Canadian Girl. Leo. Lifestyle Blogger. Arts & Culture Dabbler. Music Genie. Book Lover. Fashion Connoisseur. Travel Gypsy. MUFC Supporter. Total Sweetheart.
Whether you are a newbie or an aficionado of tea culture, the Toronto Tea Festival will enable you to discover the world of tea from the traditional to the trendy. You will be able to sample hundreds of teas and learn from experts in the industry at one of the complimentary presentations. Taste a variety of teas uniquely and exquisitely prepared by exhibitors; noting how the flavours may differ depending upon place of origin, processing techniques, and preparation styles. Shop for all your favourite tea wares, teas, and related products – this is the perfect opportunity to shop for your Valentine. Participate in the silent auction and enter the raffle. Experience the event to the fullest by engaging with the exhibitors and learning about all things tea.
The festival will take place Friday Feb 1, 2019 from noon- 7pm. The VIP event will take place from 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm. This is a separately ticketed event.
Be sure to catch the festival weekend dates on Saturday Feb 2 and Sunday Feb 3, 2019 between 10 am – 5 pm. Tell me what you think and send me photos if you do attend!
What are the rules when entering the Thirty Four Flavours and Toronto Tea Festival 2019 Ticket Giveaway?
Simple! Please sign up to Thirty Four Flavours Facebook https://www.facebook.com/thirtyfourflavours, Twitter https://twitter.com/34flavours, or email subscription to enter the draw. When you have signed up please send me a Facebook message, a tweet or email (thirtyfourflavours@gmail.com) telling me what you are excited to see at #teafestTO by Wednesday January 30, 2019.
There’s nothing like a lovingly curated program at the TSO that will get you warmed up to celebrate the holidays. TSO Holiday Pops as Conducted by Lucas Waldin provided a youthful exuberance that brought the diversely aged crowd together with cheeky grins, a romp to their step at intermission and a festive cheer hard pressed to find at your local Holiday Party.
Guest Conductor, Waldin brings a classical flair to his work whilst also keenly mixing it up with artists such as Carly Rae Jepsen, Ben Folds, Chantal Kreviazuk, the Barenaked Ladies, and Buffy Sainte-Marie. Keep an eye out for Waldin as he will surely continue to draw a youthful crowd to TSO audiences in years to come whilst also demystifying the symphony to the next generation of patrons.
Vocalist, Matt Dusk, joined Waldin on stage to provide a polished TSO Holiday Pops swoon to the evening. Besides receiving four JUNO nominations in Canada, additional worldwide accolades and a deep friendship with Tony Bennett – Dusk is still a Toronto boy with a big heart, a velveteen voice and an introspection that will leave you making a mental note to buy his entire musical catalogue from iTunes on the drive home.
The Etobicoke School of the Arts Holiday Chorus added the icing on the Waldin and Dusk cake during the TSO Holiday Pops performance. Comprised of Grades 9 and 12 music theatre classes, this group of students is the definition of “triple threat”.
The melding of traditional nods, humour, knee knocking sing-along’s and seasonal ambience was all the rage on the night. Renditions of “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” and “Do You Hear What I Hear?” provided a meditative vibe at Roy Thomson Hall. A reminder that the holidays are about reflection, making new traditions, spending time with those we love and enjoying holiday music from times long past.
Be sure to catch the last of TSO’s Holiday Programming by December 23, 2018!
Happy Holidays! http://www.tso.ca
Media Profile celebrated their annual holiday party last Thursday night and as usual – it was epic! Media Profile prides itself on being an independent, entrepreneurial and tenacious public relations firm. Their communication campaigns are based on a healthy blend of research and imagination. They use all the tools in the toolbox, whether media relations, social media, content creation and marketing etc. So clearly it was no surprise that their holiday parties resemble who they are and how they work. Think fun, fantastic and guaranteed to go late.
As we made our way through the historic Burroughes Building space which is hipster meets chic. It’s aged brick, high ceilings, swooping arched doorways, NYC elevator shaft and roof top patio – makes you feel welcomed and ready for a good time.
This year we indulged upon custom cocktails and Sixty Six Brix’s maple sugar station as they drizzled the most gorgeous of maple syrup onto a bed of ice hearkening memories at Pioneer Village as a child sitting at a picnic table slurping its sweet syrupy delights. The only difference at the Media Profile Party 40 years later, we now have gourmet cheese wrapped into ice hardened maple syrup like an ensconced sweater.
The DJ was sure to cloud the air with cool mixes as we danced the night away while also saying hello to new friends as they breezed into the space.
