Speaker Series Events
The Music & Culture Performance Speaker Series at the University of Toronto Scarborough showcases the breadth and depth of a variety of professional relationships to music. Invited speakers are asked to both speak to and perform their relationship to music-making, composition, and/or performance. Since adopting the series into SoundLife Scarborough programming, our goal is to provide students in the program and members of the wider community with an accessible experience by which they can explore the varied relationships scholars and artists create with, and to, music.
Stay tuned for Winter 2026 events...
Past Events
| Speaker | Title | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Lukas Pairon |
Singing amidst the rubble in Gaza: Community arts for children |
2025-10-15 |
In this session, Dr. Lukas Pairon highlights the work of the Edward Said National Conservator of Music in Gaza, where musicians bring hope, dignity, and expression to children and families amid devastation. Pairon shared insights from years of collaboration, alongside online remarks from Executive Director Sima Khoury, with video excerpts of the Conservatory's outreach. |
|
Lukas Pairon |
Music-Making and the Art of Positive Fatalism: Lessons from Kinshasa |
2025-10-15 |
In this talk, Dr. Lukas Pairon drew on over a decade of research with young musicians in Kinshasa. This talk explored how music-making fosters resilience in contexts marked by structural marginalization. Introducing the concept of positive fatalism--embracing what cannot be changed while pursuing creativity and purpose--it reflects on the intrinsic value of socially engaged music-making and its ethical implications for how we understand impact. |
|
Moira Smiley |
The Voice is A Traveller |
2025-11-20 |
A special workshop where Moira Smiley shared original and traditional folk songs with unique arrangements, including banjo, accordion, and body percussion. Shared were soul-stirring arrangements of Anglo-Celtic ballads, American spirituals, European folk-laments, and sharp, poignant original songs that call effortlessly upon the audience to whisper, clap, or sing along. Themes of real and metaphorical border crossings—hopeful immigrants, exiles in mourning, or each of us seeking belonging and empathy—were the backbone of this repertoire. |
|
Taylor Kurta |
Collaborative Songwriting in Community Settings: Using Songs for a Social Change |
2025-02-11 |
Collaborative songwriting in community settings: Using songs for social change will feature guest speaker Taylor Kurta. Drawing from their work using songwriting with people living with dementia to challenge stigma, Taylor showed how collaborative songwriting can amplify voices, shift perceptions, and foster understanding. Sharing stories and examples from collaborative songwriting projects, and through a hands-on songwriting workshop, we discovered how songwriting can connect people, break down stereotypes, and encourage more inclusive, compassionate communities. |
|
Dr. Lee Willingham |
Engaging in Community Music, Foundational Principles and Lessons for the Classroom |
2024-02-13 |
An inspiring presentation on the foundational principles of community music and its connection to the classroom, presented by Dr. Willingham, a professor in the Music Faculty at Wilfrid Laurier University. |
|
Adrian Berry |
Kaleidoscopic: living, music and art making |
2023-11-16 |
An interactive multimedia exploration of Adrian’s intuitive and kaleidoscopic approach to music and art making and their multifaceted adventure as a touring musician, organizer, educator, and creative researcher. |
|
Pablo D. Herrera Veitia |
Rap Cubano in the Archive |
2023-11-02 |
Delve into Rap Cubano archives with Pablo D. Herrera Veitia, an Afro-Cuban anthropologist and producer. As he explores Havana's knowledge production and Afro-Cuban anti-racism. The series showcases Pablo's unique perspective, offering insights into the relationships scholars and artists build with music, enriching the experience for students and the community. |
