Anya M. Wassenberg's Blog: Art & Culture Maven, page 109

Photography with a Purpose: HIPA Presents 'A Dream of Humanity' in Paris July 26 to October 15 2015

From a media release:

HIPA PRESENTS ‘A DREAM OF HUMANITY’ EXHIBITION IN PARIS
July 26 to October 15, 2015
on the Left Bank of the River Seine

PARIS - The Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Award (HIPA) is launched an exhibition titled ‘A Dream of Humanity’ on the banks of the River Seine in the French capital, Paris. The exhibition includes photography by world-renowned photojournalist Reza Deghati as well as photographs from the ‘Faces’ initiative by HIPA which involved photography of and by Syrian children in a refugee camp in Northern Jordan. The exhibition is set to run from the 26th of July until the 15th of October 2015, on the banks of the River Seine.

Commenting on the launch of the exhibition, the Secretary General of HIPA, His Excellency Ali bin Thalith said “HIPA undertook the sponsorship of the ‘A Dream of Humanity’ exhibition to be part of our wide-ranging humanitarian responsibility and to document the living conditions of global refugees and their everyday struggles. We also feel that it is our moral obligation to raise awareness of the current plight of Syrian refugees and their bravery in telling us their stories by staring into the lens of a camera”.

Bin Thalith continued that “HIPA is a photography competition which is not restricted by the artform but rather empowered through it to change the lives of as many people as possible. This can be done by repeatedly documenting the hardships faced by global refugees, and what better photographer to do this with than Mr. Reza Deghati, who is a global ambassador for photography and the humanitarian aspect of it. Reza’s photography has changed the lives of many people around the world and we hope to impact more people in the coming period through our joint project, ‘A Dream of Humanity’.

Emerging Music Festival August 21, 2015 5-10pm - Bryant Park stage & Lawn, New York City

From a media release:

Emerging Music Festival
August 21, 2015
5-10pm - Bryant Park stage & Lawn, New York City

Five up-and-coming local bands, food, beer and wine, and lawn games make for a perfect evening.

Bryant Park will be the place to be for music lovers on Friday, August 21 as we present our first-ever Emerging Music Festival on the Bryant Park Stage and Lawn. This promises to be a wonderful summer evening, with great music, delicious food, beer and wine, and lawn activities.

The Emerging Music Festival presents an eclectic array of five rising bands performing soul, indie rock, dream pop, and more. The groups have all been covered on major music outlets, and have entertained audiences at venues throughout the city.

The talented lineup includes:
• Julia Easterlin, a vocalist using loop technology and her one-of-a-kind voice to create music that draws freely from jazz, pop, West African dance, and soul. You may have seen her at Lollapalooza and SXSW.
• Lazyeyes, a three-piece from Brooklyn formed by guitarist and vocalist Jason Abrishami (The Twees), Paul Volpe (Triple Cobra) on bass, and Jeremy Sampson (Eastern Hollows) on drums. Stereogum described the band’s sound as "a muscular, riff-happy brand of guitar-based dream-pop," going on to proclaim, "songs burst with angular hooks and polished melodies."
• Mad Satta, an ultra-tight eight-pie ce outfit that “waves the flag for future-soul, mixing old-school vibes with jazz and modern-day funk" (VIBE). The group is held down by edgy bass lines, a sophisticated mix of guitar, organ, drums and horns, as well as smoky powerful vocals.
• Miracles of Modern Science, a group with a vision for the future of pop music. With violin, cello, mandolin, drums, and a double bass-wielding frontman, MOMS creates “pop that sounds like something new” (Wired). Presented in association with Subculture.
• Plus one more act to be announced.

In the spirit of all successful music festivals, a selection of the city’s finest food vendors will be on hand to offer delicious food, beer, and wine. There will also be a selection of fun, warm-weather activities to participate in, including juggling lessons, hula hooping, tether ball, and photo ops.
 
The Emerging Music Festival runs from 5pm-10pm on Friday, August 21. Music will be performed on the Bryant Park Stage at the western edge of the Lawn. Blankets and picnics are encouraged but please, no plastic tarps. Though food and beverages will be available for sale, everyone is welcome to bring their own.

Emerging Music Festival is free and open to all ages. No tickets are required. Outside food and drink are welcome. Must be 21+ to purchase beer and wine.