The holiday decorations were minimal but celebrated Canadiana and snowy scenes. The holiday lights beamed overhead as we relished our gorgeous cocktails and shared chats with fellow guests.
We took advantage of the photographer/selfie station that came equipped with wooden moustaches and lips that could be used for cheeky shots and then printed up on the tiniest printer you have ever seen as a takeaway bonbonierre.
The Media Profile signature drinks never disappoint. Ho ho ho indeed!
Media Profile will always be known as the most crashable holiday party in Toronto. It’s epic in stature, the attention to detail is always on point and most importantly the vibe is consistently friendly, accommodating and authentically warm. Perfectly symbolic of the Media Profile brand and people.
Until December 2019!
Happy Holidays! http://www.mediaprofile.com/ #MPParty
On Friday, November 23, #FNLROM: Lit brought us The Darcys and complimentary access to the special exhibition Spiders: Fear & Fascination, bringing this season of #FNLROM to a spectacular finale.
Here’s what you missed!
Entertainment
The Darcys’ anthemic music is lush with vibrant synths, 808s, and funky bass that makes their sound feel as at home in today’s modern pop landscape as it would in a crate of classic vinyl.
Underground hip-hop and R&B artist Nana Zen creates unique live mixes featuring modern elements, while staying true to the alternative hip-hop subculture and deeply rooted in her Caribbean background.
Explosively energetic indie rockers Goodnight, Sunrise deliver pop hooks, EDM drops, and powerful classic rock.
With influences including hip-hop, soca, R&B, pop, and country, Dre Ngozi’s music is fueled by a mash-up of sounds.
The GURU bros. (Santosh Naidu and Tej Hunjan) are Toronto’s foremost percussion duo, bringing their unique blend of global groove electronica to soundtracks, festivals, and dance floors all over the world.
Tarana Dance brings their style, talent, and skill to showcase the beauty of Kathak, Bollywood, and contemporary dance to audiences all over the world.
U of T Jazz Stars of the Future rock the ROM with house jazz.
Gallery Experiences
Rangoli Art by Jasmin Pannu: Jasmin is a self-taught, multi-disciplinary artist with works in mural art, and henna/jagua body art. She has painted over 50 murals in the Toronto area, and has toured her art series Wildlife Collection and Cheat Codes in several Toronto galleries.
Saving Daylight: As the days get shorter and the nights get longer, take a look at how humans developed complex calendars and kept track of time for thousands of years from cultures around the world.
Food Fare
King Catering, Gushi, Mnandi Pies, Tita Flips, My Crème Caramel, Hot Bunzz, Born2Eat, Chau, and Ice Volcano Ice Cream.
When the curtain rises for the Canadian Opera Company’s world premiere of Rufus Wainwright’sHadrian on October 13, 2018 audience members will be the first to experience a sleek and provocative new work. The opera reunites the all-star creative team behind 2017’s Louis Riel, led by Canadian stage director Peter Hinton. With a libretto from Canadian playwright Daniel MacIvor, Hadrian explores the life and legacy of the Roman emperor, in the wake of his young lover’s death. The production draws from a number of contemporary influences to transpose Hadrian and Antinous’ story from the pages of history to the here and now, driving home the enduring relevance of this epic, ancient love story. Hadrian runs for seven performances on October 13, 17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 2018.
“It’s tremendously exciting to give birth to this new work,” says COC Music Director Johannes Debus, who conducts the COC Orchestra through a score with a rich and colourful orchestral palette. “Hadrian’s vitality, elegance, and beauty is disarming, effectively combining orchestral elements to convey the range of powerful emotions throughout the opera.”
Acclaimed director Peter Hinton leads some of the industry’s best design talent in bringing Hadrian’s story to life. Fresh off his work at this year’s Shaw Festival, where his production of Oh! What a Lovely War was called “educating, entertaining, heartbreaking” (Toronto Star), Hinton says one of the biggest challenges in directing Hadrian is two-fold: “It’s about telling a story that people think they know – and telling a story that people don’t know at all.” He adds that Hadrian’s story is unique, consisting of equal parts history, romance, and politics. “There is passion and treachery, love and war, spirits and magic, and a journey through ancient Rome, Greece and Egypt. The opera chronicles this liminal place in history where Imperial Rome ended and the rise of monotheism began.”
