Kronos Quartet and k.d. lang and the Siss Boom Bang will be among the artists performing at this summer's Luminato, the Toronto Festival of Arts and Creativity, the program for which was announced today. The is the fifth anniversary edition of Luminato and marks Kronos Quartet's return to the festival.

Luminato 2011 presents Kronos Quartet in four concerts that reflect the group's ongoing global musical journey through cross-cultural collaborations.  A series of concerts—including a free outdoor concert—and initiatives with Luminato’s Education and Outreach programs comprise the Kronos Quartet Residency at Luminato 2011. Performing with Kronos for the first time in Canada are international guest artists the Alim Qasimov Ensemble, leading exponents of the Azerbaijani sung poetry known as mugham; Afghan rubâb player Homayun Sakhi; and pipa virtuoso Wu Man. Kronos Quartet also performs a free concert in Toronto's Metro Square, the festival's hub, on June 12.

k.d. lang and the Siss Boom Bang will perform a free concert in Metro Square on June 17, performing songs from their forthcoming album, Sing it Loud, out on Nonesuch on April 12. The concert marks the start of the Canadian leg of their tour. More information on the tour is forthcoming.

“Over the past four years, Luminato has presented a diverse musical program, ranging from world music stars, to renowned orchestral ensembles, to Canadian pop and folk icons,” said Chris Lorway, Artistic Director of Luminato.  “Now, celebrating the Festival’s fifth year, Luminato presents a music program that runs the gamut of musical genres, representing artists from all over the world, as well as those here at home.”

For more information on the festival, visit luminato.com. For more on Kronos Quartet and k.d. lang's upcoming tour dates, visit nonesuch.com/on-tour.