The Wiz: A Celebration in Dance & Music -- August 12 to 14 2015 FREE in New York City

From a media release:

The Wiz: A Celebration in Dance & Music
featuring 
PHYLICIA RASHAD, ANDRE DE SHIELDS, DEE DEE BRIDGE WATER, EBONY JO-ANN, INAYA DAY and more 

Central Park, Manhattan
SummerStage
Wednesday, August 12, 2015
Doors at 7pm - FREE

Marcus Garvey Park
W. 122nd & Mt. Morris Park
August 13 & 14, 2015
Doors at 6pm - FREE

The Wiz: A Celebration in Dance and Music: Choreographer Website

NEW YORK CITY - This performance, choreographed by the Tony Award-winner George Faison with musical direction by Damien L. Sneed, will feature co-host / emcee Tony Award-winner (and Munchkin from the original Broadway run!) Phylicia Rashad; André De Shields (reprising his role as The Wiz); Tony Award-Winner for the role of Glinda, Dee Dee Bridgewater; Ebony Jo-Ann in the role of Addaperle; singer/songwriter Wallace Gary as The Scarecrow; Inaya Day as Dorothy plus more TBA.

George Faison, internationally celebrated producer, writer, composer, director, choreographer and dancer, made history in 1975 when he became the first African American to win a Tony Award for Best Choreography for The Wiz. In honor of the Broadway hit's 40th anniversary this year, Faison will present performances of original songs and dances from the show. Mr. Faison also heads the Faison Firehouse Theater in Central Harlem, which he founded in 2000 along with Tad Schnugg.The Firehouse is a technologically advanced theater where Mr. Faison develops digital applications for the performing arts as well as original theater pieces. The 130-seat theater, branded "Hollywood of Harlem" by the media, is a full service performing arts and cultural center with fine arts galleries, rehearsal facilities and a cabaret theater.

• For complete series lineup, please visit SummerStage.org
• Enjoy the benefits of SummerStage Membership: click here to join.

PLEASE NOTE:  SummerStage shows take place outdoors and take place RAIN OR SHINE. Shows are only cancelled in the event of what event organizers consider to be dangerous winds or lightning. Schedule of events and performers is subject to change. The following cannot be brought into the Central Park venue: glass bottles, cans, coolers, folding chairs, bikes, rollerblades, skateboards, beach umbrellas, video cameras, selfie sticks, professional camera gear, tripods or pets. SummerStage is not responsible for prohibited items left outside the venue. Bags subject to search. Alcoholic beverages are forbidden in NYC Parks. The distribution and sale of unauthorized promotional materials is banned. Beer and wine are on sale at the Central Park venue for onsite consumption only.  Smoking is prohibited in all NYC parks.

CD Release: Ballaké Sissoko and Vincent Segal Deepen the Conversation on Musique de Nuit (Six Degrees Records - September 4, 2015)

From a media release:

CD Release:
Midnight Music and Rooftop Freedom: Ballaké Sissoko and Vincent Segal Deepen the Conversation on Musique de Nuit
(Six Degrees Records - September 4, 2015)

• Keep an eye out for it on Six Degrees Records
• Like them on FB for Touring Updates

French cellist Vincent Segal and Malian kora virtuoso Ballaké Sissoko sat down together, in the wonderful, peculiar hours when all life seemed suspended. And they played together, in quiet dialogue. At night, they felt liberated.

“Night is a special time in Mali,” Segal explains. “It’s a little less hot, and everyone’s asleep apart from the night owls like us. The city’s not as noisy, music mixes with rumor, and there’s something redeeming about simply sitting outside and playing. That’s what we tried to capture here, that freedom the night can bring.”



They channel it via the cello and the kora, the sparkling sound of the heart and the thoughtfulness of the soul, evoking night’s mysterious, exquisite span on Musique de Nuit (Six Degrees Records; release: September 4, 2015), the successor to their rapturously acclaimed first album together, Chamber Music. And it’s a very aptly-titled disc.

Six years have passed since the pair recorded Chamber Music over three days in Bamako, Mali. In that time the world has changed beyond measure. Sissoko’s homeland came under siege from fundamentalist troops for many months, while in Paris the Charlie Hebdo killings proved that violence can spring up anywhere. And that sense of tension, of change flows through Musique de Nuit.

“What all that gave us was the thirst to play, to sit up there on the roof and explore all the feelings that came out,” Segal says. “We’d never stopped playing together after that first album, and we’ve done plenty of concerts and tours. We know each other well now and we can be free. The music’s less serene than Chamber Music, but so is the world.”

Recorded outside, the ambient noises of Bamako—the call of a bird or the voices just at the edge of hearing—are very much a part of the disc. They bring a sense of intimacy and closeness, of listening in on a private dialogue. “The darkness is very conducive to conversations,” Segal agrees. “It’s right for interactions that aren’t arranged, that just ebb and flow. And that’s what this does. There were no overdubs. What you hear is what the two of us played.”

