Gord Grdina's Ru'ya Toronto
Sat, Nov 01
|Aga Khan Museum - Toronto
Featuring Legendary Tunisian Vocalist : Ghalia Benali
Time & Location
Nov 01, 2025, 8:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Aga Khan Museum - Toronto, 77 Wynford Dr, North York, ON M3C 1K1, Canada
About the event
Presented in Partnership with the Festival of Arabic Music and Arts and the Aga Khan Museum
Ru’ya—which means “foresight” or “vision” in Arabic—is an ensemble that brings together diverse musical traditions, led by Vancouver-based guitarist and oud player Gord Grdina, with vocalist Ghalia Benali (Belgium/Tunisia), pianist Elias Stemeseder (U.S.), violinist Eylem Basaldi (Türkiye/U.S.), percussionist Hamin Honari (Canada), and drummer Christian Lillinger (Germany).
Ru’ya is the culmination of 20 years of musical exploration that started with Grdina’s debut album, Think Like the Waves, recorded with Gary Peacock and Paul Motian. This led to projects examining the edges of tonality and including elements of Persian classical music and Arabic maqam. This new program uses an inclusive focus while creating space for each of these incredible musicians to freely express themselves in their unique voices.
The concept is taken further in collaboration with Ghalia Benali’s idea of poets as…