Ally Organization

Founded in 2001 and in residence at the Maison de la Culture Ahuntsic since 2010, Oktoecho has established itself as a pioneer in fostering dialogue between Middle Eastern, Western, and Indigenous Canadian music. Under the artistic direction of Lebanese-Quebec composer Katia Makdissi-Warren, alongside co-directors Lydia Etok (Inuit component) and Nina Segalowitz (Indigenous component (First Nations and Inuit)), Oktoecho draws on the richness of its diverse influences to create a remarkably cohesive body of work. Its boundless creativity weaves these elements together, giving rise to a vibrant and profoundly captivating universe.

In Canada, Oktoecho performs at events such as: the Native Presence Festival, the Montreal Arab World Festival, the Montreal Sepharad Festival, the Quebec International Festival of Sacred Music, the Montreal OFF Jazz Festival, the Montreal Jewish Music Festival, the Sherbrooke World Traditions Festival, the Innu Nikamu Festival in Mani-Utenam, at Koerner Hall in Toronto, and the Sound of Dragon in Vancouver. The group has also given several concerts in Montreal's Maisons de la Culture during tours with the Conseil des arts de Montréal on tour (2009).

Internationally, the ensemble also tours in countries including Spain (2013-2019), the prestigious Beiteddin Festival in Lebanon (2016), Morocco (2017) alongside Violons du Roy, France (2022-2023), Chile, and Colombia (2023).

CDs/Recordings: Transcestral (2022); Saimaniq (2018) based on Inuit throat singing; Burj Khalifa Dubai (March 2012 – United Arab Emirates); La 5e route bleue (2010); Oktoecho (2009); Zeugma (2003) as well as seven soundtracks for documentaries (Quebec, France, Winnipeg, Korea, TedX Beirut, the Singapore Museum, and the original soundtrack for the permanent exhibition of the tallest Khalifa Tower in Dubai).

In 2019, their album "Saimaniq" won the OPUS Award for Best World Music CD, and in 2020, the ensemble received the OPUS Award for Inclusion and Diversity. Their album "Transcestral" won several awards at the Global Music Award (USA) and the Oliver Schroer Musical Innovation Award at the Canadian Folk Music Awards in 2023. In 2024, Oktoecho received the OPUS Award for Best World Music Concert of the Year, and Katia Makdissi-Warren was named Composer of the Year. They have been nominated several times for the OPUS Awards, ADISQ, and Canadian Folk Music Awards.