There are indeed no outside musicians on the record beyond the timeless voice of Babani Koné on “Diabaro.” The simplicity blossoms into subtle richness. Every other sound comes from the kora or the cello, even though other instruments seem to peer in and add color and shade. “We wanted to evoke the sound of phantom instruments,” Segal laughs. “So we made the kora and cello sound like a flute, a ngoni, a takamba. But everything there is us.”

Both musicians bring years of experience to their work together. Segal trained as a classical cellist but he’s worked with artists as diverse as Elvis Costello, Cesaria Evora, and Brazil’s Carlinhos Brown, as well as being an ongoing member of downtempo electronica group Bumcello. Born into a griot family, Sissoko was destined for music from birth. After studying the tradition, he played in a duo with Toumani Diabaté before expanding his horizons to record and perform with musicians from all over the globe, becoming a regular part of the cast used by Italian composer Ludovico Einaudi.

Every note on Musique du Nuit comes from what they’ve both learned, and what they continue to learn, as two artists interacting. “This isn’t Africa meets the West,” Segal insists. “What ‘West’ would we be talking about, anyway? Since my teens I’ve played with musicians from all over, and Ballaké has performed with people from China, Iran, America, and more. Like everyone else, our influences come from all over. Artists have always soaked up what they hear and brought it out in their music, and we’re no different. Music isn’t something from one nation, even when we think it is. Think of the Bach Cello Suites; they have French minuets and gavottes, as well as English jigs. There’s no need for national ownership of music. There is simply the freedom to have fun.”

There’s absolute delight in the playing, the entire spectrum of the night in the music, from the joy and hope that arrives with nightfall through to the quiet, introspective hours before dawn. “Samba Tomora” is a gleeful, graceful dance, while “Balazando” takes the duo into wilder territory that draws on modern jazz and the moods of electronica in parts before the breathless delicacy of the title track brings a soft, thoughtful close to the disc.

It’s music built on empathy, the bond that’s built from hours and months of playing together. Perhaps even more, it’s founded on the trust of being able to push each other, to listen as much as play. “Chamber Music is where it started,” Segal agrees. “But all we’ve done together since then has reinforced our collaboration. And this is where we are now, the two of us together.”

From their last collaboration, 2011's "Chamber Music":

Soca Queen Allison Hinds Headlines Island Soul at Harbourfront Toronto July 31 to August 3, 2015

From a release:

Island Soul at Harbourfront Toronto
July 31 to August 3, 2015

Explore the rhythms, mythologies, histories and delicacies of the islands with a diverse lineup of artists and thinkers striving to leave their mark on Caribbean cultural identity and catalyze an emerging generation.  Presented in partnership with Festival Kompa Zouk Ontario.

• Check out the Schedule of Events

A leading cultural festival for over a decade, Island Soul returns this year by casting a wider net across the Caribbean Sea and looking at the multitude of islands that make up the rich tapestry that is the Caribbean.

Through the lens of the Big Idea: Seven Generations we explore the roots of Caribbean culture by making connections between the pioneers and today's cultural ambassadors. Island Soul will take the audience on an odyssey across generations, from tracing the roots of modern day steelpan music, a spotlight on the diversity of the French Caribbean and a celebration of Bob Marley's immense global impact since his birth 70 years ago.

The concept of duality is seen in different facets of Caribbean life. Geographically, we see this through 'twin islands' such as Haiti and the Dominican Republic, and Trinidad and Tobago. Toronto's Caribbean community understands the concept of duality, splitting their cultural identity between Canada and their Island homes. We also see this example in the influx of diverse communities who have made the islands their homes, influencing Caribbean culture in their own way. Finally, through spirituality, we see duality in the religious practices between Catholicism, Vodoun, Santeria and Rastafari. Through our music and dance showcases, as well as through a series of artist talks, Island Soul will reflect on the concept of duality as the cornerstone of our overall programming.

Island Soul 2015 will feature a diverse lineup of artists and thinkers who strive to leave their mark on the Caribbean’s cultural identity and hopefully serve as a catalyst for the emerging generation to continue evolving their traditions.

Festival Kompa Zouk Ontario brings together the largest gathering of local, national and international Creole artists in Ontario. Named one of Ontario's Top 100 festivals, this event presents a perfect opportunity to experience the music, dance, cuisine and crafts of the French Caribbean, now part of Canada's cultural heritage.

