GAL GEORGE GJURIN – #Gal 25 - Gala concert celebrating 25 years of artistic excellence

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One of Slovenian-Canadian most prolific musicians, singers, authors, and multi-instrumentalists will celebrate 25 years of a rich artistic journey in the 2026/2027 season. Gal’s work has always transcended genre boundaries—from original music, poetry, jazz and freely improvised music to orchestral works, folk and traditional music, world music, and numerous collaborations with top domestic and international musicians, as well as with film, theater, and dance—from radio hits to national-level academy awards and nominations.

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Over a quarter century of activity, Gjurin has developed a unique musical and poetic expression that combines distinctive emotional depth, conveyed through his voice of 3 octaves, profound lyrics, instrumental virtuosity, and top-tier studio production. Among other achievements, he has performed more than 1,000 concerts in Canada, Slovenia, the U.S., Italy, Austria, Hungary, Ireland, Slovakia, Iceland, Croatia, France and Germany. His poetry has been translated into seven languages.

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Gal George Gjurin has released 25 original albums and published more than 600 original musical, audiovisual and literary works up to date. As an award-winning music producerand co-author, he has been credited on over 50 albums in Slovenia and Canada, including 10 albums by one of the most notable Slovenian singer-songwriters Vlado Kreslin. He has also contributed to more than 100 charity concerts supporting socially disadvantaged children and families, rare diseases, aid for firefighters, various medical expeditions to Africa and victims of natural disasters among others.

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Over the past 20 years, he has supported talented many young artists while also helping marginalized older musicians and groups gain visibility. Through his tours, studio collaborations, and proper placement of original compositions, these artists were able to present their work to audiences eager for quality music and later establish their own careers (Hamo & Tribute2Love, Nina Pušlar, Čedahuči, the Cantabile Symphony Orchestra, 2B, Elda Viler, Severa Gjurin, Manca Fekonja, Nada Barle, Aleksander Mežek, Tadej Kraševec, Domen Gracej, and many other instrumentalists and vocal soloists from jazz, classical, pop, rock and other genres).

In the past five years, Gjurin—who spends half of his time creating in Toronto and is Canadian by birth on his maternal side—has been nominated for highest-tier national Canadian awards, including the Canadian Folk Music Awards (CFMA) for Best Produced Album of 2025 (selected from over 600 Canadian folk albums) and the national FOLK CANADA AWARDS for Artist/performer of the Year 2025.

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With his album “How About a Kiss?” (OSH Publishing; 2024) he established himself as one of the key figures of the emerging contemporary “Metro-Folk” genre, blending traditional folk music with fresh urban elements of funk, jazz, blues, rock, acoustic hip-hop, orchestral and world music and soul, builtaround poetic lyrics that at times lean more toward urban lyricism rather than traditional North American epic storytelling. His latest Canadian album “Dark Country” (OSH Publishing; 2025) has only further confirmed and expanded this, pushing the boundaries of traditional folk music towards contemporary bluegrass, cinematographic film music and incorporating elements of electronic music and jazz.

He is also a recipient of three crystal statuettes at the OMA Music Awards in Toronto in 2021 and 2022, along with five OMA nominations, including Artist of the Year 2023 and Songwriter of the Year 2023. In 2025, he also received two nominations at the DREAMS Music Awards in Toronto—for Music Video of the Year and Song of the Year 2025. That same year, he was proposed in Slovenia for the national highest Prešeren Fund Award by A. Mežek, V. Kreslin, D. Mislej - Mef, P. Lovšin, B. Gombač and other nationaly relevant artists.

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As a special vocal guest, Gal’s sister, Severa Gjurin, will grace the stage—his longtime musical companion with whom he has shared a creative journey from early childhood to the present day. Their duets and intimate acoustic performances are celebrated for their warmth, seamless vocal interplay, and heartfelt musical honesty.

The male vocal and songwriting voice of the evening will be co-embodied by Will Gillespie, an award-winning artist recognized in Toronto in 2025 and hailing from the northern Ontario mining town of Timmins. A singer-songwriter whose sensibility drifts somewhere between Leonard Cohen and Tom Waits, Gillespie captivates with his singular blend of socially observant humor and evocative storytelling—painting stark portraits of (mainly Scottish) immigrants during the Canadian northern gold rush, and of a Canada that once felt closer to a frozen, unforgiving frontier than the modern G7 nation it is today.

