Shared Rhythms: Music at West Block

Photo by Shane Parent

Gather at West Block for a joyful afternoon of live performances as musicians from Small World Music’s Incubator program create a shared listening space that celebrates community and cultural exchange. Set against Anahita Akhavan’s newly unveiled mural مجلس Majles / Sitting Room, the event invites neighbours to linger, listen, and connect.

Transforming West Block into a vibrant open-air stage, this special afternoon of live music celebrates sound, gathering, and cultural exchange in honour of Anahita Akhavan’s newly unveiled mural مجلس Majles / Sitting Room. 

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Curated with Small World Music, the program spotlights contemporary artists from Iranian and broader SWANA (Southwest Asian and North African) communities. For more than two decades, Small World Music has championed cultural diversity across the GTHA—supporting underrepresented, marginalized, and newcomer musicians while creating meaningful platforms for artistic exchange and leadership.

Above Akhavan’s expansive mural, the event invites audiences to gather, listen, and connect as West Block becomes a shared listening space for talented musicians from Small World Music’s Incubator program. Blending contemporary music with the outdoor rhythms of the city, this event offers a dynamic way to engage with public space through sound. As melodies and voices carry through the site, West Block invites encounter, celebration, and community.

Whether you stay for a full set or simply pass through, all are welcome to join in this afternoon of music, connection, and collective energy—marking a joyful moment for art and culture in the neighbourhood.

What to expect: 

  • This event will take place outdoors at West Block. The event will go ahead rain or shine. Follow along on our social media for live updates in the event of extreme weather.
  • This is a drop-in event. Visitors are welcome to enjoy performances at their leisure throughout the event.
  • Youth under 16 must be accompanied by a caregiver.
  • A large portion of event seating will be located on the West Block staircases which are not wheelchair accessible. We recommend entering from the North side of West Block along Housey Street for the most accessible viewing areas, entryways, and assistance from our Events team.
  • Event assistants with Bentway shirts will be available near the site entrances to West Block along Bathurst Street to assist in directing those who may need an accessibility entrance. For questions about accessibility at this event, please email us: [email protected]
  • Photography, video, and audio recording may occur. By participating in any Step-Up Series activities, you consent to such recording and to the release, publication, exhibition or reproduction of these recordings and photographs by The Bentway or Choice Properties.

Curated by The Bentway and Small World Music and presented in partnership with Choice Properties. 

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مجلس Majles / Sitting Room

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Rooted in archival Persian rug work, the inaugural Step-Up Series commission transforms the West Block staircases and courtyard into a vivid cultural tapestry, one that threads migration, memory, and everyday connection through the local architecture to welcome gathering and mark shared urban space.

Opening – Artist Talk and Neighbourhood Walk

Guided by the exhibiting artists, this tour visits two new artworks shaped by CityPlace’s layered histories and rhythms. Experience the inaugural Step-Up Series mural which threads vivid colour and narrative into the architecture of West Block, and celebrate Staging Ground’s final chapter, evoking our place in a collective urban ecology.

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Social Fabric: A Community Textile Activation

Drawing on the textile traditions reflected in Anahita Akhavan’s new mural, West Block becomes a place for shared making. Working with SHEEEP Studio, visitors of all ages will assemble textiles throughout the afternoon, gathering colour, pattern, and the gestures of many hands.

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