The number "7" has an important meaning in some Caribbean islands representing the mysterious number, a number of luck and originality. The vast ocean of the planet consists of seven 7 (if you split Atlantic into North and South as some people do) interconnected oceans, without borders. In the same way, our vision for the 7th edition of Festival Kompa Zouk is a festival without borders or barriers.

August 2, 2015 will be a rendezvous for all – community, friends and families – prepared to create unforgettable memories as we celebrate Creole culture. Be ready for an exceptional program for Festival Kompa Zouk 2015!

Other highlights:

Part of Fatival Zounk - After a guest appearance at last year's Island Soul, J-Perry returns to FKZO day with the signature, Zumba-friendly sounds that have made him a global superstar. This time around he brings a full band for a performance that should help you get up, dance and sweat to his unique French-Caribbean vibe.

All hail the Queen of Soca! Alison Hinds is a leading figure in the contemporary soca scene, recognized for her high-energy performances and captivating vocals throughout the islands and abroad. Throughout her career she has inspired and influenced emerging female soca singers with her commanding and empowering presence. Hinds has collaborated with many popular Caribbean stars, such as Machel Montano, Richie Spice, Shaggy and Jah Cure.

Jane Bunnett & Maqueque - Making their debut on the Westjet Stage, internationally-acclaimed musicians Jane Bunnett and Maqueque give Canadian audiences a creative new outlook on daring and courageous artistry. Their merging of traditional Cuban music and folkloric rhythms showcases a refreshing youthful energy that will be sure to have everyone on their feet.

Roots Reggae: Jah9 Live in NYC at SOB's, with Dubtonic Kru July 27th 2015

From a release:

Roots Reggae:
Jah9 Live in NYC at SOB's, with Dubtonic Kru 
July 27th 2015

• Tickets at the link

When Jah9 sings, hearts and minds awaken. Old school blues improvisation, meets hard hitting lyrical prowess, in a rich imaginative blend of vocal clarity and complexity. She sings with a voice that belies the dimensions of her physical body, from a soul much older than its current vessel. Her philosophy is profoundly spiritual, and her style is Jazz on Dub.

Born Janine Cunningham, Jah9 spent her first eight and a half years in Falmouth, Trelawny, on the rural western edge of Jamaica. It was an idyllic place, where everyone knew everyone else, and where the daughter of the Baptist minister first found her singing voice, at home and in the church choir. But everything changed when her father took a job as chaplain at a high school in Kingston and the family settled in a house on the school grounds.

In the city, the transplanted country girl found comfort in music and words, and blossomed in both. She sang in the church, school and youth choir; and found an outlet for her feelings in the words she wrote down on the page. Growing up in a socially conscious family, she’d always been aware of the injustices all around, but it wasn’t until university that everything came together in her mind and she really began to find her own voice

The catalyst was a group of Rastafarian friends she made on campus while gathering by the fire to steam and reason. Long hours of talking opened her up to the teachings of Haile Selassie 1, as well as her ears to the swirling beauty of dub music and roots reggae. Suddenly the nickname of Jah9, which she’d adopted while still a little girl in Trelawny, made perfect sense.

Already a staple on Jamaica’s underground poetry scene, in the music she found a place where her words could live, and the songs she started to write found plenty of eager encouragement. Jah9 began recording with producer Sheldon Bernard and her demos caught the attention of the legendary Beres Hammond, who later began helping to develop her recording technique. She later teamed up with dancehall producer Donovan Bennett of Don Corleon Records for popular singles like “Keep Holding On and” “Warning.” A unique process outside of Jamaica, the recording of Warning was broadcast, with the track coming out the very next day. What followed was Jah9 becoming one of the most powerful female voices in Jamaican music.

But she hadn’t switched her allegiance: her heart was still firmly with roots music, and she started recording “Mr. Right” with producer Roy ‘Stone Love’ Gilligan. The pair worked so well and easily together that the project with Hammond was put on hold so she could continue to work with RoryStoneLove. The single quickly became an album, resulting in New Name, released to rave reviews a year later in February, 2013. The influential Achis Reggae Blog raved: “I cannot remember a debut album which was as lyrically strong as New Name,” also declaring it album of the year, while United Reggae’s Angus Taylor praised Jah9 for having “a jazz soloist’s fluidity, a singer’s voice and a poet’s flow.”

With New Name, Jah9 arrives fully-fledged into the spotlight. But there’s more to her than flow and melody. She lives what she speaks. A community activist, Jah9 has been heavily involved in youth development work. She’s helped develop programs for at-risk youth in Kingston, worked on the creation of Healing of the Nation public awareness campaign and been at the center of the creation of the non-profit youth and arts advocacy group known as Manifesto JA.

