PODCAST · arts
LuminoCity
by Luminato Festival Toronto
Welcome to LuminoCity, a Luminato Festival podcast. LuminoCity enhances your festival experience in surprising ways with artist interviews, live-from-location coverage with rich audio description, behind-the-scenes content, and deep dives into festival themes and experiences. Tune in wherever you get your podcasts. Music by Ty Simon.
Episodes
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521: You're All in the Band
Hundreds of students. 45 minutes. One stage transformed into a musical playground of ukuleles, harps, cellos, turntables, melodicas, guitars, steel pans, and voices raised in collective, youthful joy. this isn't your typical music recital – it’s a powerful testament to what we can create…
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520: Rainbow Dreams, Part Two
One of LuminoCity’s describers, JJ Hunt, tags along with Ramya Amuthan as they explore, appreciate, goof off, and run around in a human hamster wheel. The Rainbow Dreams series of public installations in downtown Toronto are pitched as immersive wellness experiences. Imagined by internationally...
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519: Last Words: Talking in Cemeteries
In this episode, you’ll hear JJ Hunt’s vivid primer description for Last Words: Talking in Cemeteries, a unique show that features honest conversations about the taboo subject of death, all under nightfall in Toronto’s most historic cemeteries. A few days later, JJ returned to one of his…
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518: A Day at the Hub
In this episode, Ramya Amuthan and JJ Hunt share with Christine their experience of visiting the 2025 Luminato Hub at Harboufront Centre. They also share on-location audio of the events they visited, featuring JJ’s always excellent description. This episode highlights the three following pieces…
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517: Terceradix Luminarium
Like a cross between a womb and a cathedral, join JJ Hunt, Ramya Amuthan, and Christine Malec as they experience the one-of-a-kind installation, Terceradix Luminarium. More information on the Luminato Festival website: https://www.luminatofestival.com/teceradix-luminarium Music by Ty Simon.
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516: Immersed Debrief
LuminoCity hosts Christine Malec, Ramya Amuthan, J.J. Hunt and technical producer Jacob Shymanski were all in attendance on June 7th for Immersed by Justin Gray. The show was an album release like none other, featuring a top-of-the-line and one-of-a-kind 38-speaker surround sound system. It did…
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515: THAW
A colossal block of ice hangs suspended above Sankofa Square. On it, a solitary figure fights against time and heat, scrambling to protect what's already melting away. As sunset approaches, what will be left? LuminoCity's J.J. Hunt was on location on Sunday, June 8, 2025, describing all 8 hours…
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514: Night/Shifts
When the city sleeps, Toronto comes alive in unexpected ways. Award-winning photographer Nadya Kwandibens captures the hidden world of the people who keep our city running through the night - transit workers, healthcare staff, entertainers, and countless others whose stories are rarely...
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513: Rainbow Dreams, Part One
What does a Rainbow sound like? Sonifications can help us with that question. Christine Malec interviews the creator of the Rainbow Dreams installations displayed in Downtown Toronto. Music by Ty Simon.
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512: Celebrating Women: Curator Heidi Reitmaier Discusses Making History and Getting to Know The 52 Live
Rebecca Singh connects with Heidi Reitmaier, curator at the Museum of Toronto, to discuss the fascinating show taking place at the usually closed to the public, but beautiful Toronto City Archives. It’s opening its doors for The 52 Live. Information about The 52 Live: Hidden in archives, carved...
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511: Immersed Pre-Show Primer
LuminoCity’s Christine Malec and JJ Hunt combine in this episode to provide a primer for Immersed by Justin Gray. First, JJ gives us a detailed description of the many non-western instruments found in Justin’s compositions, then, {12:25}, Christine chats with Justin himself about the show and...
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510: Dandyism
In this episode, Rebecca Singh learns about the fascinating history behind Dandyism with Theodore Walker Robinson, who himself is a dandyism connoisseur. Flamboyant, defiant, and timelessly cool - dandyism transformed resistance into an art of supreme style. Born in the streets of Brazzaville and...