Canadian Michael Gianfrancesco has created a sense of fluidity, using a set that changes in scale and composition to reflect an amorphous sense of time. The seasoned set designer says audiences can expect to see traces of Roman architecture that have been stripped of detail and rendered into glossy black surfaces. Gianfrancesco describes it as feeling like “a death space, a place of mourning, memories, and of remembering and recalling history.”
Canadian costume designer Gillian Gallow says that in order to create an extremely modern and high-impact feel, she aimed for a “dramatically Roman” aesthetic. “If we were to do this in a historical Roman sense, the colours would be much more muted,” says Gallow. “But to make it theatrical, the colours we use are more intense, more extreme.” Other sources of inspiration include the gold leaf work of painter Gustav Klimt, a Greek-inspired fashion runway collection from Versace, and the vibrant, graphic imagery of ancient Minoan frescoes.
Hadrian features video projection designed by Laurie-Shawn Borzovoy and lighting designed by Bonnie Beecher. Beecher says strategic side illumination will appear to suspend artists in a sea of blackness. “It creates the sense that they are floating and small in a large world,” she adds. “This, along with video, can have a very powerful effect. The hope is to create beauty, with a heightened sense of time and place.”
Choreography from Denise Clarke adds further resonance to the depiction of a world where all is not what it seems. Dancers are woven throughout the storyline, representative of Hadrian’s desire for his love and also the mythical Ferrymen of the Nile, tasked with carrying souls to the underworld.
Composer Rufus Wainwright has long drawn inspiration from the Romantic tradition of grand opera, a passion that led to his first operatic work, Prima Donna, in 2009. For the internationally acclaimed Canadian-American singer-songwriter, translating Hadrian’s story into a score that reflected the complexity of his state and circumstance was a true labour of love: “My Hadrian…is a surreal romp through time and space, mixing true occurrences with complete fabrication in order to illustrate a vivid ‘creative snapshot’ of what the end of the Classical era may have felt like.” In penning the libretto, award-winning playwright Daniel MacIvor steps into new creative territory; the Canadian theatre veteran says his work on this opera carries a weight that is deeply personal: “As a gay man, not to have known Hadrian’s story felt like I had been robbed of something, of a historical figure that somehow validated my love.”
American baritone Thomas Hampson in the title role and Finnish soprano Karita Mattila as the former empress Plotina make their company debuts. Their performances are filled with an emotional charge that will be sure to stimulate you. Hampson’s Hadrian is epic, stoic and aching with adoration that one can not help but swoon over. Mattila brings girl power to a whole new level as one of Hadrian’s advocates. Canadian-American tenor Isaiah Bell sings Antinous, with a fervour that will make your knees knock. Soprano Ambur Braid, is Hadrian’s wife Sabina; eloquent and effervescent in the same breath. American bass David Leigh adds a fluidness to his Turbo, head of Hadrian’s military. Smile during legendary Canadian tenor Ben Heppner’s cameo appearance as Dinarchus.
Hadrian marks the second COC production for the powerhouse creative team behind 2017’s Louis Riel: celebrated set designer Michael Gianfrancesco, costume designer Gillian Gallow, and lighting designer Bonnie Beecher, all led by boundary-pushing Canadian director Peter Hinton. Joining the team for Hadrian is projection designer Laurie-Shawn Borzovoy (the COC’s Bluebeard’s Castle/Erwartung) and choreographer Denise Clark. Ensure that you grab tickets before Hadrian’s close on October 27, 2018.
Another week and another amazing ticket giveaway for FNLROM at the ROM on October 19/2018. Simple! Please sign up to Thirty Four Flavours Facebook https://www.facebook.com/thirtyfourflavours, Twitter https://twitter.com/34flavours, or email subscription to enter the draw. When you have signed up please send me a Facebook message, a tweet or email (thirtyfourflavours@gmail.com) telling me what you are excited to see at #FNLROM by October 18, 2018.
Here’s the scoop!
CURVES: Reset A subjective documentation of the unfiltered human experience as seen by Toronto artist Sean Brown, with art direction by Umbereen. Throughout the Museum, these images – entirely captured with an iPhone – express the artist’s assessment of existence and purpose in hopes of closure, reconnection, or context.
About the artist: Sean Brown is a Toronto-based artist, fashion designer (NEEDS&WANTS), photographer, and creative director (Daniel Caesar). His mantra: Research, Travel, Design. Sean’s work does not revel in the realm of instant gratification; instead, his ability to transform progressive ideas into intriguing, stimulating, and tangible realities. CURVES is a reflection of study and process, and the endless possibilities we can entertain once we are humble enough to accept room for improvement.
