Volume 25 Issue 9 - July / August 2020

Jafar Zabeh, in a June 23
online performance presented
by SWM with the National
Arts Centre, part of their
series called “The Road to
Canada, Canada Performs”
career-development workshops, networking opportunities, music
incubation, mentorship and performances. Early in the year a cohort
of 26 musicians was chosen to participate in the inaugural year’s
program organized by Small World staff, and with Suba Sankaran,
well-known to WholeNote readers – most recently as co-curator of
Tafelmusik’s Indigo Project, as the program’s artist mentor.
I had already tuned into its initial series of spirited concerts on
YouTube, one performed by Jafar Zabeh and friends, and another by
Baobá. But beyond those, Davis waxes enthusiastic about the longer
view for the program: “It formalizes what Small World has done to
support artists, building on our strengths, reputation and connections.
It is timely and well suited to a 21st-century arts organization in a city
that is the centre of Canada’s music industry and a constant magnet
for newcomers. As a music presenter we understand that we need to
invest in the next generation in order to reveal that there is a path for
underrepresented and marginalized artists.”
The eMERGEnce program grew out of a successful Small World
application to Toronto Arts Council’s Newcomer and Refugee
Arts program. A powerful moment in a video shot by Small World
encapsulates both the inspiration for the program and the struggles
faced by people trying to start a career in a new home. “In the video,”
Davis explains, “Jafar Zabeh, a newcomer Iranian classical musician,
shared a poignant story of frustration about the difficulty of trying
to play music when the muscles in his hands are cramped from the
demands of his restaurant dishwasher job. We hope to have a positive
impact on people such as Jafar, assisting him and others like him, to
build a viable life and maintain his musical practice.”
As mentioned, the program is loaded with tools and experiences
that will sustain careers – career workshops, in-depth one-on-one
mentoring sessions, talks by Canadian music industry professionals,
monthly jam sessions where cohort members explore music together
and break down social isolation, and of course performances. The
final component is “collateral creation” which guides participants in
making a career promotional audio and video to illustrate their electronic
press kit.
Global Toronto
And so, finally, we come to Global Toronto, the story that attracted my
attention in the first place.
Like so many music-related events, Global Toronto 2020 (GT) has
announced that it will pivot online with programs starting Monday,
July 27 through Friday, July 31.
Calling the online Global Toronto conference “more than just a
marketplace,” Small World sees it as hitting a positive note during
“these unprecedented times” – an aspirational call for “our sector to
emerge from this moment transformed and thriving. We believe GT20
can help make this transformation possible.”
Conference details are a bit thin at press time – the event is still a
month away, but seven programming areas have been announced.
As the face-to-face conference was designed to do, these will include
panel discussions, professional development webinars and breakout
sessions, and artist spotlights where attendees meet the jury-selected
GT musicians, with further activities including spotlights on festivals,
conferences and other gatherings, regional network meetings, and
finally what’s dubbed musical discovery: “uncovering the best local
music from around the world.”
How close they can come to fulfilling these “face to face” goals of
the original conference in a virtual environment remains to be seen,
but if you’re anything like me, itching to be freed from your fourmonth-long
lockdown restrictions, you’ll be wishing them well. I
particularly feel the need to reconnect with friends and colleagues in
music. It’s already the tail end of June, and it’s still unclear how and
when these things will once again be possible in any meaningful way.
Travel is certainly out for the foreseeable future, cutting all of us off
physically from our national and international connections – so key
for global musicians.
Meeting with fellow music professionals from around the world
online at Global Toronto may be the next best thing at the moment.
And for that I’m grateful.
Andrew Timar is a Toronto musician and music writer. He
can be contacted at worldmusic@thewholenote.com.
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