The Global Toronto music conference, hosted by Small World Music (SWM), returns with in-person, pre-event activities taking place in the city from June 7 to 10. The annual conference will be held online from June 20 to 22, and includes a diverse selection of international and cross-country delegates who are coming together to discuss change.
For more than two decades, SWM has been celebrating cultural diversity and bringing local talent and artists from around the globe to audiences across Toronto and beyond.
For those who have yet to attend Global Toronto, the musical showcase and conference is rooted in reimagining an equitable, sustainable and accessible future for the music industry. In Canada, the sector has a huge impact on the economy and provides thousands of job opportunities for creatives.
The conference is also seen as a platform where folks can create connections and professional contacts – Global Toronto is a meeting place.
The four days filled with pre-conference activities give attendees the chance to experience several musical showcases and networking at a variety of gatherings. This year’s Spotlight Artists include Ammoye, Buddha Beat (Malaysia), Digging Roots, Donald Dogbo, King Cardiac, Marta Elena, Mateo, Zaki Ibrahim and many more. For the full list of Canadian and international artists performing at Global Toronto 2022 (GT22), click here.
During the three-day conference, there will be numerous online panels, organizational and regional spotlights, keynote addresses, workshops and discussions. The online events can be found on the Minode’e (the Anishinaabe word for “good-hearted”) platform, created with SWM’s partner, the International Indigenous Music Summit (IIMS). Folks who are unable to attend the events in person can access broadcasts, conversations and edited storytelling versions of the showcases through the platform.
Every year, SWM forms a Jury that’s composed of five music professionals who decide on the Spotlight Artists through a lengthy, challenging and intense selection process.
The GT22 Jury members are Chris Wilson (Drake Hotel/Somewherelse from Toronto, Canada), Kim Temple (High Priestess Publishing/Six Shooter Records from Toronto, Canada), Maria Carrascal (Agitando Cultura from Buenos Aires, Argentina), Reem Kassem (Cultural Foundation/Basita.live/Agora from Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates) and Vox Sambou (an artist from Montreal, Canada).
“From our many community consultation sessions through working with the Jury – who chose the Spotlight Artists – and the Programming Committee – who established the theme upon, which GT22 will be built and the conversations and sessions to come – it is truly a team effort,” says Mercedes Caxaj, head of programs at SWM. “We think that GT22 is going to be a fantastic experience on the artistic front and will continue to move the music sector forward, rather than focusing on old models. We’re digging into the ways we can work on something new together.”
For those interested in Canada’s ever-changing music industry, GT22 features several in-person and online events that cannot be missed. As we move toward a post-pandemic world, now is the time to reinvent structures, connect the community and build a music industry that’s sustainable for the future.
For more information or to register for the conference, visit the GT22 website.