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509: LuminoCity Sits Down with Larnell Lewis to Catch A Glimpse of Quincy
Rebecca Singh sits down with award winning and prolific musician Larnell Lewis. He shares his inspirations and experiences that have led him to his upcoming show, “A Glimpse of Quincy”. The show features world class musicians along with Larnell as they perform through a killer setlist that...
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508: An Oak Tree
Is theatre supposed to be believable? Playwright and actor Tim Crouch fearlessly tackles that question in what some describe as his “experimental storytelling”. LuminoCity host, Ramya Amuthan, sat down with Tim to better understand his unique approach to story telling. His performance of An Oak...
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507: Nigamon/Tunai
Rebecca Singh sits down with the artists behind the instillation performance, Nigamon/Tunai, which is featuring at this year’s Luminato Festival. Nigamon/Tunai Is described as an act of solidarity and a poetic manifesto against extractivism, land destruction, and displacement. Voices heard in…
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506: Where Do Stories Come From?
In a quest to better understand the origins of stories, Rebecca Singh connects with her mother, Josefine, to look back at the folk tales of her home country, Germany. Music by Ty Simon.
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505: What the Day Owes to the Night
How can someone who’s blind or low vision come to appreciate dance? It’s a complicated question but the panel Christine Malec assembled for this episode to tackle it is well equipped to answer it. We have professional dancers, a ballet expert, and an accessible art consultant all working together...
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504: Tapping into Hans Christian Andersen: An interview with Rick Miller, co-creator of HANS: My Life in Fairy Tales
Luminocity’s Rebecca Singh sits down with award winning writer, director and performer, Rick Miller. He’s also a co-writer of HANS: My Life in Fairy Tales, a performance featured at this year’s Luminato Festival that celebrates the ongoing influence of Danish writer, Hans Christian Andersen.…
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503: Red Like Fruit: Interview with Director Christian Barry
In Red Like Fruit, Governor General’s Award-winning playwright Hannah Moscovitch crafts a gripping, provocative new work that unpacks power, memory, and complicity in the post-#MeToo era. Rebecca Singh sits down with Christian Barry, the co-founder and co-artistic director of 2b theatre, Red Like...
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502: Queen of the Night Communion: The Value of Venue
How often do you question the link between a performance and the venue in which it's taking place? Christine Malec, JJ Hunt, and Ramya Amuthan break down the undeniable importance of venue. To illustrate their point, throughout the conversation, you'll hear an original song performed by Christine...
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501: Welcome to Luminato 2025
The same podcast you know and love is back as LuminoCity! In the first episode of season 5, Rebecca Singh leads the hosts in a reflection of land acknowledgements and what they mean to them, followed by an interview with Luminato Festival’s new Artistic Director Olivia Ansell, hosted by Christine...
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427: The R.A.V.E. Experience
One of the most intriguing, high-energy performances in Toronto’s early summer season was R.A.V.E., produced by Outside the March in association with Luminato Festival Toronto. As an immersive, participatory experience merging narrative and dance, staged in an unused office building…
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426: SPACED Audio Tour
This year Luminato is heading underground with a series of murals, paintings, and photographs adorning the walls of Toronto subway stations. SPACED, curated by Branded Purple, celebrates the notion that art can be found in every corner of our lives. As strong believers in that philosophy — and…
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425: LIVE at 360 ALLSTARS
Radio Lumi goes back on location to David Pecaut square for an amazing display of acrobatic skill and circus swagger with the internationally acclaimed 360 Allstars. To help describe the troupe’s outrageous BMX, breakdancing, and basketball tricks to host Christine Malec, JJ Hunt gets a big…
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424: LIVE at I Am From Reykjavik with Sonia Hughes
In I Am From Reykjavik, artist Sonia Hughes invites us to forge meaningful connections in unexpected places, and examine our relationship with time and space, by building and dismantling a small home in public places. To capture the day-long, lived performance, host JJ Hunt followed Sonia and the...
