Kardinal Offishall set to Host TEDxToronto on October 26, 2019

Performers at the annual conference will include musicians, artists and comedians

TORONTO, Sept. 24, 2019 /CNW/ - TEDxToronto today announced that Toronto-born rapper Kardinal Offishall will take the stage as the host of the 11^th annual conference on Saturday, October 26, 2019 at Evergreen Brick Works. In addition to the previously announced speakers, the daylong event will also feature entertainment from a range of unique performers, who encapsulate the culture and excitement of the city of Toronto.

DATE: Saturday, October 26, 2019

LOCATION: Evergreen Brick Works, 550 Bayview Ave, Toronto

HOST: Kardinal Offishall: Born and raised in Toronto, rapper and producer Kardinal Offishall paved the way for a new wave of Canadian stars. He's been nominated for more than 15 Juno Awards and, with his hit "Dangerous", he was the first Canadian rapper to crack the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. Kardinal is a multiple ASCAP award and Socan award winner and has collaborated with the best out there including Rihanna, Lady Gaga and, of course, Akon.

PERFORMERS:

• Liza: Liza is an R&B singer-songwriter from Toronto who grew up immersed in Ethiopian musical culture. Her debut EP—February 29—earned glowing reviews following its 2017 release. Liza has performed at several major music festivals in the city—including uTOpia, NXNE, Canadian Music Week.
• DATU: DATU is comprised of Alexander Junior, Romeo Candido, Gee Soropia and a revolving roster of dancers and guest artists. Their musical style blends traditional Filipino music with modern sounds, including hip hop, electronic and indie.
• She's All That: Sima Sepehiri and Neha Kohli make up the comedy duo She's All That. Their show, inspired by the fact they're both first-generation immigrants and massive Harry Potter nerds, includes comedy sketches, musical numbers—and maybe even a bit of magic. Both were members of Woke 'N Broke, a sketch troupe that won Critics Pick at the 2019 Toronto Fringe Festival.
• futura collective: futura collective is comprised of some of Toronto's finest classical musicians. Together, they transform hip-hop's most influential tracks into vibrant arrangements for strings, piano, and percussion, while staying true to the heart of each song. Their high-energy performances, led by Kristian Fourier, often contain striking visual elements.

Tickets for TEDxToronto – one of Canada's largest TEDx conferences – are available at www.tedxoronto.com/tickets. To learn more about this year's speaker lineup, see here.  If you can't attend the conference in person, you can catch the speakers and performances through our livestream. Simply visit our www.tedxtoronto.com on October 26 to catch the talks in real time. To learn more about this year's speaker lineup, see here. 

About TEDx, x = independently organized event
In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TED Talks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized. (Subject to certain rules and regulations.)

About TED
TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading, often in the form of short talks delivered by leading thinkers and doers. Many of these talks are given at TED conferences, including our annual gathering in Vancouver, as well as TEDWomen, intimate TED Salons and thousands of independently organized TEDx events around the world. Videos of these talks are made available, free, on TED.com and other platforms. Audio versions of the talks from TED2019 will also be published to TED's podcast TED Talks Daily, available on Apple Podcasts and all other podcast platforms.

 TED's open and free initiatives for spreading ideas include TED.com, where new TED Talk videos are posted daily; TEDx, which licenses thousands of individuals and groups to host local, self-organized TED-style events around the world; the TED Fellows program, which selects innovators from around the globe to amplify the impact of their remarkable projects and activities; the Audacious Project, which surfaces and funds critical ideas that have the potential to impact millions of lives; TEDSummit, which gathers the most engaged members of the global TED community for brainstorms, discussions, performances, workshops and an eclectic program of mainstage talks; and the educational initiative TED-Ed. TED also has a library of original podcasts, including The TED Interview with Chris Anderson, Sincerely, X, and one of Apple Podcasts' most downloaded new shows of 2018, WorkLife with Adam Grant.

Follow TED on Twitter at http://twitter.com/TEDTalks, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/TED, on Instagram at https://instagram.com/ted and on Snapchat at tedtalkshq.

SOURCE TEDxToronto

For media inquires, interview requests and/or high-resolution imagery, please contact: Amber Ciolfe, NATIONAL Public Relations, [email protected], 416.848.1384; Danielle Castellino, TEDxToronto, [email protected], 647.833.2030