Saturday July 10th Live Stream

While growing up in her native land of Iran, Farnaz Ohadi sang at every available opportunity but longed to find her authentic artist’s voice. Upon her move to Canada, she studied Operatic vocal training, Persian folk singing, then Flamenco cante through the instruction of Oscar Nieto, Vicente Griego, Naike Ponce and Lucas Ortega among others. Farnaz’s love of music and performance art inspired her to create the collaborative project “Mashregh Ensemble” in 2012, which combine’s Persian poetry in the Farsi language with Flamenco music.

Over the past decade and a half, percussionist Robin Layne has steeped himself in rhythmic traditions around the world, from Cuba to West Africa to Mexico and beyond. With his ensemble The Rhythm Makers, he brings these influences to bear in compositions for the marimba that are inspired by his travels. Robin has worked with many of Canada’s finest global artists and toured throughout China, Europe, Mexico, USA and Canada. The Rhythm Makers are renowned percussionist Liam MacDonald, trumpeter/producer Malcolm Aiken, bassist Derek DiFilippo and drummer Daniel Ruiz. Collectively these musicians have played with everyone from David Hidalgo to the Hamiltones and have an on stage chemistry that is a joy to witness.

Steeped in the traditions of Cuban son and other styles such as cha-cha and Cumbia, Adonis Puentes is an elegant and masterful singer and songwriter in the Cuban style. Adonis and his fraternal twin Alexis, known better as Alex Cuba, were born in 1974 in Artemisa, Cuba. Upon moving to Canada, the two emerged onto the Canadian music scene as The Puentes Brothers. While Adonis’s solo work has remained deep in the soil of Cuban traditions, his albums Vida (2005), Sabor a Café (2013) and Dicen (2017, with the Voice of Cuba Orchestra) all show his strength as a songwriter.  

The BC World Music Collective is made up of musicians from around the world who have all made their home in this beautiful province. The collective is comprised of Adonis Puentes, Farnaz Ohadi,  Tonye Aganaba, Locarno (Tom Landa, Pedro Mota, Robin Layne, Liam MacDonald, Nick La Riviere, Kalissa Landa, Ronnie Swirl), JeanSe le Doujet, and Chilliwack born First Nations (Stō:lo/St’át’imc/Nlaka’pamux Territories) rapper, Ostwelve. The BC World Music Collective first began in the summer of 2015, when the artists were asked to come together to perform at the Vancouver Island Music Festival. After an intense week of rehearsals, the group made their first appearance on the main stage of the festival. After their set, they were all elated with how it went, and decided one performance just wouldn’t be enough. A few weeks later, a plan was hatched to turn the one-off project into the province’s most exciting World Music band, who have subsequently played at festivals around BC, demonstrating the power of diversity and collaboration.