Anya M. Wassenberg's Blog: Art & Culture Maven, page 51
July 26, 2019
Interview: Patric Caird - Modern Composer
Interview:
Patric Caird - Modern Composer
You've probably heard the work of busy composer Patric Caird without realizing it. His recent high profile projects include the Netflix series The Order, which has just been renewed for a second season, and CBC's comedy series Save Me, working with Fab Filippo. While many composer bios begin with a list of the institutions they've studied at, Patric's begins with one premise: a love of music.
Patric Caird with fellow composer Jeremy Nathan Tisser from Impact24 PR's "Secrets from the Beyond" Panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2019 (Photo credit: Impact24 PR)"I'm Canadian," he says, "born in Vancouver, grew up in Toronto." He now makes his home in LA.
Patric says he started by playing the saxophone in school, a hobby that quickly became an overriding passion. Aside from a Canada Council grant to study with a jazz group, he pretty much jumped straight from high school into a professional career. "I went to college for about three minutes," he laughs.
It wasn't the discipline he shied away from. "I was very dedicated to music," he says. Patric recalls practising "obsessively" for hours a day, including transcribing scores by the dozen. Through it, he developed his skills, and an ear for musical structure, texture, and tones that would become invaluable once he turned from performance to composition.
He describes composing for film and TV as a highly cooperative process. "In most cases, TV and film, even the dance and theatre - it's collaborative." Showrunners generally come to him with ideas already sketched out. "Very seldom do they come with a blank slate."
Having a range of genres and styles at your fingertips is another key component of writing music for film and TV. "On Save Me, with Fab," he says, "he's very pop song oriented." For the first season, Patric says he was influenced by the music of Bon Iver, and wrote a lot of original music. He and Fab would toss ideas around, and then Patric wove it together into a consistent sound.
For the second season, Fab wanted to use licensed material. Patric ended up creating a choral arrangement of the Loverboy's classic rock hit, Everybody's Working for the Weekend, along with a piece for solo piano for one of the 10 minute segments.
Patric is also well known as the composer behind all 76 episodes of the animated series Ed, Edd n Eddy, which ran from 1999 to 2007, and his credits on imdb.com go all the way back to 1994. He's worked on everything from comedy to horror to live theatre and performance.
The Order is his latest hit project for Netflix, which he reports is now filming for season 2. "As I went to ComiCon last week [...] everyone is very excited to see where it goes next."
There were shifts in tone - including the music - already, and after the cliffhanger ending to the debut season, the next one could see even more.
While some composers may write directly from the script, Patric views the footage first, before sitting down to write. "The show will tell you what it needs," he says. Beyond the story itself, there are other elements that come into play - the camera angles, lighting, anything that can affect the mood and tone of the scene. Every element matters. "Almost more than the story," he says.
Patric's collection of awards includes a Genie Award, two SOCAN Music Awards, several Leo Awards, a Gemini Award nomination for Best Musical Score, and a Canadian Screen Award nomination for Best Original Song.
At home in Los Angeles these days, he says he's a frequent patron of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, where he enjoys watching fellow audience members as well as the performance, with a definite preference for modern composers. "I'll go to Stravinsky, but I prefer contemporary music," he says. "I think audience goers are excited by new music."
Patric Caird - Modern Composer
You've probably heard the work of busy composer Patric Caird without realizing it. His recent high profile projects include the Netflix series The Order, which has just been renewed for a second season, and CBC's comedy series Save Me, working with Fab Filippo. While many composer bios begin with a list of the institutions they've studied at, Patric's begins with one premise: a love of music.
Patric Caird with fellow composer Jeremy Nathan Tisser from Impact24 PR's "Secrets from the Beyond" Panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2019 (Photo credit: Impact24 PR)"I'm Canadian," he says, "born in Vancouver, grew up in Toronto." He now makes his home in LA.Patric says he started by playing the saxophone in school, a hobby that quickly became an overriding passion. Aside from a Canada Council grant to study with a jazz group, he pretty much jumped straight from high school into a professional career. "I went to college for about three minutes," he laughs.
It wasn't the discipline he shied away from. "I was very dedicated to music," he says. Patric recalls practising "obsessively" for hours a day, including transcribing scores by the dozen. Through it, he developed his skills, and an ear for musical structure, texture, and tones that would become invaluable once he turned from performance to composition.
