Travelers were treated to musical performances as they made their way home earlier this month.
Canada’s Music Incubator (CMI) – in partnership with TD Music and Union Station – celebrated Asian Heritage Month by showcasing two young singers with Asian origins: ‘Gurtej’ and Ethon Low. The performances were held at Union Station on May. 7.
“Basically, we work with artists or managers or people that want to become promoters or publicists, we help them run and develop their business to be sustainable. And that’s through different mentorship programs, workshops and development programs,” said Jesse Mitchell, Vice president of CMI.
Asian Heritage Month celebrates the diverse culture and history of Asian communities in Canada. The theme for 2024 is “Preserving the Past, Embracing the Future: Amplifying Asian Canadian Legacy”.
CMI runs live events that curates anywhere between 600 to 700 performances a year across Canada. Many of them are done in collaboration with their partners.
“TD is a huge supporter and partner of CMI, and they help us run our development programs. TD has done a great job celebrating music and bringing music to a whole bunch of different communities across Canada,” Mitchell notes.
Artist selection is carried out by a committee at CMI. There are several factors at play in such choosing including prior performance history, place of performance and the theme of the event, among others.
“First and foremost, both artists are great Asian artists, in completely different demographics and genres. So, you’re going to get a very good mix of different styles of music, different genres of music, but both coming from you know, South Asian heritage.”
While some people had previously made arrangements to come see the show, the sound of the music and also the crowd gathering caught the attention of some passersby and brought them the west wing.
Since the show was free and didn’t need any prior registration, all people had to do was show up and enjoy the spectacle. This type of performance helped make folks more aware of the necessity of the celebration.
For more information on the CMI, visit www.canadasmusicincubator.com.
