Inspire North Festival

Born on the streets of Toronto in 2017, Big Smoke Brass is a leading voice in the Canadian brass scene. Dedicated to fostering community and connecting people through their high-energy music, the band has given hundreds of performances across Canada and released a growing discography of original music and videos. Wherever you may be, Big Smoke Brass is determined to share their love of music with you.

Catch Big Smoke Brass in the Orchard on Friday!

Rakeem Hardy, originally from Toronto, Canada, received their BFA and the Thayer Fellowship Award from the State University of New York at Purchase College. Through their time at Purchase, they performed works by Ohad Naharin, Doug Varone, Sidra Bell, Norbert De La Cruz III, and Roderick George. They received additional training at the Taipei National University of the Arts, as well at Springboard Danse Montreal where they performed pieces by Crystal Pite, Alejandro Cerrudo, and Aszure Barton. Rakeem has collaborated and performed with A.I.M by Kyle Abraham, Loni Landon Dance Projects, Collectif LA TRESSE, and Gallim Dance.

TOES FOR DANCE (TFD) is an artist-run non-profit contemporary dance organization based in Tkaronto. Our mission is to share art and connect people through workshops and performances; fostering a community inspired by shared values of curiosity and collaboration. Our understanding of contemporary dance emerges from the wide range of movement artists who lead and contribute to our programming; an expansive definition that includes a diversity of practices working in the current and ever-evolving ecology of dance. TFD has presented performances for over 10,200 students and public audience members and has offered educational classes/programs for approximately 13,000 people. www.toesfordance.ca.

Catch Rakeem Hardy and Zoe Kwan in the Pavillion!

I am an environmental artist and creator/facilitator of an eco-friendly community art program for children, Orfe EcoArt Program. My passion for art, environmentalism, and community engagement, along with my art education experience with the TCDSB and the TDSB, have strengthened my motivation to engage young people in protecting the earth through participatory community arts.
Orfe EcoArt Program is a social enterprise that aims to stimulate creativity and environmental responsibility in children and youth through its ecological art program, understanding that a creative mind and responsible attitude are key to becoming an active member of society and contributing to the health and safety of one’s community.

Create eco-friendly art with Orfe by the lake at our Inspire North Art Station!

The Sean Stanley Trio PROUDLY plays Jazz, Swing and the blues. The music of Louis Armstrong, Ray Charles, Erroll Garner and Duke Ellington as well as Sean’s original compositions. The band consists of 2-time Juno winner Kyle Tarder-Stoll on tenor sax, local Toronto staple bassist Gram Whitty and Sean Stanley on piano and vocal. Their music ranges from hot and fiery to smooth and sweet but is always based in the blues and improvisation.

Catch the Sean Stanley Trio in the Pavillion on Saturday!

Jay Northcott is a multidisciplinary artist; director, playwright, burlesque dancer, and producer. Jay works to decolonize their art and practice with storytelling, movement, and gesture to create a foundation for their work. They push their own boundaries by rejection notions of a ‘final’ or ‘polished’ project and focus on a live-ness by continuing to discover their own bias as a theatre maker. They continue to grow and make it their mission to continue to unlift projects that put bipoc queer artists in the spotlight. They continue to create a community that is run by and for racialized and queer artist. Their goals: to make you cry and piss yourself at the same time, and to bleed, break, grind, make money, fuck, fight and blow some shit up with their post-britney2007 (after she shaved her hair off) aesthitic. Directing credits include: blacktop sky (obsidian thearte), passover (obsidian theatre, ad) sweat (arts club & citadel theatre, ad), scarlet letter (theatre calgary, ad), iphigenia and thefuries (saga collectif, ad), cows (theatre junction)

Nathan Baya is an artist, songwriter and performer born and raised in Toronto, Canada. Baya’s parents immigrated to Canada from the Democratic Republic of Congo.

His cultural heritage has influenced his musical sound and through his electrifying energy, he has performed on over 100 stages including Toronto Pearson International Airport, Maple Leaf Sports Entertainment, Toronto Raptors, Afrofest, Toronto Black Film Festival, Afro Carib Festival, Vibe Arts Festival, Active Ontario Festival, Brussels Summer Festival in Paris, Unity Hip Hop Charity Festival, Royal Ontario Museum, Nuit Blanche, Youth Day Toronto, Canadian Music Week, The Art Gallery Of York University, Toronto Metropolitan University, University Of Toronto St George, University Of Toronto Scarborough, Rise Edutainment, Toronto Biennial of Art, etc.

Catch Nathan in the Orchard Pavillion on Saturday!

Patrick Walters is an international poet & arts educator, who is dedicated to sharing stories that speak to the issues we all battle daily. His work is a constant reminder to us to never give up on our own hopes & dreams, even in the face of the harsh realities of the world we live in. After releasing his debut Album, The OffShore Account, Patrick has been focused on his arts education and consulting career as well as sharing his works of poetry on stages across North America and the Caribbean region.