He describes composing for film and TV as a highly cooperative process. "In most cases, TV and film, even the dance and theatre - it's collaborative." Showrunners generally come to him with ideas already sketched out. "Very seldom do they come with a blank slate."
Having a range of genres and styles at your fingertips is another key component of writing music for film and TV. "On Save Me, with Fab," he says, "he's very pop song oriented." For the first season, Patric says he was influenced by the music of Bon Iver, and wrote a lot of original music. He and Fab would toss ideas around, and then Patric wove it together into a consistent sound.
For the second season, Fab wanted to use licensed material. Patric ended up creating a choral arrangement of the Loverboy's classic rock hit, Everybody's Working for the Weekend, along with a piece for solo piano for one of the 10 minute segments.
Patric is also well known as the composer behind all 76 episodes of the animated series Ed, Edd n Eddy, which ran from 1999 to 2007, and his credits on imdb.com go all the way back to 1994. He's worked on everything from comedy to horror to live theatre and performance.
The Order is his latest hit project for Netflix, which he reports is now filming for season 2. "As I went to ComiCon last week [...] everyone is very excited to see where it goes next."
There were shifts in tone - including the music - already, and after the cliffhanger ending to the debut season, the next one could see even more.
While some composers may write directly from the script, Patric views the footage first, before sitting down to write. "The show will tell you what it needs," he says. Beyond the story itself, there are other elements that come into play - the camera angles, lighting, anything that can affect the mood and tone of the scene. Every element matters. "Almost more than the story," he says.
Patric's collection of awards includes a Genie Award, two SOCAN Music Awards, several Leo Awards, a Gemini Award nomination for Best Musical Score, and a Canadian Screen Award nomination for Best Original Song.
At home in Los Angeles these days, he says he's a frequent patron of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, where he enjoys watching fellow audience members as well as the performance, with a definite preference for modern composers. "I'll go to Stravinsky, but I prefer contemporary music," he says. "I think audience goers are excited by new music."
19th Century Lithuanian Manor to Host Biggest Flower Festival of its Kind in Europe July 24 to October 2019
From a media release:
Shakespeare and flowers in a country manor...
19th Century Lithuanian Manor to Host Biggest Flower Festival of its Kind in Europe
July 24 to October 2019
• Ticket Information
July 24, Vilnius, Lithuania. The largest historical estate in Lithuania, Pakruojis Manor, is organizing the first-ever flower sculpture festival in the country, featuring half a million blossoming plants and lasting for 3 months
The largest restored historical estate in Lithuania, the 19th century Pakruojis Manor, is known for hosting many interactive historical events, where guests become participants of living history happening right in front of their eyes. This summer, the manor is inviting for the first-ever Flower Festival in the country.
The festival is called Midsummer Night’s Dream, and runs from the end of June to the beginning of October. The manor’s grounds are covered with flower carpets, various floral compositions, and sculptures made of half a million blossoming plants. The event includes engaging activities and intends to be the biggest flower sculpture festival in Europe.
“Our goal is to employ the festival’s scale and diverse activities to bring people together. We want to share the unique cultural and historical experience of Lithuanian manor life with visitors from Lithuania and all around the world,” says Giedrius Klimavicius, the owner of Pakruojis Manor.
Over the three past weekends, the Flower Festival has already attracted 30,000 visitors. By the beginning of October, organizers expect to reach up to 200,000 guests in total.
Walking around the well-kept lawns of the estate, visitors find sculptures ranging from two to six meters in height. Combined with modern blooming installations, the sculptures bring characters from various tales to life, creating a mysterious set.
The theme of the Flower Festival was inspired by William Shakespeare's romantic comedy Midsummer Night's Dream, and its focus on the wedding matches the romantic scenery of the 19th century manor.
On weekends, Flower Festival guests are welcome to join the performers from Šiauliai and Panevežys Drama Theaters and participate in live interpretations of scenes from Shakespeare's play.
“One of the reasons why we chose William Shakespeare is that the art movements of the past, including the Renaissance, influenced the 19th-century architecture of Lithuanian manors. This theme gives the festival a touch of literature, culture and history, and it’s the depth which we believe sets it apart from the other similar events,” explains Mr. Klimavicius.
All the artworks were designed by the sculptors Martynas Gauba and Donatas Mockus, florists Jolita Šimelioniene and Mindaugas Šimelionis, and 21 other nationally renowned artists.