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423: LIVE at Luminato in the Square
On Friday June 7, Luminato in the Square at David Pecault Square swung into action with the opening night of nine days of music, art, food, crafts, and that urban festival feel. JJ Hunt was on hand to describe the scene, with Christine Malec joining in from her home studio. Listen in for...
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422: LIVE at the AGO with Miles Greenberg
Recorded live at the Art Gallery of Ontario on June 5th, 2024, this on location episode documents and describes Miles Greenberg’s RESPAWN, co-commissioned and co-presented by the AGO and Luminato Festival Toronto. With a microphone in hand, describer and host JJ Hunt captures the chest-rumbling...
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421: Walker Court and RESPAWN
Miles Greenberg is a sculptor and performance artist based out of New York. His Luminato performance, RESPAWN, where he features as the primary performer, is a strikingly lengthy 7 hour durational performance piece inspired by first person shooter video games. Only wielding a sword, he defends...
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420: Afrikan Party
In this episode host, Theodore Walker Robinson Theodore interviews the world class Ivory Coast choreographer Oulouy about his career and the story of the dance crew Supa Rich kids ahead of their presentation of Afrikan Party at the Luminato Festival Toronto. Afrofuturism: The World of Black…
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419: SPACED
Christine and JJ sit down to interview Duane Bobbsemple. Duane is creating installations to be displayed in Toronto's subway stations as part of this year's Luminato Festival. The trio reflect on the power, importance, and possibilities of the shared spaces we so often take for granted.
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418: How to Increase Participation in Interactive Experiences
Every year Luminato offers a long list of shows, concerts and public art pieces. Many of those experiences are interactive. Hosts JJ Hunt and Rebecca Singh tell us how we can participate more in these interactive experiences. Audio Description of Raphael Montañez Ortiz’s Cowboy/Indian, and Guided...
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417: R.A.V.E.
DJ and multi-disciplinary artist, Sarah Barrable-Tishauer, discusses the raves she organizes as part of her work. However, these aren't the type of raves you imagine when you hear the word "rave". These are inclusive, safe, and transformative, and seek to create collective utopias where...
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416: Choral Music with the Nathaniel Dett Chorale
For one night only, celebrate the 25th anniversary of The Nathaniel Dett Chorale, Canada’s first professional choir specializing in Afrocentric music, with this must-see performance. “And Still We Sing…Missa Afro-Brasileira: A Syncretism of Voice and Dance” by The Nathaniel Dett Chorale erases…
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415: Dance/ Ipásskaa
Rebecca Singh, along with fellow audio describer, Janis Mayers, sit down for an in-depth chat with Indigenous multi-disciplinary artist, Terrance Houle. His latest piece, Dance/ Ipásskaa, is a photographic mural that honours his mother’s creations.
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414: Age is a Feeling
This never-the-same-twice show written and performed by Dora-award winning Haley McGee, is a gripping story about how our relationship with mortality shapes the way we live. Inspired by hospices, mystics and trips to the cemetery, Age is a Feeling wrestles with our endless chances to change…
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413: HOME: Illusion for Blind and Low Vision Audiences
Christine Malec and JJ Hunt discuss the wonder of on-stage illusions and how blind and low-vision audiences can come to experience them through audio description. Plus, the creator of the Luminato show HOME, Geoff Sobelle, comes on to talk about his show.
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412: Luminato in the Square
Luminato will take over David Pecaut Square again this year for the duration of the festival. Luminato in the Square, our free festival hub will delight festival-goers with concerts, performances, activities, food, and markets for that summer festival feeling in downtown Toronto. Host Christine...
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411: Dancer of the Year
The North American premiere of Dancer of the Year represents the seminal work within Trajal Harrell’s artistic journey, offering a deeply emotional and immersive experience for viewers, regardless of their familiarity with dance. Host Christine Malec speaks with Trajal Harrell about this...
