May 25 – June 1, 2025
Various Locations through GTA
14th annual a cappella music festival returns from May 25 to June 1
SING! The Toronto International Vocal Arts Festival launches its 14th year with 20 free and ticketed events from May 25 to June 1, 2025. The full festival schedule, festival passes, tickets and discounted tickets for students and arts workers are available now at singtoronto.com.
Toronto’s only a cappella festival features concert performances incorporating an array of musical styles — from folk to pop, classical to jazz, R&B to spoken word, and even beatboxing and battle rap. This year’s festival takes place at several locations across Toronto, with virtual events also available. Click below to see the event highlight.
Performance Highlights Include
- SoundCrowd with Deke Sharon: Toronto’s own SoundCrowd joins forces with Deke Sharon, legendary “Father of Contemporary A Cappella” and Pitch Perfect music director/producer, for an evening of amazing vocal arrangements, killer performances and entertaining anecdotes. The show will also feature a special opening act: the winner of the inaugural SING! Canadian A Cappella Championships.
- The Kinsey Sicks’ Dragappella, with presentation of the Slaight Music SING! Toronto Legacy Award to Steven Page: A night of music and comedy with America’s favourite “dragapella® beautyshop quartet, featuring a cappella harmonies, sharp satire, and over-the-top drag. Featuring a special performance by Steven Page of Barenaked Ladies, who will receive the Slaight Music SING! Toronto Legacy Award for exceptional contributions to the vocal arts.
- SoundCrowd with Deke Sharon: Toronto’s own SoundCrowd joins forces with Deke Sharon, legendary “Father of Contemporary A Cappella” and Pitch Perfect music director/producer, for an evening of amazing vocal arrangements, killer performances and entertaining anecdotes. The show will also feature a special opening act: the winner of the inaugural SING! Canadian A Cappella Championships.
- The Kinsey Sicks’ Dragappella, with presentation of the Slaight Music SING! Toronto Legacy Award to Steven Page: A night of music and comedy with America’s favourite “dragapella® beautyshop quartet, featuring a cappella harmonies, sharp satire, and over-the-top drag. Featuring a special performance by Steven Page of Barenaked Ladies, who will receive the Slaight Music SING! Toronto Legacy Award for exceptional contributions to the vocal arts.
- Black Umfolosi: Formed in Zimbabwe to preserve and revive the Imbube Culture in African Dance Culture, Black Umfolosi will share their Zimbabwean and Southern African dances, music and traditions.
- 2025 SING! Canadian A Cappella Championships: The inaugural SING! Canadian A Cappella Championships will feature 10 finalist groups chosen through a preliminary round of scoring via video submissions. Judges include Deke Sharon, producer of the Pitch Perfect movies, The Sing-Off TV series, and contemporary a cappella’s most prolific arranger.
- Great North Battle 2025 – International Beatbox Competition: A two-day event presented by Beatbox Canada, featuring a top 16 solo beatbox battle, top 8 loopstation battle, top 4 tag team battle, special performances, workshops and showcases. Winner of the solo battle will receive a qualifying spot at the Grand Beatbox Battle 2025, hosted by Swiss Beatbox in Japan.
- Estonian Voices with Countermeasure: Among Europe’s most unique sounding groups, Estonian Voices performs a repertoire of jazz, classical, folk, and pop songs, while Toronto’s own Countermeasure combines smooth harmonies and infectious energy to deliver a next-level a cappella experience.
- Beatsync EP release: Celebrating a decade of vocal magic and their first EP, Beatsync serves up their signature fusion of dynamic pop, alternative and electronic music.
- Free Concerts in the Park: A full afternoon of a wide variety of vocal music at Kew Gardens.
- SING! Free Preview: Free lunchtime show at Nathan Phillips Square, offering a taste of all that the festival has to offer.
- A Cappella Arranging (seminar): Prolific music producer/arranger/director Deke Sharon and Juno-nominated Dylan Bell, co-authors of “A Cappella Arranging”, lead this workshop offering ideas and discussion to help attendees develop skills as a cappella arrangers.
2025 FREE Events
- May 24, 2025 | 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm
SING! Free: Concerts in the Park
Kew Gardens, Toronto
A full afternoon of concerts in the park, featuring a wide variety of vocal music from 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm at the Alex Christie Bandstand in Kew Gardens.
- May 26, 2025 | 12:15 pm
SING! Free: Preview in Nathan Phillips Square
Nathan Phillips Square, Toronto
SING! offers this free lunchtime show at Nathan Phillips Square for all to enjoy, as a teaser for all the great events happening as part of SING! 2025.
The festival will also offer a free Virtual Music Business Summit hosted by industry experts, with seminars including the rise of AI in the arts, music rights and the law, personal branding and marketing, and career paths for collegiate singers.
Ticket prices range from free to $40, with some shows offering half-price tickets for students and arts workers. Festival passes are $150, with three-day beatboxing passes available for $74. The full schedule with pricing is at singtoronto.com.
A registered charity, SING! The Toronto International Vocal Arts Festival also aims to encourage the next generation of singers. The festival includes a School Workshop Day (Monday, May 26th, 2025), a full day of interactive workshops for grades 7-12, facilitated by festival headlining artists and other performers. And the I Love to SING! vocal arts and performance program (ongoing to September 2025) offers youth from across Toronto the opportunity to be mentored by professional artists in weekly sessions.
About SING!
Launched in 2012, Canada’s premier cappella festival includes more than 20 hours of content, featuring a stellar lineup that crosses cultural, demographic, and musical styles from around the globe. In addition to world-class concert performances, the festival offers live, interactive educational workshops facilitated by the world’s best cappella professionals.
Since its launch in 2012, SING! has expanded to several partner festivals in Texas, as well as SING! Edinburgh at Edinburgh Festival Fringe, SING! Mexico, SING! Edmonton and SING! Vancouver. SING! The Toronto International Vocal Arts Festival has also been chosen as one of Ontario’s Top 100 Festivals and Events for the past decade.
You can see an impressive line-up at singtoronto.com.
Sponsors
SING! The Toronto International Vocal Arts Festival is supported by – Soprano Sponsors: Government of Canada, Ontario Creates, TD Bank. Countertenor Sponsors: Sanderson Entertainment Law, Toronto Arts Council. Alto Sponsors: Nickel 9 Distillery. Tenor Sponsors: Centauri Arts, Harris Institute. Legacy Award Sponsors: Slaight Music. Bass Sponsors: Baird Artist Management, Canoe Financial, MetalWorks. Hotel Partner: Holiday Inn Express Downtown. Media Sponsors: Acaville Radio, CIUT FM, Maple Music Cafe, Toronto OnDemand, WAVE.FM. Music Business Summit Sponsors: Canadian Music Spotlight, Long & McQuade Musical Instruments.