The festival experience, however, does not end with the flower sculptures and theatrical performances happening all around the estate. Several restaurants offer authentic regional dishes decorated with edible flowers, such as beetroot salad, special potato pancake Bumbulu, and chicken cooked with beer. Furthermore, restored distillery of the manor brews beer and bitters made with local botanicals. Finally, guests can explore living history by joining an excursion, or visiting a perfume making workshop, honey bee farm, sewing atelier, and trying other traditional handicrafts, tailored to the wedding theme.
Pakruojis Manor
ABOUT THE PAKRUOJIS MANOR
The Pakruojis Manor is one of the 18 most attractive cultural tourism destinations in Europe, visited by over 300,000 people every year. With several 19th-century-style hotels, authentic restaurants serving regional cuisine, handicraft workshops and living history museums, the manor offers a vast spectrum of interactive activities and events in its historical environment of the 19th century.
Shakespeare and flowers in a country manor...
19th Century Lithuanian Manor to Host Biggest Flower Festival of its Kind in Europe
July 24 to October 2019
• Ticket Information
July 24, Vilnius, Lithuania. The largest historical estate in Lithuania, Pakruojis Manor, is organizing the first-ever flower sculpture festival in the country, featuring half a million blossoming plants and lasting for 3 months
The largest restored historical estate in Lithuania, the 19th century Pakruojis Manor, is known for hosting many interactive historical events, where guests become participants of living history happening right in front of their eyes. This summer, the manor is inviting for the first-ever Flower Festival in the country.
The festival is called Midsummer Night’s Dream, and runs from the end of June to the beginning of October. The manor’s grounds are covered with flower carpets, various floral compositions, and sculptures made of half a million blossoming plants. The event includes engaging activities and intends to be the biggest flower sculpture festival in Europe.
“Our goal is to employ the festival’s scale and diverse activities to bring people together. We want to share the unique cultural and historical experience of Lithuanian manor life with visitors from Lithuania and all around the world,” says Giedrius Klimavicius, the owner of Pakruojis Manor.
Over the three past weekends, the Flower Festival has already attracted 30,000 visitors. By the beginning of October, organizers expect to reach up to 200,000 guests in total.
Walking around the well-kept lawns of the estate, visitors find sculptures ranging from two to six meters in height. Combined with modern blooming installations, the sculptures bring characters from various tales to life, creating a mysterious set.
The theme of the Flower Festival was inspired by William Shakespeare's romantic comedy Midsummer Night's Dream, and its focus on the wedding matches the romantic scenery of the 19th century manor.
On weekends, Flower Festival guests are welcome to join the performers from Šiauliai and Panevežys Drama Theaters and participate in live interpretations of scenes from Shakespeare's play.
“One of the reasons why we chose William Shakespeare is that the art movements of the past, including the Renaissance, influenced the 19th-century architecture of Lithuanian manors. This theme gives the festival a touch of literature, culture and history, and it’s the depth which we believe sets it apart from the other similar events,” explains Mr. Klimavicius.
All the artworks were designed by the sculptors Martynas Gauba and Donatas Mockus, florists Jolita Šimelioniene and Mindaugas Šimelionis, and 21 other nationally renowned artists.
The festival experience, however, does not end with the flower sculptures and theatrical performances happening all around the estate. Several restaurants offer authentic regional dishes decorated with edible flowers, such as beetroot salad, special potato pancake Bumbulu, and chicken cooked with beer. Furthermore, restored distillery of the manor brews beer and bitters made with local botanicals. Finally, guests can explore living history by joining an excursion, or visiting a perfume making workshop, honey bee farm, sewing atelier, and trying other traditional handicrafts, tailored to the wedding theme.
Pakruojis Manor
ABOUT THE PAKRUOJIS MANOR
The Pakruojis Manor is one of the 18 most attractive cultural tourism destinations in Europe, visited by over 300,000 people every year. With several 19th-century-style hotels, authentic restaurants serving regional cuisine, handicraft workshops and living history museums, the manor offers a vast spectrum of interactive activities and events in its historical environment of the 19th century.
New Music: Jeffrey Brooks: The Passion (Innova Recordings/Cantaloupe Records - May 10 2019)
New Music:
Jeffrey Brooks: The Passion
(Innova Recordings/Cantaloupe Records - May 10, 2019)
A buoyant celebration of life despite suffering
Composers: Jeffrey Brooks
Performers: Bang on a Can All-Stars, Contemporaneous
• Buy the CD
Expressive and strongly rhythmic, the music of American composer Jeffrey Brooks is instantly appealing. He teams up with New York's Bang on a Can All-Stars and Contemporaneous in this joint Innova/Cantaloupe records project. He combines elements from the canons of classical music, progressive pop, avant garde dissonance, and even pure noise in vibrant and evocative works with a cinematic scope.