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From Fort Erie near Niagara Falls comes Brandon Ruch, an exceptionally versatile young guitarist, vocalist, and studio producer. Already marked by his originality and refined musical taste, he joined Gjurin as a special guest on his 2025 Canadian tour, leaving a strong impression with his nuanced musicianship.

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Representing a new generation of compelling voices, Tadej Kraševec from Krško will also take the stage. With Gjurin as producer, he is currently shaping his debut solo album—an artistic collaboration that promises to introduce a distinctive new presence to the Slovenian music scene.

Adding further vocal richness to the evening is Anja Oraže, an outstanding singer with a uniquely expressive vocal timbre, hailing from Sele/Zell-Pfarre in Austrian Carinthia. She works closely with Gjurin on his project Ljubke ljudske - Lovely Traditionals, devoted to the musicological exploration, reinterpretation and international promotion of old Slovenian & European folk music heritage.

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Gjurin’s concerts at Cankar Centre with various projects date back to 2005, and his body of work has always been marked by sincerity, dedication, commitment to experimentation, and a constant search for new forms of expression. Gal’s 25 years of creation are not merely an anniversary, but a celebration of the musical art itself.

 

LINEUP:

Gal George Gjurin – vocals, acoustic and electric guitars, bugarria, mandocello, piano, harmonica, flugelhorn, saxophones (Canada/Slovenia)
Severa Gjurin – vocals (Slovenia/Canada)
Will Gillespie – vocals, acoustic and electric guitars, banjo, harmonica (Canada)
Metod Banko – vocals (Slovenia)
Leon Žunec – acoustic and electric guitars, bratsch, banjo, alto sax (Slovenia)
Erin Okrainec – fiddle (Canada)
4Strings Quartet – Aleksander Rogina (violin), Viviana Rogina (violin), Petar Njegovan (viola/Croatia), Valentin Rogina (cello) (Slovenia)
Brandon Ruch – electric guitar (Canada)
Niko Kostanjevec – keys, drums, percussion (Slovenia)
Tadej Kraševec – vocals, acoustic guitar (Slovenia)
Janja Brlec – zither, vocals (Slovenia)
Anja Oraže – vocals (Austria)
Susan Robinson – scenography (Canada)
Zachary Porter Itāhokow – sound, AV production (Canada)

 

Selected quotes:

“Gal just might be the best musician I ever came across” by Mr. Jure Longyka, editor and “THE UNPLUGGED” radio show host, National Radio and TV broadcaster RTV SLO, Val 202, SLOVENIA, EU

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“I am a big fan of "the Gjurin sound" and Gal’s approach to making music. That big and magical blend of genres and feelings.” by Mr. Thomas Hilton, Editor in Chief, Aldora Records, Birmingham, UK

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“Gal is also internationally recognized as a poet – and some of the most beautiful songs have had lyrics written by poets. He is a great example of that.” by Mr. Joe Valencic, WINT Radio Station, Ohio, USA

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“Gal simply plays everything and it was so exciting to work with someone who can pick up just about any instrument and deliver at the highest level right off the cuff.” By Mr. Dave Chester, record producer (RUSH, The Crownlands, Prairie Oyster), Chalet Studios, Uxbridge, Ontario, CANADA

“Gal is a great writer out of the Toronto area, with lots of really good stuff out there!” by Mr. Robert Campbell, “Songwriters Here & Away” radio host, COVE FM, Halifax, Nova Scotia, CANADA

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“In 2021 in Nashville, Tennessee, contesting against more than 23,000 songwriters from across the world, Gjurin ranked among the world’s top 50, again. He thus repeated his last year's success.”  by Mr. Bogdan Benigar, managing and artistic director, Druga Godba Festival (international press), EU

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“A musical genius who plays over 100 instruments and is widely praised on both sides of the pond.” – by Mrs. Monika Černe, Slovenske Novice, magazine article, 25 October 2021, Slovenia, EU