Come join us for the Midday Melodies Series! Get ready to enjoy a relaxing afternoon filled with beautiful music. Don’t miss this opportunity to unwind and appreciate some wonderful tunes.
Presented in partnership with The Chamber Music Society of Mississauga, and the Music Performance Trust Fund.
Medusa Quartet
Medusa Quartet is truly unique in Canada, distinguished by its rare and compelling combination of instruments. With their debut EP, nominated for a 2024 Canadian Folk Music Award, Medusa harnesses the sounds of Middle Eastern, Scandinavian, Celtic, Appalachian, Classical and Eastern European music, as well as original compositions, to create something previously unheard. Medusa’s first full-length album, “Weaving Gold in Broken Places,” was released in February 2026 and they will be embarking on a release tour of Canada, the US, and Europe.
Marta Sołek (she/her) is a multi-instrumentalist from Poland. Marta has performed all over the world with classical orchestras, jazz, pop, rock and world music bands. She is the winner of several awards and grants including a grant from the Ministry of Culture of Poland, the Fryderyk (the Polish JUNO Award) for the best debut jazz album of the year (2015), and the best jazz album of the year with Nikola Kolodziejczyk (2016). She has also won several awards at “Nowa Tradycja” and ”Mikolajki Folkowe”, Polish Folk Festivals. She was the winner of the Orillia & District Art Council Emerging Artist Award in 2020 and received 4 Canadian Folk Music awards nominations for Polky and Medusa Quartet.
Saskia Tomkins (she/her) is a multi-instrumentalist (Nyckelharpa, Violin, Viola), a master educator, fiddle innovator, and a composer. Born in the UK, she is classically trained with a folk background and an Honours B.A. in Music (Jazz). She is an All-Britain Champion Irish Fiddler, and in 2022 received an award for services to Irish Music in Canada. She is also a member of multiple JUNO-nominee global roots band the Sultans of String. Saskia was the official Artist in Residence in 2022 with Folk Alliance International, and is currently Artist in Residence with British-based organization The Mixed Museum, which works to preserve and share the social history of racial mixing of Black and ethnic minorities for future generations.
Lea Kirstein (they/she) is a multi-instrumentalist (fiddle / violin, viola, and cello), educator, and concert presenter based in Toronto, Ontario. Lea is the current Artistic Director of World on a String, a Toronto-based Folk Fiddle Collective and Music School, presenting concerts, jams, and group classes for fiddlers of all ages. WOS puts focus on traditional folk tunes from around the world, facilitating workshop connections with experts in their respective traditions.
Georgia Hathaway (they/them) is a Toronto-based violinist, fiddler, songwriter/composer, and educator with over 30 years of training. They grew up learning both classical violin from the Suzuki Method, and Celtic and Canadian fiddle with Oliver Schroer, Anne Lederman, and Emilyn Stam. In 2011, their passion and interest in global roots music led them to study abroad at the Dhow Countries Music Academy in Zanzibar, Tanzania, with violinist Mohammed Issa Matona. They have continued to study Arabic and Turkish music for the past ten years, learning from renowned Egyptian violinist Alfred Gamil, and have toured across Canada with the Canadian Arabic Orchestra, including performances with the acclaimed Oud player Naseer Shamma.
