Nordic Connect Conference Keynote Panel
Music Without Borders: Diaspora, Diplomacy and the Power of Connection
How can diaspora communities and the relationships they foster among artists, music professionals and institutions strengthen cross-border connections? Bringing together an artist, agent, cultural programmer and human rights advocate, this keynote conversation will explore how music and cultural exchange can promote resilience and social cohesion, and how cultural communities in Canada, the Baltics and beyond are navigating changing security dynamics and international alliances. Moderated by the CBC’s Tom Allen, this Estonian Music Week and Nordic Connect Conference event connects the conference with the wider KESKfEST celebrations.
With an introduction by Estonia’s Assistant Deputy Minister of Culture, Eda Silberg.
Free event with RSVP: https://www.estoniancentre.ca/event-details/nordic-connect-conference-keynote
Moderator: Tom Allen
Tom Allen was born in Montreal and worked as a trombonist in New York when there were still places you just didn’t go. He began working for the CBC on his 30th birthday, a long time ago. He has written books, created countless shows for theatre companies and orchestras, as well as touring a series of chamber musicals with his beloved, the harpist Lori Gemmell, including JS Bach’s Long Walk in the Snow and their latest, Brahms in New York. Tom was recently named an honorary Doctor of Music by Brandon University. His latest project is an 18th century-style Classical Musick Almanack with illustrator Ian Bell, built on gossip, steampunk technology and, within certain limitations, history. www.tomtomallen.com.
Speaker: Jutta Brendemühl
Jutta Brendemühl is a curator, writer and consultant with a focus on international cultural exchange. As the Program Curator of the Goethe-Institut Toronto, previously Harbourfront Centre programmer, Jutta has produced 3000+ events, founded multiple arts series and spaces, and worked with luminaries such as Peter Gabriel, Joni Mitchell, Bernardo Bertolucci, Wim Wenders, Robert Rauschenberg, and others.
Jury invites include Canadian Screen Awards; Hot Docs; Toronto Arts Council; Kassel Documentary & Video Festival. Board duties include UKAI Projects, EUFFTO, DOK Exchange Leipzig XR Advisory; ArtworxTO Emerging Artist Spotlight Mentor; AGO South Asian Visual Arts Collective Outreach Committee.
Jutta is a fellow of the TAC/Banff Centre Cultural Leaders Lab, a North American Cultural Diplomacy Initiative Collaborator, and participated in the inaugural Wavelength Music Conference in Toronto.
Speaker: Ewelina Ferenc
Ewelina Ferenc is a Toronto-based folk singer, ethnomusicologist, and manager from Katowice, Poland. Ewelina is the founder of Sweet Beets Music, a boutique booking agency that connects artists, presenters, festivals, and venues to create unforgettable musical experiences. Sweet Beets focuses on folk, global, jazz and innovative music, while fostering an inclusive community of music lovers and explorers.
Drawing on Ewelina’s experience both on stage and behind the scenes, Ewelina supports musicians at every stage of their careers, with a strong focus on culturally diverse projects led by women, immigrants, and Toronto-based as well as brings international talent to Canada.
Speaker: Marcus Kolga
Marcus Kolga is a Canadian journalist, human rights advocate, and internationally recognized expert on foreign disinformation, influence operations, and transnational repression. For over two decades, he has been at the forefront of exposing and countering authoritarian information warfare, working with governments, civil society, and media to defend democratic institutions and human rights. He regularly comments and appears in national and international media, and is frequently consulted by policymakers, parliamentary committees, and security agencies.
Marcus is the founder of DisinfoWatch.org, a leading Canadian platform that monitors, analyzes, and debunks foreign disinformation targeting Canada and its allies. His expertise spans Russian, Chinese, and Iranian information operations, and he has become a prominent voice in policy debates on countering malign influence.
Beyond policy and advocacy, Kolga remains deeply connected to his Estonian heritage and Canada’s Baltic communities. He has worked to strengthen ties between Canada and the Baltic states through cultural initiatives, public events, and community advocacy.
Speaker: Marichka
Marichka is a Ukrainian-Canadian singer, ethnomusicologist, war journalist and producer whose work stands at the intersection of music, human rights and cultural diplomacy. A graduate of the National Music Academy of Ukraine, she has spent years on field expeditions recording traditional village singing — research that now underpins her digital archive, Folk Songs of Ukraine. She has performed at Carnegie Hall and the Barbican Centre, and has been part of Lemon Bucket Orkestra, Balaklava Blues, and Dora Award-winning and JUNO-nominated productions. Since 2022 she has worked as a combat medic, volunteer and frontline reporter, documenting Russia’s crimes against Ukrainian children — the focus of her own international project, Daughters of Donbas. She is an Amnesty International Award recipient.