After the Treewatcher is based on Michael Gordon’s piece The Treewatcher - or rather, Brooks' memory of it, recreated and reimagined into a new piece. The hotel bell at the end is a tip of the hat to Gordon's original. It has a meditative rhythm reminiscent of Middle Eastern influences, with shifts in instrumentation that transform the emotion from urgent to ecstatic to trance-like.
Brooks wrote Capriccio on the Departure of a Beloved Brother (After BWV 992) in remembrance of the late British composer Steve Martland. The piece is bookended by the scratchy sound of a vinyl recording, guitar feedback, and drums. The rock influences were inspired by Martland's own passion for rock and dance music.
After the Treewatcher
The Passion is spiritual meditation on suffering of various kinds. It begins with a strong pulse of rhythm, adding layers of harmony and rhythmic complications. The middle section slows to a meditation, even hypnotic tempo and tone, with a spoken vocal part in English, French, and German, telling snippets of stories of loss and suffering by writer Jefferson Reid. It begins simply, rising to a crescendo of overlapping voices over a mournful harmonic progression and steady rhythm that speaks of endurance.
“There’s a quality of endurance and perseverance in something that I believe is a just enterprise, which is composing music,” Brooks says in a media release. “It’s a big responsibility, and I work really hard on my pieces. I don’t write them quickly, and there’s an element of persevering, a struggle, that comes through in the music. And I think that’s what you’re hearing as the positive feeling in The Passion. You can persevere in this, and that’s a worthwhile goal in itself.”
The piece ends on an up note of hope and love with a kind of neo-Baroque counterpoint of lovely vocals in harmony, accompanied by a complex web of rhythms and instruments from flute to what sounds like a tabla. The lyrics come from the writings of Claudia Lindberg, who wrote the notes to her children during the final stages of a terminal illness.
Use credit cards for your convenience, not for credit
You are lovedYou are wantedYou are special
Call home oftenCall home often
Brooks has known the members of Bang on a Can All-Stars - Michael Gordon, David Lang and Julia Wolfe - since his student days at Yale in the mid-1980s. While his emphasis on rhythm is noticeable, he says that he aims for a balance of musical components.
“I think there is music that you can really get your head around intellectually, and there’s music that, one way or another, you can get your head around emotionally. And then there’s music that you can just experience physically, with the subwoofers going through your body—like dance music. The music I try to write has all three—an intellectual component, an emotional component, and a physical component that talks to your body. To me, music that makes you want to move is a good thing. People shouldn’t be sitting down when they listen to this album. It’s an experience you really don’t want to be in the chair for.”
Jeffrey Brooks: The Passion
(Innova Recordings/Cantaloupe Records - May 10, 2019)
A buoyant celebration of life despite suffering
Composers: Jeffrey Brooks
Performers: Bang on a Can All-Stars, Contemporaneous
• Buy the CD
Expressive and strongly rhythmic, the music of American composer Jeffrey Brooks is instantly appealing. He teams up with New York's Bang on a Can All-Stars and Contemporaneous in this joint Innova/Cantaloupe records project. He combines elements from the canons of classical music, progressive pop, avant garde dissonance, and even pure noise in vibrant and evocative works with a cinematic scope.
After the Treewatcher is based on Michael Gordon’s piece The Treewatcher - or rather, Brooks' memory of it, recreated and reimagined into a new piece. The hotel bell at the end is a tip of the hat to Gordon's original. It has a meditative rhythm reminiscent of Middle Eastern influences, with shifts in instrumentation that transform the emotion from urgent to ecstatic to trance-like.
Brooks wrote Capriccio on the Departure of a Beloved Brother (After BWV 992) in remembrance of the late British composer Steve Martland. The piece is bookended by the scratchy sound of a vinyl recording, guitar feedback, and drums. The rock influences were inspired by Martland's own passion for rock and dance music.
After the Treewatcher
The Passion is spiritual meditation on suffering of various kinds. It begins with a strong pulse of rhythm, adding layers of harmony and rhythmic complications. The middle section slows to a meditation, even hypnotic tempo and tone, with a spoken vocal part in English, French, and German, telling snippets of stories of loss and suffering by writer Jefferson Reid. It begins simply, rising to a crescendo of overlapping voices over a mournful harmonic progression and steady rhythm that speaks of endurance.