“Jamaica’s best-kept secret” – as Mikey Bennett of Grafton Studios once called her - is now out in the open. With New Name, Jah9 takes a journey through Jazz on Dub passing deep into the heart and mind

Event Notes:
W/ Special Guest Dubtonic Kru
Ticket URL
Ticket Price(s): $20.00
SOB's - 204 Varick Street
Concert Start Time: 9:00 PM
Doors Open: 8:00 PM

For Pan Am: Textile Museum of Canada launches Watercolour July 14 to 17 2015

From a media release:

Textile Museum of Canada launches Watercolour,
a project featuring sail designs by international artists presented in partnership with the Toronto 2015 Pan Am/Parapan American Games
July 14 to 17, 2015

TORONTO - The Textile Museum of Canada is pleased to announce Watercolour, a cultural project presented in partnership with the Toronto 2015 Pan Am/Parapan American Games. Celebrating the culture and artistry of Pan American nations, Watercolour will comprise 41 sails featuring artwork by one artist from each participating country. Encompassing work from internationally renowned to emerging and mid-career artists, the designs will animate sailboats on Lake Ontario with their rich visual diversity during ceremonies at the Toronto 2015 Games.

Celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2015, the Textile Museum of Canada’s award-winning work with contemporary artists and global cultural traditions informed the project. “Sails are among the most ancient and most iconic expressions of textiles in everyday life,” says Textile Museum of Canada Executive Director Shauna McCabe. “Transcending space and time, sails make perfect sense as a way to communicate what we have in common – the universal experiences and imaginations that inspire everyone – artists to athletes – to achieve their dreams.” Together the designs on the sails speak to shared environments and ways of life as well as cultural and artistic relationships between Pan Am countries.

Watercolour showcases some of the leading artists of the Pan American nations. Representing Canada, Sobey Art Award winner (2014) Nadia Myre has collaborated with Powerhouse Prize winner (2012) Karen Elaine Spencer to design “AKI,” an elegant combination of Anishnabe-mowin, Spanish, French and English words to ask: “Who will win in this land here?” Paula Barragan of Ecuador has adapted a traditional Zuleta embroidery pattern in celebration of indigenous heritage. Representing Trinidad, Christopher Cozier is recognized internationally for his politically and culturally incisive artwork, along with his role in developing contemporary art discourse and practice throughout the Caribbean. Chris Johanson of the United States draws on urban and suburban experiences, graffiti and the aesthetics of street art in his work, clearly captured on the American sail. Ami Zanders’s entry reflects her work in the Bermuda National Gallery’s 2014 Biennial – bright and colourful yarn, beads and threads call forth the light and vibrancy of her country. Argentinian duo Chiachio & Giannone craft embroidered collages that play with self-portraiture and images of global identity.

Scheduled sailings will take place daily from July 14 – 17, launching at 5:30 pm from Harbourfront Centre Sailing & Powerboating (HCSP) docks (275 Queens Quay W at Rees Street). The boats will hold off in fleet position from 6 – 6:10 pm at Ontario’s Celebration Zone at Harbourfront Centre (231 Queens Quay W.) before continuing east towards Corus Quay (Queens Quay and Jarvis Street) where they will loop and return to the HCSP for 6:30. Recommended viewing is from the foot of the Power Plant Art Gallery (231 Queens Quay W. and Simcoe Street) and Sugar Beach (25 Dockside Drive).

Each day will feature a different selection of the 41 representative participant countries. The Textile Museum of Canada presents Watercolour in partnership with the Toronto 2015 Parapan/Parapan Am Games and the Toronto Arts Council. For more information visit www.textilemuseum.ca/exhibitions/watercolour.aspx or call the Museum at 416-599-5321.

