Lunchtime Live! Series Returning to Yonge-Dundas Square

YONGE-DUNDAS SQUARE (YDS) will once again be partnering with neighbour Massey Hall for this year's programming which is sure to heat up YDS and keep the snow away for good. Returning popular programmes include Massey Hall presents Lunchtime Live!, City Cinema and Indie Fridays, running from May 9 - October 3, 2016.

The free Monday lunchtime concert series, Massey Hall presents Lunchtime Live!, features an array of Canadian artists including isKwé, a l l i e, Nick Sherman, Justin Gray's Synthesis, and Circle Band, from May 9 - June 15 from 12:30-1:30pm.

Named by CBC Music as one of the Ten Artists to Watch in 2016, and a favourite of A Tribe Called Red's Dee Jay NDN, isKwé will kick-off Massey Hall presents Lunchtime Live! on Monday, May 9. Drawing on her Cree/Irish heritage, isKwé's musical journeys and powerful vocals are also a platform for important issues; her anthem Nobody Knows is for the missing and murdered indigenous women.

On Monday, May 16, Toronto's a l l i e, one of the first Canadian artists chosen for the Red Bull Sound Select programme, will fill the Square with her sultry laidback sounds. Considered the "real-deal" by Pitchfork magazine, a l l i e draws inspiration from classic soul crooners like Otis Redding and Etta James with a mix of Flying Lotus and Little Dragon to create a sound all her own.

On Monday, May 30, Ojibway singer/songwriter Nick Sherman will bring the sounds of Sioux Lookout to YDS. His gentle throaty voice, simple guitar and deeply personal lyrics celebrate and lament life on his reserve, and continues the tradition of his family's songs and stories while tending their trap lines deep in northern Ontario.

On Monday, June 6, indo-jazz ensemble Justin Gray's Synthesis will continue their exploration of combining contemporary jazz with Indian classical music to create a captivating new sound. The ensemble is led by award-winning bassist and composer Justin Gray whose compositions blend the rich tonal pallet of the bass veena (an instrument he co-created) with unique percussion instruments and the resonance of pitched Tibetan meditation bowls.

On Monday, June 13, closing out the first half of Massey Hall presents Lunchtime Live! will be Circle Band, the Toronto-based Persian music band with their fusion of jazz, psychedelic rock, traditional Eastern music and contemporary Iranian poetry. The band, led by songwriter, guitarist and vocalist Shahab Baradaran, accompanied by Saman Shahi on piano, synthesizer and tar, with additional vocals by Sara Nejad, just released their second album.

Massey Hall presents Lunchtime Live! will return in the fall from September 5 - October 3 with a new line-up of artists for Torontonians to spend their lunch with.

Keeping with great live music, Indie Fridays will rock the weekend in the heart of the city with free concerts every Friday night from June 24 - September 9 (with a break on Canada Day) at approximately 8pm.

In addition to live music, YDS is the best place to catch movie madness at City Cinema, the city's most beloved outdoor cinema. Every Tuesday from June 28 - August 30 at sunset (approximately 9pm), Torontonians are invited to grab a chair at YDS and join other fans for a fun flick. More details on both programmes will be announced soon.

And, for those on the search for some respite from the hectic pace of life, YDS transforms into a quiet oasis on scheduled fountain days.

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