East is East

Infusion Baroque draws new audiences to early music through a truly captivating concert experience, deftly combining seasoned musicianship with storytelling elements. Playing music of the seventeenth to nineteenth centuries on historical instruments, the four women of Infusion Baroque enthrall audiences across North America with their creative and interactive programming. Founded in 2013, Infusion Baroque won the Grand Prize and Audience Prize at the Early Music America’s Baroque Performance Competition in 2014. Since then, they have performed extensively in North America with series such as the Montreal Baroque Festival, Ottawa Chamberfest, Stratford Summer Music, Early Music Now (Milwaukee), San Francisco Early Music Society, Indianapolis Early Music, Houston Early Music, and the Gotham Early Music Scene in New York City.

Their performances have been described as “dynamic and alive” (Early Music America) with “polish, energy, and finely honed style … merrily breaking established traditions” (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel). Their research and creative programs focus not only on important figures of the past, but also relatively unknown composers and musicians. They have released three albums with the Canadian label Leaf Music, and their second album, Kreüsser, features world-premiere recordings of Georg Anton Kreüsser’s Op. 10 quintets and was nominated for a Prix Opus Album of the Year.  Since 2017, one of their main initiatives has been The Virtuosa Project, a series of concerts, lectures, videos, and recordings highlighting historical female musicians. Their third album, Virtuosa, consisted of works composed or performed by women from the seventeenth to twenty-first centuries, and reached over 500K streams within the first six months of release. 



Santur player, composer, and cultural inventor Amir Amiri dwells at the centre of a unique musical universe where ancient inspiration, dazzling virtuosity, and bold creativity meet.  Born in Tehran, Iran, Amiri is a master of the santur, a 72-string instrument dating from approximately 500 BCE. Since arriving in Canada in 1996, Amiri has founded numerous groundbreaking ensembles, including Perséides, Moody Amiri, the Amir Amiri Quartet, and Ensemble Kimya. Surrounding himself with outstanding collaborators from the worlds of jazz, classical and world music, he performs and tours with a vast spectrum of ensembles, enchanting audiences with his signature down-to-earth style and profound connection with his public.



Vidita Kanniks is a multi-faceted vocalist whose work embraces chamber ensemble music, historical performance and the interdisciplinary area in between. With her dual background in Indian and Western classical music, she aims to engage in unique, personal projects that challenge cultural and musical boundaries. Recent collaborations include “Bijuriya” with contemporary composer and drag artist Gabriel Dharmoo, and “For the Humming World” with Earth World Collaborative. An avid choral singer, Vidita has performed with the GRAMMY-nominated ensemble Seraphic Fire as well as the Cincinnati Vocal Arts Ensemble. Vidita holds a master’s degree in early music performance from McGill University.



After studying at the National Conservatory of Music in Libanon, Joseph Khoury settled in Quebec in 2004 after 10 years of absence. He participated in several major events in the Middle East, Europe, and the Americas such as: the production of "Shérazade" at the Folies bergères in Paris, the Zacatecas Music Festival in Mexico, the production of "Cavalia" in the United Arab Emirates, the Labyrinth Festival in Greece, as well as various Lebanese music festivals across the United States. Since settling in Quebec, Joseph has released two albums of which "Zanneh" with Sokoun trio was awarded "Best World Music Group of the Year" at the Canadian Folk Music Awards in 2010.

After acquiring his initial knowledge of Middle Eastern percussions at the Lebanese Conservatory of Music with Wassim El Helou and Fadi Yaacoub, Joseph continued to develop his techniques through masterclasses in Istanbul with Bünyamin Olguncan, Hamdi Akatay, and Suat Borazan. Furthermore, his interest in Latin America music led to explorations in Brazilian and Peruvian music fields. He is often invited to collaborate with various projects and studio recordings. His music has been heard in several Quebec films, the most recent being "La face cache du baklava" by Marianne Zéhil, as well as in productions by Cirque du Soleil, Cavalia, and Odysseo.



Dynamic performer Shawn Mativetsky is considered one of Canada's leading ambassadors of the tabla and is a pioneer in bridging the worlds of Western and Indian classical music. Acclaimed as an exceptional soloist and a leading disciple of the renowned Pandit Sharda Sahai, Shawn Mativetsky is highly sought after as both a performer and educator, and is active in the promotion of the tabla and North Indian classical music through lectures, workshops, and performances across Canada and internationally. Based in Montreal, Shawn teaches tabla and percussion at McGill University.