Toronto 2015 Watercolour artists and Pan American national affiliations
Antigua and Barbuda: Heather Doram
Argentina: Chiachio & Giannone
Aruba: Danilo Geerman
Bahamas: Dylan Rapillard
Barbados: Elizabeth Stewart
Belize: Pen Cayetano
Bermuda: Ami Zanders
Bolivia: Sonia Falcone
Brazil: Carolina Ponte
British Virgin Islands: Debi Carson
Canada: Nadia Myre and Karen Elaine Spencer
Cayman Islands: Randy Chollette
Chile: Malu Stewart
Colombia: Maite Tobon
Costa Rica: Felix Murillo
Cuba: Alejandro Gómez Cangas
Dominica: Pauline Marcelle
Dominican Republic: Fernando Tamburini
Ecuador: Paula Barragán
El Salvador: Boris Ciudad Real
Grenada: Maureen St. Clair
Guatemala: Hugo Gonzalez Ayala
Guyana: Marlon Forrester
Haiti: Christina Clodomir-Makeda
Honduras: Bella Wilshire
Jamaica: Bernard Hoyes
Mexico: Héctor Falcón
Nicaragua: Alejandro Benito Cabrera
Panama: Maria Raquel Cochez
Paraguay: Renatta Avila
Peru: Magaly Sanchez
Puerto Rico: Ricardo Ávalo
Saint Kitts and Nevis: Kate Spencer
Saint Lucia: Llewellyn Xavier
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines: Camille Musser
Suriname: Marcel Pinas
Trinidad and Tobago: Christopher Cozier
United States of America: Chris Johanson
Uruguay: Santiago Velazco
Venezuela: Paulo Castro
Virgin Islands: Lucien Downes

SummerWorks Performance Festival August 6 to 16 2015 in Toronto

From a media release:

SummerWorks 25 final schedule to feature curated Theatre Series and four theatre Special Presentations
Erin Shields, Colleen Wagner, Christian Lapointe, Outside The March, The PepTides and many more join SummerWorks in celebrating 25 years
August 6 to 16 2015

• Check out the full line-up
  
Toronto, ON – SummerWorks Performance Festival announced their official 2015 schedule. Recognized as Canada’s largest juried and curated performance festival, this year’s edition – SummerWorks 25 – marks the organization’s 25th anniversary. For 11 days from Aug. 6 to 16, SummerWorks 25 takes over stages, concert halls, parks, and unconventional performance spaces across the city with more than 50 productions and performances.

SummerWorks 25 features productions from five streams of performance: Theatre, Music, Dance, Live Art, as well as a series of Special Presentations from a variety of different mediums. New this year, each stream is curated by an expert in their field, who carefully selects the productions that are featured in their series.

“Over the past 25 years, SummerWorks has become an important space for artists to meet and develop new work.” said Michael Rubenfeld, SummerWorks artistic producer. “Our new Festival model is a move towards becoming an even more community-oriented, collaborative, and evolutionary organization. Instead of solely being programmed by the artistic producer, the majority of programming now lies in the hands of professional artists that are currently working in their respective fields. This new model represents an exciting future for the Festival with curators revolving from year to year, exposing our audiences to new ideas and perspectives and creating new opportunities for local artists.”

Another highlight of the anniversary programming is this year’s highly anticipated Production in Residence, Counting Sheep. Helmed by beloved guerrilla-folk party-punk band Lemon Bucket Orkestra, the production is the largest project SummerWorks has taken on to date, and will be the first time the organization partners with another company in a full co-production. An immersive Ukrainian folk opera, Counting Sheep shares a deeply personal retelling of the Maidan in Ukraine. With a cast of 15, Lemon Bucket Orkestra has created a visceral exploration into the politics of revolution, complete with song, dance, and an entire Ukrainian feast!

The 25th anniversary Theatre Series was curated by playwrights Rosa Laborde, Philip Mckee and Bea Pizano  and includes 27 performances. In addition to the curated Theatre Series, four theatre productions will join SummerWorks as part of the Special Presentation Series:  The Stranger, HYPER_, Let's Not Beat Each Other to Death, and Offending the Audience. With theatre productions curated by Rubenfeld, and a dance performance curated by Amelia Ehrhardt, this series features artists from across Canada who are making adventurous, original choices around performance practice, bringing their genre-bending productions to Toronto audiences.

A full overview of the Theatre Series is continued below.

SUMMERWORKS HIGHLIGHTS
To celebrate their anniversary, there are many exciting events and new additions to commemorate SummerWorks’ 25 years of fostering new work in dance, music, theatre and art. This year SummerWorks returns to the Factory Theatre (125 Bathurst St.) which will serve as the official hub of the Festival – hosting the Central Box Office, multiple performance spaces, and the ever popular Festival Bar.

Launch Party
SummerWorks 25 features a series of festival parties and events starting with the Festival Launch Party, July 17 at the Gardiner Museum (111 Queen’s Park). The Festival Launch Party will be featured as one of the Gardiner Museum’s DOORS at 6pm events, a series of Friday night cultural experiences throughout the summer, celebrating the diversity of Toronto’s cultural scene. Kicking-off the countdown to SummerWorks 25, this party will feature installations and performances from a number of this year’s incredible SummerWorks artists. Other events include partnerships with Open Roof Festival (July 22) and Art Spin (July 23) with additional parties and events to be announced throughout the summer.