About the art director: Umbereen Inayet, is a national award-winning artistic producer and director, currently an Artistic Producer for Nuit Blanche Toronto. With over a decade of experience working with artists and studios such as Ai Weiwei, Director X, Creative Time, JR, and eL Seed, Umbereen has explored a vast spectrum of the human experience to create public artworks for all.
About the co-creative: Eric LaChance is an artist currently operating in fields ranging from space and product design to photography and film.
Explore the chapters of the project as explained by artist Sean Brown:
If the world as we know had ended, this is how it was remembered… –Sean Brown
Why Am I Here?
An exploration of earth’s natural wonders demands a sense of humility.
In No Particular Order
A colourful retrospective of the impact mobile photography has had on my output. While I’m often vocal about my love for vintage and analogue equipment, I’ve been very selective when pairing that love with technological advancements.
My Time On Earth
The power of the moving mobile image is in its composition, simplicity, and engagement with the human experience. These vignettes were all shot on smartphones and are unedited. With a still, you feel a need to add a layer of imagination to process the image; video allows for a more immersive experience.
Don’t Quote Me On That
Once this project was complete, I had a hard time categorizing it. I would send it to my friends (without context) and ask them to describe their impressions back to me. The best we had come up with was “conversation and composition”: an audio journal of my travels and candid conversations with loved ones and strangers that I’m trying my very hardest to keep off of the World Wide Web. I’ve always felt that it’s unhealthy to be fully set on your opinions and ideals. I try to parallel my approach to the creative with my approach to life. There needs to be room for error, room for growth, room to teach, and a vast amount of space to unlearn. I don’t know if I believe in the concept of a genius but I think we’re all capable of genius moments in our processes. But I could be wrong, so don’t quote me on that.
Room for Reverence
The world can be unstable. We can all use moments that help us step back, detach, and acknowledge we even exist. Nature has always made me reflect on my own existence. This is a collection of sunsets on loop during live piano medleys by composer and producer Alex Ernewein.
Reflections
The final installment of the project is a space to reflect. Soundscapes and moving images exist on loop to encourage and further curiosity.
This is the world as I discovered it, as I saw it, and as it was left behind… –Sean Brown
Wild Toronto
From towering Toronto trees and bats above you to the fossils beneath your feet, take notice of nature in our urban environment.
The following galleries will be closed this week during #FNLROM: Sigmund Samuel Gallery of Canada, Daphne Cockwell Gallery Dedicated to First Peoples Art & Culture, and all Level 3 galleries.
ENTERTAINMENT
Kaya iky
Spins an eclectic soul-disco-house sound. A vinyl-only DJ and producer, Kaya’s sound stems from Montenegrin roots and time spent living and studying in Prague, and is influenced by his open-ended library of world music.
Domanique Grant
A unique combination of talent and whimsical fierceness, indie-pop singer Domanique Grant’s music pulls you into personal moments that make you feel like a guest invited into the world that she creates. Her lyrics explore the meaning of home in urban cities like Toronto and remind audiences to connect and feel something real again.
Conor Cutz
An open-format DJ and entrepreneur hailing from Toronto. Known for his turntablist background and ability to read any crowd, Conor redefines the role of a party DJ through style and sophistication. He currently holds residencies at some of Toronto’s most notable venues including The Four Season’s Hotel, Brooklynn, SOHO House, and more.
Alex Ernewein
Alex started playing piano at the age of eight and has picked up a number of instruments since then. He went to Humber College for piano and has played in most Toronto live music venues including Massey Hall, Danforth Music Hall, Opera House, Great Hall, Orbit Room, The Rex, Poetry Jazz Cafe, and others. He has toured with Daniel Caesar and was a part of the production team on the album Freudian. Most recently, he toured with Charlotte Day Wilson. Alex currently runs his own studio in Parkdale and spends his time producing for artists both in Toronto and in LA.
FOOD VENDORS
Liko’s Hawaiian BBQ
Local Hawaiian grinds – we bring da islandz to you! Gushi
Delicious Japanese street food specialized in fried chicken. Mnandi Pies
Hand crafted Zimbabwean-style pies made with fresh, locally-sourced ingredients. Vegetarian options. Tita Flips
Elevated Filipino street food. Vegetarian, gluten-free, and lactose-free options. My Crème Caramel
French desserts handmade from scratch. Vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options. STK Toronto
Indulge in the savoury pulled braised beef from modern-chic Yorkville steakhouse STK Toronto! Gluten-free option. Feed the 6
Culinary fusion inspired by the city of Toronto. Gluten-free options. Patisserie Kirin
Brings you delicately handcrafted French-style opera cakes, with a unique Japanese flavour twist, and One Shot: The Nespresso of Ice Cream. Sorbet ice cream/lactose-free options. Delight Bite
The best fresh Mexican food. Vegetarian, vegan, & gluten-free options. Chau
Modern Asian food drawing inspiriation from Canadian and Asian classics. Vegetarian and vegan options.