“There’s a quality of endurance and perseverance in something that I believe is a just enterprise, which is composing music,” Brooks says in a media release. “It’s a big responsibility, and I work really hard on my pieces. I don’t write them quickly, and there’s an element of persevering, a struggle, that comes through in the music. And I think that’s what you’re hearing as the positive feeling in The Passion. You can persevere in this, and that’s a worthwhile goal in itself.”
The piece ends on an up note of hope and love with a kind of neo-Baroque counterpoint of lovely vocals in harmony, accompanied by a complex web of rhythms and instruments from flute to what sounds like a tabla. The lyrics come from the writings of Claudia Lindberg, who wrote the notes to her children during the final stages of a terminal illness.
Use credit cards for your convenience, not for credit
You are lovedYou are wantedYou are special
Call home oftenCall home often
Brooks has known the members of Bang on a Can All-Stars - Michael Gordon, David Lang and Julia Wolfe - since his student days at Yale in the mid-1980s. While his emphasis on rhythm is noticeable, he says that he aims for a balance of musical components.
“I think there is music that you can really get your head around intellectually, and there’s music that, one way or another, you can get your head around emotionally. And then there’s music that you can just experience physically, with the subwoofers going through your body—like dance music. The music I try to write has all three—an intellectual component, an emotional component, and a physical component that talks to your body. To me, music that makes you want to move is a good thing. People shouldn’t be sitting down when they listen to this album. It’s an experience you really don’t want to be in the chair for.”
Dusk Dances 25th Season - August 4 to 11 2019 in Toronto
From a media release:
DUSK DANCES’ 25TH SEASON!
HOSTED BY OUR BELOVED MADAME BEAUCOUP
FREE SQUARE DANCE WORKSHOPS WITH PROFESSIONAL CALLER HANNAH SHIRA-NAIMAN, ACCOMPANIED BY LIVE MUSIC
AUGUST 4 - 11, 2019 AT WITHROW PARK
PREVIEW ON AUGUST 4th / OPENING NIGHT ON AUGUST 5th
TORONTO – Dusk Dances proudly presents its 25th annual season, returning to Withrow Park this summer with another week of exquisite dance works from Canada’s finest dance makers! Dusk Dances is a renowned and beloved outdoor dance festival presented at Withrow Park each August. Dusk Dances 2019 features some of Canada’s top choreographers and dancers, including Hanna Kiel, Meredith Thompson, Mix Mix Dance Collective, Denise Fujiwara and Yuichiro Inouo, Pulga Muchochoma & Naishi Wang, in a diverse program of dance.
For the 25th anniversary, Dusk Dances will be hosted by the sensational Madame Beaucoup (aka Lisa Anne Ross) who hosted the event from 2006 to 2009. Madame Beaucoup will lead the audience to various sites throughout the park. The evening will begin with FREE square dance workshops with professional caller Hannah Shira-Naiman, accompanied by live music.
A BIT MORE ON THE PIECES PRESENTEDIN THE DUSK DANCES 2019 PROGRAM:
FALL (A festival commission and a world premiere)
CHOREOGRAPHY BY HANNA KIEL
Performance: Michael Baboolal, Sierra Chin Sawdy, Mairi Greig, Gavin Law and Brendan Wyatt
Why do we feel how we feel? Love makes us act in certain ways. Fall explores the emotional roller coaster of falling in love! A Dusk Dances commission and a world premiere.
2018 Dora winner HANNA KIEL is from Seoul, South Korea, and moved to Vancouver in 1996. She has presented her work at 12 Minutes Max, Plan B Singles and solos Festival, Dancing on the Edge Festival and Pulse at the Scotiabank Dance Centre in Vancouver. In 2012 she won Northwest Dance Project’s ‘Pretty Creatives’ international choreographic competition. She was an E-choreographer in 2015 for Springboard Danse Montréal and one of the choreographers at Osez 2018 in Québec City. Hanna is the artistic director of Human Body Expression and one of the founders of “The Garage” dance development and exchange collective group.