Signature Beer
Festival goers will have the chance to sample an exclusive beer brewed by Double Trouble Brewing. A traditional German Radler made with local cascade hops, the SummerWorks Beer is infused with blood orange and celebrates the company’s 25 years of blood, sweat and tears! The beer will be available at the Festival Hub Bar while quantities last.

SummerWorks Lab
From August 10 to 14, SummerWorks will offer five different professional development workshops as part of their inaugural SummerWorks Lab. Each workshop will be hosted by a SummerWorks 25 artist: Christian Lapointe, Christian Barry & Stewart Legere, Freya Björg Olafson, and Aimée Dawn Robinson. All SummerWorks Labs will take place at the Factory Theatre Mainspace.

Conversation Series
SummerWorks 25 will feature a number of talks through their Conversation Series to be held throughout the festival at various venues. These talks will take place during the day, and each event will be hosted by one of the Festival curators. Highlights from the series include talks about “The Aesthetics of Scarcity”, “On Fostering Competition” and “The Evolution of the Performance Ecology”.

Tickets
Passes are now on sale available in person at the Factory Theatre (125 Bathurst St), with $40 3-show passes, $85 7-show passes and $120 10-show passes available. New this year is the Festival Taster Pack: 5 tickets, one from each of our series – Theatre, Music, Dance, Live Art, and Special Presentations – PLUS a drink at the Festival Hub for only $55. Single tickets range from $10 to $25 and are on sale now. For more ticket information visit: summerworks.ca.

Website: SummerWorks.ca
Twitter: @SummerWorks
Facebook: SummerWorks Performance Festival
Instagram: @SummerWorks_Festival
Hashtag: #SW25

Jazz CD Release: Composer and Trombone Virtuoso Nick Finzer -The Chase To be released on Origin Records on July 21, 2015

From a media release:

Jazz CD Release:
Composer and Trombone Virtuoso Nick Finzer Showcases
Imaginative Original Tunes And His Whip Smart Sextet on The Chase
To be released on Origin Records on July 21, 2015

• Pre-order/buy the CD

Finzer's celebrating the CD with performances:
* Thursday, July 9 - Jazz Shed - Durham, NC
* Friday, July 10 - The Velvet Note - Atlanta, GA
* Saturday, July 11 - Blues Boulevard and Jazz - Greenville, SC
* Sunday, July 12  - Timicua  - Orlando, FL
* Wednesday, July 22 - Smoke - NYC


The Chase, composer and trombonist Nick Finzer's second album as a leader - coming July 21st from Origin Records, the CD showcases Finzer's imaginative original tunes and his excellent sextet featuring Glenn Zaleski on piano, Lucas Pino on reeds, Alex Wintz on guitar, Dave Baron on bass and Jimmy MacBride on drums.

The trombone, after too long a period of relative neglect, is experiencing a vital surge of interest on the contemporary jazz landscape and Nick Finzer is at the helm of this revival. On The Chase, his second album as a leader, this abundantly gifted instrumentalist exhibits all the skills that have brought him to the attention of the fellow musicians and discerning listeners who recognize an important and inventive new voice on the horn. Yet, as a complete jazz figure, Finzer makes use of The Chase to also demonstrate his considerable talents as an accomplished composer, arranger and bandleader. Guiding a crack sextet that includes Glenn Zaleski on piano, Lucas Pino on reeds, Alex Wintz on guitar, Dave Baron on bass and Jimmy MacBride on drums (all but Zaleski can also be heard on Finzer's 2013 debut album Exposition), Finzer reinvigorates both his venerable tailgate instrument and the ever evolving small group tradition of modern jazz.  The Chase will be released on Origin Records on July 21, 2015.

Finzer's ten original compositions exhibit his gifts for memorable melody and formal ingenuity, while his arrangements maintain a thoughtful balance between ensemble cohesion and thrilling displays of individual virtuosity. As for instrumental prowess, look no further than the title track, which explodes with penetrating improvisations at breakneck tempo from Pino (on his customary tenor saxophone), Wintz, Zaleski and the leader. Other performances, no less riveting, offer satisfactions in mellower form. "Life Happens," "Spheres Of Influence," "All Hype" "Acceptance," "Why Aren't You Excited" and "Just Passed the Horizon" make use of lyrically spellbinding playing from all to conjure up captivating musical moods. The affecting ballad "While You're Gone" displays Finzer's affection for the Ellingtonesque use of the mute to achieve vocally-inflected tones while the mid-tempo "Steadfast" and "Search For a Sunset" demonstrate Finzer's command of his tightly muted horn as well as Pino's effective employment of the bass clarinet.