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410: 360 ALLSTARS
Gene Peterson is the producer of 360 ALLSTARS, a show that he describes as a “modern circus”. Featuring B-boying, BMX, Freestyle basketball and live music, it’s a fast paced show that will surely be a challenge to live describe. Radio LUMI host and audio describer Rebecca Singh recorded this…
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409: I Am from Reykjavik
I Am from Reykjavik is more than a performance—it's an invitation to introspection. It challenges us to examine our relationships with space and time, to reconsider the boundaries between self and other, and to embrace the possibility of forging meaningful connections in unexpected places. Host...
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408: Audio Description 2.0
How can we do more with audio description? How can it go further as a professional profile? What happens when it includes Indigenous voices? What creative approaches to AD can enrich the experience of AD users? Those are the questions our hosts seek to answer. Rebecca Singh and JJ Hunt, are…
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407: "Placemaking"
Host Rebecca Singh leads this conversation about the many evolving ways to interpret place in art and audio description as inspired by a better understanding of Indigenous artworks. Special guests and AD professionals Janis Mayers and Trina Moyan share with us their unique perspectives and...
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406: Public Art
In this episode, host Rebecca Singh talks about public art, what it looks like and how it fits into a city scape. Hear about the art selected for the festival this year and how Luminato is making the work accessible.
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405: Urban Parks and Public Spaces
Host Christine Malec leads the conversation with co-hosts JJ Hunt and Rebecca Singh. In this episode they take a deep dive into Urban Parks and Public Squares. They get into how they are different and how they are used.
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404: Audio Description Users Round Table
Christine heads up this round-table discussion that takes a deep dive into the intricacies of audio description, both for live in-person productions or your favourite TV shows. If you've never heard of audio description before, (sometimes called "described video") this episode will be an amazing...
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403: Welcome to Radio LUMI 2024
This episode serves as the grand opening for the 2024 season of Radio LUMI. Theo leads the conversation with our three other co-hosts, Christine, Rebecca, and JJ about what you can expect this year at the festival. Welcome to Radio LUMI 2024!
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402: Accessibility at Luminato
In this episode, Emily Maxwell and Ali Hand join our host Christine to talk about the accessibility features we're offering this year.
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401: Land Acknowledgement
Welcome to Radio LUMI Season 4. In this opening episode Indigenous educator Trina Moyan highlights the significance and importance of Land Acknowledgments. Learn about the Indigenous perspective of Land Acknowledgements, as well as how to give better, more thoughtful ones yourself.
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312: Archives ('Aalaapi')
Ramya Amuthan sits down with Christine Malec and JJ Hunt to discuss audio storytelling and archives and Luminato 2023 prepares for Aalaapi, presented by Native Earth Performing Arts and Le Théâtre français de Toronto, in association with Luminato Festival Toronto.
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311: Grounding Conversations, Part 6: Archives as Storytelling
In “Grounding Conversations, Part 6: Archives as Storytelling,” Dev travels to the future in an audio adaptation of a short documentary they created with Helen Lee with production assistance from the Liaison of Independent Filmmakers Toronto (LIFT).
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Welcome to LuminoCity, a Luminato Festival podcast. LuminoCity enhances your festival experience in surprising ways with artist interviews, live-from-location coverage with rich audio description, behind-the-scenes content, and deep dives into festival themes and experiences. Tune in wherever you get your podcasts.
Music by Ty Simon.
HOSTED BY
Luminato Festival Toronto
CATEGORIES
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does LuminoCity have?
LuminoCity currently has 111 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is LuminoCity about?
Welcome to LuminoCity, a Luminato Festival podcast. LuminoCity enhances your festival experience in surprising ways with artist interviews, live-from-location coverage with rich audio description, behind-the-scenes content, and deep dives into festival themes and experiences. Tune in wherever you...
How often does LuminoCity release new episodes?
LuminoCity publishes regularly with 111 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to LuminoCity?
You can listen to LuminoCity on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts LuminoCity?
LuminoCity is created and hosted by Luminato Festival Toronto.
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