Date & Time
Friday, October 19. Event runs from 7:00 – 11:30 PM
Happy to spread the good vibes of FNLROM at the ROM this weekend! Thank you to the Royal Ontario Museum for the hook up! I would like to give my one of my readers a double pass to FNLROM on Oct 12/18. Here’s what you get! All you need to do is tell me why you want to go and I’ll hook you up!
Narcy
Yassin Alsalman, known by the artist moniker Narcy (formerly The Narcisyst), is an Iraqi-Canadian musician and multimedia artist.. As a former member of the group Euphrates, he is considered a pioneer of Arab hip-hop. In 2017, Narcy’s directorial debut with indigenous electronic group Tribe Called Red featuring Yasiin Bey (aka Mos Def) earned a Juno Nomination for Best Music Video and won the MMVA Video of the Year. He has directed the Talib Kweli feat. Anderson Paak video “Travelling Light” and filmed with Kaytranada, Jay Electronica, Dave Chappelle, and Spike Lee.
Maya Killtron
An accomplished vocalist, DJ, and violinist. Her playful style and funk-pop beats have landed her features in Noisey, Huffington Post, and Complex, with multiple singles charting on Hype Machine. Maya’s live show has been billed as “explosive, energetic, & unshakeable fun”, bringing the dance party to audiences around the world. Maya Killtron’s highly anticipated full length solo record, Never Dance Alone, is set for release in 2019.
DJ Mix N Match
Scratching, blending and cutting his way through sets, Dj Mix N Match brings a level of unparalleled energy and showmanship to his performances that set him apart from the pack. Combining the latest hits from a number of genres like hip hop, house, RnB and top 40, his crowd-pleasing sounds have landed him a weekly residency at Bloke Nightclub in Toronto and a monthly residency at Moomba Theatre in Montreal. While he’s garnered recognition for his regular live-to-air hits on the popular radio station Z103.5, DJ Mix and Match’s live acts are the biggest draw. He has opened for heavy hitters like Drake, Future, French Montana, Zeds Dead and Diplo, to name a few.
The Sidewalk Crusaders
Don’t miss Toronto’s hottest busking band, who will bring their brass sound off the street and onto the ROM’s dance floor.
CRANE Project
Meet members of the CRANE Project, an international, interdisciplinary research team using technology to enhance our understanding of archaeology in the Near East.
Digging the Greeks
Join our experts as we dig into Greek history with the help of the Museum of Cycladic Art in Athens. Program Partner: Consulate General of Greece.
The following galleries will be closed this week during #FNLROM: Sigmund Samuel Gallery of Canada, Daphne Cockwell Gallery Dedicated to First Peoples Art & Culture, Patrick and Barbara Keenan Family Gallery of Hands-On Biodiversity, CIBC Discovery Gallery, The Bat Cave, Gallery of Birds, and Samuel European Galleries.
FOOD VENDORS
Liko’s Hawaiian BBQ
Local Hawaiian grinds – we bring da islandz to you! STK Toronto
Indulge in the savoury pulled braised beef from modern-chic Yorkville steakhouse STK Toronto! Gluten-free option. Feed the 6
Culinary fusion inspired by the city of Toronto. Gluten-free options. Patisserie Kirin
Brings you delicately handcrafted French-style opera cakes, with a unique Japanese flavour twist, and One Shot: The Nespresso of Ice Cream. Sorbet ice cream/lactose-free options. Delight Bite
The best fresh Mexican food. Vegetarian, vegan, & gluten-free options. King Catering
Specializing in Caribbean cuisine with a North American twist. Halal options. Hot Bunzz
Meet the Toronto version of the traditional Asian bao, a creative artisan bun stuffed with international street food flavours baked into an on-the-go format. Phancy Food
Your favourite childhood dishes dressed up with a modern twist – elevated comfort food. Vegetarian options. Ice Volcano Ice Cream
Freshly made ice cream using 100% Canadian dairy and made with liquid nitrogen. Served with special Ice Volcano presentation!
Date & Time
Friday, October 12. Event runs from 7:00 – 11:30 PM
