Lulaworld Festival 2019
Presented by Lula Music and Arts Centre
at Lula Lounge and Dundas West Fest
International guests, local super stars and emerging projects fill this year’s edition of the LULAWORLD festival with Latin blues, soul and salsa, alongside Brazilian forró, samba and MPB. With almost 150 artists participating in over thirty performances, lessons and workshops, the 14th annual LULAWORLD festival has something for every music and dance lover.
Presented with support from the Toronto Arts Council, Ontario Arts Council, Canada Council, Ontario Creates and Canadian Heritage as well as our sponsors CIUT-FM, Exclaim! Toronto Hispano, Latinos Magazine.
Event listings, tickets, dinner reservations and menus at www.lula.ca.
Lula Lounge: 1585 Dundas Street West Toronto,M6K 1T9
Thursday June 6
Doors 7 Show 8
Presented with CIUT.
$15 in advance / $20 at the door
LULAWORLD 2019 kicks off with an eclectic mashup featuring preview performances highlighting LULAWORLD’s international lineup at Dundas West Fest June 7th & 8th.
Mistysa
Direct from Chile, powerhouse vocalist delivers Latin-infused blues, R&B and soul, meshed with jazz-inspired violin by Ernesto J. Espinoza. With Jerónimo Acuña, Oriana Barbato & Luis Orbegoso.
Maestro Claro
A pioneer of the Afro-Colombian champeta guitar style makes his Canadian debut backed by Toronto’s Soukustek, performing the joyful music of the Colombian-Caribbean “pico” culture.
The Soul Motivators
A 9-piece, 3 horn deep funk explosion, with a rough, tough and soulful flair. Listeners are motivated to hit to the dance floor by this fresh revival of a rich retro sound.
Friday June 7
Doors 6:30 Show 10:15
$15 at the door
Percussionist Magdelys Savigne gathers an international lineup featuring Telmary Diaz (Havana), Gabriel Garcia (Los Angeles) and Jorge Bettancourt (Toronto) and for a night of Cuban dance music with inflections of hip hop, changui, pop and jazz.
Saturday June 8
Doors 6:30 Show 10:15
$20 at the door
Expect hard-hitting, super-charged Nuyorican-style salsa when Venezuelan-born, NYC-based Benavides (of Pedrito Martinez Group fame) joins Luis Orbegoso & Alto Voltage for a night of high-energy repertoire born in the great salsa cities of Toronto and New York.
Sunday June 9
Doors 6 Show 7
$15 advance / $20 at the door
Mortadella is Donkey Meat, Tales of an Italian-Canadian Weirdo features tall tales about DIY lamb slaughter, Padre Pio & canning pasta sauce. An evening of Italian Canadian storytelling with music by Viva Mexico Mariachi Band and Juno-winner Dominic Mancuso Trio with special guest Suzie Vinnick.
June 11
Doors 7 Show 8
Featuring Dandha Da Hora & Dance Migration Company
$20 advance / $25 at the door
Percussionist, master dancer, educator, and lead vocalist of the Santa Cruz-based group SambaDa, Dandha da Hora from Salvador, Bahia, has shared the stage with Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil and Daniela Mercury.
June 12
Doors 6 Show 7
$20 advance / $25 at the door
With four exquisite recordings to her credit, Brazilian pianist Bianca Gismonti has toured extensively interweaving her own compositions with an ongoing exploration of the repertoire of her father, the great composer, pianist and guitarist Egberto Gismonti.
June 12
Doors 8:30 Show 9:30
$28 advance / $40 at the door
Co-presented with Uma Nota Culture
Fusing MPB, funk and Afro-Brazilian elements, São Paulo-based trans artist Liniker Barros and her powerhouse band return with a new album after a hugely successful international tour that included a sold out concert at Lula last summer. With opening set by Jerusa Leão’s Saravah!
June 14
Doors 6:30 Show 7:30
Três
Free before 8 PM
Percussionist, Mari Parhales debuts a new ensemble featuring Brazilian singer and guitarist Carla Dias and bassist Zeca Polina performing a range of lively genres with a focus on Northeastern Brazil.
June 14
Doors 6:30 Show 10:15
$15 at the door
Co-Presented with Okokan Productions
Havana-based, Cubadisco-winner, Yulasi Miranda Ferrer joins Toronto vocal stars Adis Rodriguez and Marta Elena Perez for a night showcasing three leading Cuban women singers, backed by collaborator Sean Bellaviti and his celebrated Conjunto Lacalu ensemble.
Saturday June 15
Doors 6:30 Show 10:15
$20 at the door
Direct from Montreal, this award-winning Nuyorican and Puerto Rican-inspired salsa orchestra is led by Guyanese trombonist Giany Huyghues Despointes, performing original compositions and arrangements featuring baritone saxophone and three trombones.
Sunday June 16
Doors 1pm Show 1:30
$10 / $5 for children advance
Celebrating Venezuelan culture in Canada, Sentir Venezuela presents a family-friendly afternoon of traditional music, dance and food, highlighting Afro-Venezuelan rhythms and styles including calipso, parranda, joropo and Venezuelan waltz.
June 16
Presented with City Hall Live
Doors 7 Show 8
with opening set by Joanna Majoko
$30 advance $40 at the door
Six albums deep, Juno-award winning jazz, R&B and soul vocalist and composer Kellylee Evans is celebrated for her “stunning crystalline voice, both powerful and emotive,” Evans pushes her muse firmly into the soulful pop territory on her latest release Come On.
Born in Germany and raised in Zimbabwe, a graduate of jazz studies at the University of Manitoba, vocalist, composer and arranger, Joanna Majoko has worked with Otis Brown III, David Clayton-Thomas & Jane Bunnett.
