Mart Avi, Katie McBride ā¢ Estonian Music Week 2025
Presented in partnership with Wavelength.
Mart Avi is the twilight samurai of alternative pop, known for making spiky and mysterious music for the feet and heart, for living and loving. He grew up in a pint-sized Estonian village named Vara ("Treasure" in English), toying around with rusty remnants from its industrious past that informed his aesthetics in creating another space, using topographies close at hand. Mapping uncharted territories between modern pop and timeless grandeur, Avi, as a sound master and singer-songwriter, is simultaneously suave and slippery. His shimmering melodies, crackling rhythms and off-kilter mindgames tend to seduce the unawares.
A consummate performer, he presents a fascinating paradox of soulful tenderness pulsing beneath commanding arm thrusts and menacing high kicks. Avi's solo records have consistently topped annual critics' polls in his homeland and garnered rave reviews worldwide, from MOJO to The Quietus and Electronic Sound. Late 2024 saw the release of Death of Music, a joint double LP in collaboration with Ajukaja, the reverend of Estonia's adventurous underground.
"Unlike with a lot of conceptronica, Mart Aviās thoughtful thoughts donāt get in the way of the seduction effect." - Simon Reynolds
"Heād make an excellent pop star..."- MOJO
Award-winning singer, composer and producer Katie McBride is a builder of worlds. From the realms of experimental, electronic, ambient pop, her music crisscrosses dreamscapes and altered mental states, reaching into subterranean currents for deep truths. Listen with your eyes closed, and itās easy to imagine yourself treading barefoot through the volcanic landscape of an alien world ā calm, eerie, and deep, like the music.
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McBrideās biography as an artist began as a trumpeter - picking up the instrument in 5th grade band class and eventually attending Humber College, where she studied jazz and composition. After graduation, she turned to writing and recording music for herself. She soon became obsessed with Ableton, finding it to be an instrument without limitations, and her passion for digital creation bloomed, eventually branching into photography, video, and artwork. Armed with the unquenchable thirst for truth and beauty, McBride began conjuring her own universe.
Inspired by artists like William Basinski, Bjƶrk, Miles Davis, and Aphex Twin, her deep dives began to yield offerings starting with her critically acclaimed EPs 08215 (2016) and World Of Dreams (2018). In 2022 she released her first full length album, As Real As Anything Else, followed by her sophomore album, āTHE ANGELS ARE CALLINGā, in January of 2024. She is currently working on her third album, set for release in 2025, while performing regularly, composing music for film, and following her curiosity.
Show starts: 11pm
Estonian Music Week 2025 festival
This concert is part of the Estonian Music Week (EMW) festival programme running May 22-25. Experience it all with a Festival Pass - 8 concerts from incredible Estonian and Canadians artists. Learn more about festival passes. With performances from folktronica to contemporary classical music, EMW is sure to become your new favourite early-summer music festival. Explore the line-up here.
EMW is made possible by:
Project:
Estonian Museum Canada / VEMU, Tartu College
Major funder:
Estonian Foundation of Canada
Funders:
Toronto Arts Council, Estonian Embassy in Ottawa, Cultural Endowment of Estonia
Sponsors:
Northern Birch Credit Union
Presenting Partners:
SING! The Toronto International Vocal Arts Festival, Wavelength, Humber Polytechnic's Centre for Creative Business Innovation, The Cotton Factory
Media Partners:
Eesti Elu, Exclaim!, WholeNote
Ticketing Partner:
Sviby
Event timeline/line-up