IMPRINT (A festival commission and a world premiere)
CHOREOGRAPHY BY MEREDITH THOMPSON
Performance: Michael Baboolal, Sierra Chin Sawdy, Gavin Law and Brendan Wyatt, with a large community cast
To imprint is to impress or stamp - to leave our mark. We carry with us these marks and stamps and those of many others whom have crossed our path. Imprint explores these impressions - and our interdependence on one another. At any given moment, we exist and live suspended by ten thousand threads of connection and interdependence. With a large cast of performers ranging in age from 8 to 80, this group work is a physical tracing, collision, and reflection of these threads and marks, at many of life's stages. A Dusk Dances commission and a world premiere.
MEREDITH THOMPSON is a Toronto-based dance artist, dance maker and arts educator originally from Huntsville, Ontario. She has performed throughout Canada and beyond with BoucharDanse, Dancetheatre David Earle, the Danny Grossman Dance Company, Mairéad Filgate, Tina Fushell, Kaha:wi Dance Theatre, Barbara Lindenberg, and Yvonne Ng, among others. Meredith is a graduate of York University’s Department of Fine Arts and Faculty of Education.
SPACE WITHIN US (A festival commission and a world premiere)
CHOREOGRAPHY BY YUICHIRO INOUE, PULGA MUCHOCHOMA AND NAISHI WANG
Performance: Yuichiro Inoue, Pulga Muchochoma and Naishi Wang
Do our individual perspectives change if we are in a space together? Connections come and go as we discover the truth within our body and mind through various paths. The goals of the movement that connects us, where our decisions influence one another, are based on three basic changes: rhythm changes, movement changes, and life changes. As we make movement choices, we also accept that those choices change on a daily basis. However, we cannot change the truth that lives in our body. Being free to share our experiences is what makes us who we are. A Dusk Dances commission and a world premiere.
YUICHIRO INOUE has danced with the Toronto Dance Theatre for the last thirteen years. As a choreographer, his works have included commissions for an award-winning short film, festivals and international competitions.
PULGA MUCHOCHOMA was born in Quelimane, Mozambique. His dance career and training began in Quelimane with Montes Namuli Dance Company. In 2006 he came to Toronto with the company for the International AIDS Conference. With Montes Namuli / Shakespeare Link Canada, he performed in several shows in Toronto and Mozambique. Muchochoma then stayed in Toronto to study at The School of Toronto Dance Theatre, and since 2009, Pulga has been working with Toronto Dance Theatre under Artistic Director Christopher House.
Born in Changchun, China, NAISHI WANG began his dance training at Jilin College of Art and Beijing Dance Academy. In 2004, Naishi joined Toronto Dance Theater for 9 years. In 2019, Naishi is creating a new work on Toronto/Halifax based company Nostos Collective.
FOLLOW ME
MIX MIX DANCE COLLECTIVE
CHOREOGRAPHY ARRANGED BY EMILY LAW & ASHLEY PEREZ WITH INPUT FROM THE PERFORMERS
Performance: Kristine Flores, Caroline Fraser, Emily Law, Ashley Perez and Sarah Tumaliuan
Follow Me was created for the 2017 Jeux de la Francophonie in Abidjan, where Mix Mix Dance Collective was selected to be part of Team Canada as part of the cultural component! Their motivation for competing in the games was to celebrate the excellence in artistry, athleticism, and expression Canada has to offer. The work has been performed at Guelph Dance Festival, Fall For Dance North, and Winterlude. A Dusk Dances premiere.
EMILY LAW is a contemporary dancer, street dancer, and emerging choreographer. She graduated from The School of Toronto Dance Theatre and The Etobicoke School of the Arts. She has trained and competed in house dancing and waacking. Emily is a founding member of Mix Mix Dance Collective, the Toronto house dance crew Warehouse Jacks and Parks N’ Wreck.
ASHLEY PEREZ "Colours" is a dancer, choreographer and entrepreneur making waves in the Canadian dance scene. Ashley is the Co-artistic director or Mix Mix Dance Collective with whom she has co-created two full length works and recently represented Canada at 2017, Jeux de la Francophonie in Abidjan.
MOVING PARTS
FUJIWARA DANCE INVENTIONS
CHOREOGRAPHY BY DENISE FUJIWARA
Performance: Sylvie Bouchard, Rebecca Hope Terry, Jen Hum, Jillian Peever, Lucy Rupert, Miko Sobreira, Brodie Stevenson and Gerry Trentham
Music direction and song arrangements: Phil Strong & Laurel MacDonald
Choir leader: Cathy Nosaty
We find the world in difficult times, where people are becoming increasingly polarized, taking sides with rancour and falling for simplistic solutions. We are curious about how to embrace complexity with skill and grace, and how to stay open, kind and uplifted in the midst of turbulent times. With Moving Parts, we are investigating these questions with a moving choir and singing dancers. A Dusk Dances premiere.