"I wanted this album to focus on the personalities of the band," Finzer says. "I write to challenge myself, but I made sure that on this recording there would be plenty of room to highlight these incredible players. We've all known each other for so long and/or crossed paths so often in our careers that a special relationship has developed between us that I think you can clearly hear. I may compose the music but I want everyone involved to bring their own ideas and feelings to it. There's so much more to this music than what's just on the page. Being open to the contributions of others is how it comes alive."

A familiar face on the contemporary jazz scene due to his presence in such celebrated bands as Ryan Truesdell's Gil Evans Project, Finzer did his undergraduate studies at The Eastman School of Music. Mentored by the acclaimed trombonist Wycliffe Gordon, Finzer relocated to New York City and completed his formal musical education, graduating with a Masters Degree from The Julliard School. Among the jazz luminaries he has worked with are Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, Steve Turre, Frank Wess, Lew Tabackin, Frank Kimbrough, Lewis Nash and Terell Stafford. Co-founder and Artistic Director of the Institute of Creative Music Music (www.ifcmusic.org), Finzer regularly conducts national workshops, residencies and master classes. He is the author of "Get Ahead!: A Practical Guide For the Developing Jazz Trombonist." In addition to his extensive freelance work, Finzer also leads various ensembles-including his sextet-in the New York City area.

http://www.nickfinzermusic.com/

Madcap Tradition, Artful Music: Big Galut(e) Rereads Jewish and Classical Music History

From a media release:

 Madcap Tradition, Artful Music: Big Galut(e) Rereads Jewish and Classical Music History With Gentle Irreverence

• Concert August 16, 2015; Cherry Valley Artworks - The Star Theater, Schenectady, NY
• Buy the CD

Jewish court composers and shtetl humor. A klezmer twist on Mahler and Argentine Yiddish tangos. Big Galut(e) does it all, with a quirky grin and unflagging musicianship. A quintet that sprang from summer stints at renowned opera festival Glimmerglass, the mostly classically trained artists approach the Western canon with absurdist glee, and Jewish traditions with borscht-belt wit on their self-titled debut album (release: August 21, 2015).

“We must be the only band that plays klezmer on the theorbo,” the Baroque plucked instrument, remarks violinist and vocalist Sasha Margolis, one of the driving forces behind the ensemble. “It has timbral similarities to the tsimbl, and works perfectly.”

The group’s antics play off traditional humor, but they never stray into the realm of novelty and often dive with virtuosic vigor into other offshoots of Jewish creativity. “We enjoy constantly changing styles and energy levels. That keeps everyone engaged. There are serious moments, but there’s also lots of laughter. We tell jokes. Robin tells jokes in Yiddish and I translate loosely into English. We do a few soulful tunes, then switch to the Baroque stuff. Being goofy is true to tradition.”

One day at Glimmerglass, Margolis and clarinetist Robin Seletsky struck up a conversation. They realized that they both longed to play some of the other music they loved. And they learned that they had both learned klezmer from their dads.

Seletsky’s father was a popular klezmer player and composer (“Seletsker Freylekhs” combines two generations of klezmer boogies); Margolis grew up listening to klezmer, thanks to his pianist father. “He teaches piano at Oberlin. When he was young, he made his living as a jazz pianist, played at strip clubs in high school,” recalls Margolis. “He also teaches Yiddish and is a really dedicated linguist. He made some arrangements for my sister and me, and even though I didn’t play it for 30 years, it was always there.”

They started playing together, jamming when not rehearsing or performing. The duo was joined by Baroque instrumental master Michael Leopold (who brought the theorbo to the group), bassist Richard Sosinsky (who also moonlights on mandolin), and accordionist Mark Rubinstein, whose wife is a musician at the opera and who had a lifetime of experience playing everything from klezmer to Latin music, with everyone from Liza Minnelli to Judy Collins.

As they played around together, they found an unexpected groove. It lay where opera plots get revamped as tongue-in-cheek Jewish takes on all that high-flying drama (“The True Story of Carmen”), right down to Sosinsky willingly landing in the (matzo ball) soup for a send up of Aida. They dug up wonderful ditties from Yiddish pop culture, including an uproarious Argentine take on a conversation between a lovelorn caller and a baffled gal on the other end of the line, with a serious wink at Piazzolla (“Charlemos”).