a small EP. Check it out:
They also have another video from live TV and other moments in pictures we hope to share soon!
During our 2016 trip, we were honoured to be so well received in Georgia…
especially to be asked to sing live on Georgian TV…
and Georgian Radio.
The christening of the name GABO’s TRIO happened in the fall of 2016, towards the end of our trip, at this most hospitable home in celebration of the grape harvest.
Past Shows of GABO’s TRIO in Toronto 2018!!
Sunday Sept 30 2018 3-5pm Mel Lastman Square Discover Geogia – Cradle of Wine
Sunday Oct 14 2018 2-9pm 8th Annual Ossington Village Alleyway Party
Friday Oct 19 2018 7pm Poetics of Food and Song
Thursday Oct 25 2018 6-9pm Drom Taberna
MusiCamp Stage at the Dundas West Festival 2018!
MUSIC FOR KIDS AND BY KIDS
ALL IN THE HEART OF THE KIDS ZONE
FREE AFRICAN DRUM WORKSHOP
MEET MUSICAMP INSTRUCTORS
LIVE MUSIC BY YOUNG LOCAL PERFORMERS
We are so so so excited to be part of the vibrant Dundas West community that puts on such an amazing festival. MusiCamp is curating the stage in the Kids Zone again, providing more opportunities for our local and talented youth to showcase their art – plus we’re hosting a drum workshop. All starting at 11 am, at 1496 Dundas St West, just west of Dufferin.
The full line up of events can be found on our Facebook event page
LIVE MUSIC BY LOCAL YOUNG PERFORMERS 11 am – 4:30 pm
From 11 am to 4:30 pm the stage will be filled with live music. This year we welcome back sweet songsters Tangled Chords, Rebekah Wise, Sofia Kay and Gabo. Joining us for the first time is Emma Campbell. While Will Smythe is no stranger to the MusiCamp stage, he’ll be joining us in a whole new context – this year he’s not playing drums in a rock band but playing solo ‘cello! – his instrument of major at the Etobicoke School of the Arts.
But rock’n’roller Charley Lukashevsky (formerly of 321 Sleep) will be back with a new band, the Patti King. We’ll also have 2 dance performances by the Eclective Collective and mom-daughter indigenous interdisciplinary urban duo The Graces, who will also lead a dance workshop! And of course students from MusiCamp will feature some body percussion, blue grass tunes and original compositions – some of which will call on audience participation!
WEST AFRICAN DRUMMING WORKSHOP 2:25 pm to 3:25 pm
The public joining in on MusiCamp’s African Drum workshop at The Dundas West Festival 2016.
This goes way beyond a drum circle! MusiCamp’s West African Drum instructor Anna Melnikoff will teach workshop participants patterns and licks on djembe and the interlocking patterns on the dunun – side-playing drums.
More info can be found on this post.
Check out MusiCamp’s stage at the 2017, 2016 and 2015 Dundas West festivals.
MusiCamp and Other Activities
MusiCamp will have a tent, so please visit us – try our the home made bucket basses and diddley bows, ask questions about our teaching and camps or just come and say “Hi!” Also don’t forget, there will be lots of other activities and crafts offered by other local organizations and business to take part in all around our stage.
A REMINDER
Don’t forget to bring sun screen, sun hats and water bottles! Also, the Kids Stage is located at 1496 Dundas St W, just West of Dufferin. WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU THERE!
FREE West African Drumming Workshop Jun 2 2018 at 2:10 PM
West African Drumming Workshop open to kids and their parents!
NEW TIME: June 2 2018 2:10 pmto 3:10 pm at the MusiCamp YOUTH STAGE at the Dundas West Festival, 1525 Dundas St West, just west of Dufferin
MusiCamp is hosting a free hands-on drumming workshop at the Dundas West Festival this Saturday, June 2 2018. Taught by AnnA Melnikoff, one of Canada’s foremost experts in the Mande drumming tradition, a tradition which predates the division of West Africa into the current political regions and arguably represents the roots of African American music, including the Blues, Rock & Roll, R&B, Mowtown, Funk, Soul, and many forms of pop music.
This goes way beyond a drum circle!West African Drum instructor Anna Melnikoff will teach workshop participants patterns and licks on djembe (as seen briefly in the video to your left). But Anna will also demonstrate the interlocking patterns on the dunun – the soul of the West African Mande drumming tradition. These rhythms can be extremely challenging, even for pro drummers! And with Anna’s guidance, this workshop is set up to engage and teach the absolute inexperienced while at the same time provide on-going challenges for advanced drummers.
In this workshop kids (& parents) will:
- learn the difference between 3 basic slaps (slap, tone & bass) on the djembe
- have a chance to practice these on the drum with a fun etude that develops these rudiments
- have a chance to play the dunun
- learn a basic accompaniment pattern
- have a chance to solo
And we’ll even do some singing! Have listen to us at the 2015 Dundas West Festival.
The video to your left is from MusiCamp’s Summer Camps. the West African Drumming week. (Note: If you want to hear the groovy bass you’ll have to use headphones.)
Mande drumming is based on three stand-up drums called the dunun that play three interlocking rhythms often thought of as the melody. The djembes play accompanying patterns on top of this and are also used for soloing. To learn more about the Mande drumming tradition follow this link or if you are interested in our West African Drumming summer camp click here.
A Fun Singing Adventure at Harbourfront May 19 2pm
Join MusiCamp’s director, Andrea Kuzmich, for a fun, interactive, kid-friendly, family-inclusive event at Harbourfront this Saturday May 19 2-3:30 pm. FREE!
First we’ll do some singing. Then, following the lead of indigenous artist Tamara Podemski, we’ll weave the songs into theatrical story. Find out more about Why We Are Here as part of the Junior Festival at Harbourfront.
Looking for Young Performers for the Dundas West Fest
Dundas West Festival 2017 in Review
It’s time to start thinking of summer and I’m remembering the great time we had at the Dundas West Fest last year! The 2017 line up can be viewed here. And mark the date: this year’s festival will be Saturday June 2!
Gabo got the crowd smiling singing “Cheap Thrills”
Songstress Rebekah Wise is joined by friend Ruby to perform original tunes at the MusiCamp stage 2017
We covered everything – here traditional Georgian polyphony!
Songstress and award winning singer Sophia Hong wowed the audience!
Crowds gathered to see and hear the talented youth of our Dundas West community
A real bass or a bucket bass? MusiCamp had diddley bows and buckets basses for kids to try out! Instrument making is part of the programming at our summer camps.
Rockers 321 Sleep at the DuWest Fest MusiCamp Stage
SUMMER CAMP
2019 DATES!
15% EARLY BIRD registration discount before May 30!
$25 discount for additional weeks, siblings and referrals!
No additional fees or taxes charged!
July 15-19 ~ COMPOSITION & SONG ~ $285 … more info →
July 22-26 ~ WEST AFRICAN DRUMMING (guest artist!) ~ $325 … more info →
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Class sizes are small.
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All-day (9am-4pm) programming with extended care available from 8:30am-6pm.
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No formal training is required. No instrument required – just an enjoyment of music
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Our intuitive approach to exploring sound, music, composition, the voice, and the weekly themes also functions as a great supplement to conventional music lessons
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We also integrate crafts (instrument and mask making), backyard games, Pizza-making Wednesdays in Dufferin Grove park and other outdoor fun
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Limited financial assistance is available on a per person basis. (Contact MusiCamp for more info)
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2019 Registration can be accessed here
visit our Flickr Gallery – click on the images below
MusiCamp 