DENISE FUJIWARA began a series of careers starting in childhood as a gymnast. She became a Canadian Champion in Rhythmic Gymnastics and competed internationally for Canada. Upon completing an Honours B.F.A. in Dance at York University, she co-founded T.I.D.E. (Toronto Independent Dance Enterprise), a now-defunct but still notorious company that danced across Canada for 10 years.
DUSK DANCES 2019
Withrow Park, Toronto
South of Danforth between Logan and Carlaw (Chester Subway Station)
Nightly Performances: August 4-11, 2019Preview on August 4 / Opening night on August 5Free square dance workshops start at 7:00pm & dance performances start at 7:30pm+ Matinée Performance: August 11, 2019 at 2:00pmFree square dance workshops start at 2:00pm & dance performances start at 2:30pm$15 per person suggested / Pay-What-You-Can More info: http://duskdances.ca or call 647.671.0075
From 2017:
DUSK DANCES’ 25TH SEASON!
HOSTED BY OUR BELOVED MADAME BEAUCOUP
FREE SQUARE DANCE WORKSHOPS WITH PROFESSIONAL CALLER HANNAH SHIRA-NAIMAN, ACCOMPANIED BY LIVE MUSIC
AUGUST 4 - 11, 2019 AT WITHROW PARK
PREVIEW ON AUGUST 4th / OPENING NIGHT ON AUGUST 5th
TORONTO – Dusk Dances proudly presents its 25th annual season, returning to Withrow Park this summer with another week of exquisite dance works from Canada’s finest dance makers! Dusk Dances is a renowned and beloved outdoor dance festival presented at Withrow Park each August. Dusk Dances 2019 features some of Canada’s top choreographers and dancers, including Hanna Kiel, Meredith Thompson, Mix Mix Dance Collective, Denise Fujiwara and Yuichiro Inouo, Pulga Muchochoma & Naishi Wang, in a diverse program of dance.
For the 25th anniversary, Dusk Dances will be hosted by the sensational Madame Beaucoup (aka Lisa Anne Ross) who hosted the event from 2006 to 2009. Madame Beaucoup will lead the audience to various sites throughout the park. The evening will begin with FREE square dance workshops with professional caller Hannah Shira-Naiman, accompanied by live music.
A BIT MORE ON THE PIECES PRESENTEDIN THE DUSK DANCES 2019 PROGRAM:
FALL (A festival commission and a world premiere)
CHOREOGRAPHY BY HANNA KIEL
Performance: Michael Baboolal, Sierra Chin Sawdy, Mairi Greig, Gavin Law and Brendan Wyatt
Why do we feel how we feel? Love makes us act in certain ways. Fall explores the emotional roller coaster of falling in love! A Dusk Dances commission and a world premiere.
2018 Dora winner HANNA KIEL is from Seoul, South Korea, and moved to Vancouver in 1996. She has presented her work at 12 Minutes Max, Plan B Singles and solos Festival, Dancing on the Edge Festival and Pulse at the Scotiabank Dance Centre in Vancouver. In 2012 she won Northwest Dance Project’s ‘Pretty Creatives’ international choreographic competition. She was an E-choreographer in 2015 for Springboard Danse Montréal and one of the choreographers at Osez 2018 in Québec City. Hanna is the artistic director of Human Body Expression and one of the founders of “The Garage” dance development and exchange collective group.
IMPRINT (A festival commission and a world premiere)
CHOREOGRAPHY BY MEREDITH THOMPSON
Performance: Michael Baboolal, Sierra Chin Sawdy, Gavin Law and Brendan Wyatt, with a large community cast
To imprint is to impress or stamp - to leave our mark. We carry with us these marks and stamps and those of many others whom have crossed our path. Imprint explores these impressions - and our interdependence on one another. At any given moment, we exist and live suspended by ten thousand threads of connection and interdependence. With a large cast of performers ranging in age from 8 to 80, this group work is a physical tracing, collision, and reflection of these threads and marks, at many of life's stages. A Dusk Dances commission and a world premiere.
MEREDITH THOMPSON is a Toronto-based dance artist, dance maker and arts educator originally from Huntsville, Ontario. She has performed throughout Canada and beyond with BoucharDanse, Dancetheatre David Earle, the Danny Grossman Dance Company, Mairéad Filgate, Tina Fushell, Kaha:wi Dance Theatre, Barbara Lindenberg, and Yvonne Ng, among others. Meredith is a graduate of York University’s Department of Fine Arts and Faculty of Education.
SPACE WITHIN US (A festival commission and a world premiere)
CHOREOGRAPHY BY YUICHIRO INOUE, PULGA MUCHOCHOMA AND NAISHI WANG
Performance: Yuichiro Inoue, Pulga Muchochoma and Naishi Wang
Do our individual perspectives change if we are in a space together? Connections come and go as we discover the truth within our body and mind through various paths. The goals of the movement that connects us, where our decisions influence one another, are based on three basic changes: rhythm changes, movement changes, and life changes. As we make movement choices, we also accept that those choices change on a daily basis. However, we cannot change the truth that lives in our body. Being free to share our experiences is what makes us who we are. A Dusk Dances commission and a world premiere.
YUICHIRO INOUE has danced with the Toronto Dance Theatre for the last thirteen years. As a choreographer, his works have included commissions for an award-winning short film, festivals and international competitions.
PULGA MUCHOCHOMA was born in Quelimane, Mozambique. His dance career and training began in Quelimane with Montes Namuli Dance Company. In 2006 he came to Toronto with the company for the International AIDS Conference. With Montes Namuli / Shakespeare Link Canada, he performed in several shows in Toronto and Mozambique. Muchochoma then stayed in Toronto to study at The School of Toronto Dance Theatre, and since 2009, Pulga has been working with Toronto Dance Theatre under Artistic Director Christopher House.
Born in Changchun, China, NAISHI WANG began his dance training at Jilin College of Art and Beijing Dance Academy. In 2004, Naishi joined Toronto Dance Theater for 9 years. In 2019, Naishi is creating a new work on Toronto/Halifax based company Nostos Collective.
FOLLOW ME
MIX MIX DANCE COLLECTIVE
CHOREOGRAPHY ARRANGED BY EMILY LAW & ASHLEY PEREZ WITH INPUT FROM THE PERFORMERS
Performance: Kristine Flores, Caroline Fraser, Emily Law, Ashley Perez and Sarah Tumaliuan
Follow Me was created for the 2017 Jeux de la Francophonie in Abidjan, where Mix Mix Dance Collective was selected to be part of Team Canada as part of the cultural component! Their motivation for competing in the games was to celebrate the excellence in artistry, athleticism, and expression Canada has to offer. The work has been performed at Guelph Dance Festival, Fall For Dance North, and Winterlude. A Dusk Dances premiere.
EMILY LAW is a contemporary dancer, street dancer, and emerging choreographer. She graduated from The School of Toronto Dance Theatre and The Etobicoke School of the Arts. She has trained and competed in house dancing and waacking. Emily is a founding member of Mix Mix Dance Collective, the Toronto house dance crew Warehouse Jacks and Parks N’ Wreck.
ASHLEY PEREZ "Colours" is a dancer, choreographer and entrepreneur making waves in the Canadian dance scene. Ashley is the Co-artistic director or Mix Mix Dance Collective with whom she has co-created two full length works and recently represented Canada at 2017, Jeux de la Francophonie in Abidjan.
MOVING PARTS
FUJIWARA DANCE INVENTIONS
CHOREOGRAPHY BY DENISE FUJIWARA
Performance: Sylvie Bouchard, Rebecca Hope Terry, Jen Hum, Jillian Peever, Lucy Rupert, Miko Sobreira, Brodie Stevenson and Gerry Trentham
Music direction and song arrangements: Phil Strong & Laurel MacDonald
Choir leader: Cathy Nosaty
We find the world in difficult times, where people are becoming increasingly polarized, taking sides with rancour and falling for simplistic solutions. We are curious about how to embrace complexity with skill and grace, and how to stay open, kind and uplifted in the midst of turbulent times. With Moving Parts, we are investigating these questions with a moving choir and singing dancers. A Dusk Dances premiere.
DENISE FUJIWARA began a series of careers starting in childhood as a gymnast. She became a Canadian Champion in Rhythmic Gymnastics and competed internationally for Canada. Upon completing an Honours B.F.A. in Dance at York University, she co-founded T.I.D.E. (Toronto Independent Dance Enterprise), a now-defunct but still notorious company that danced across Canada for 10 years.
DUSK DANCES 2019
Withrow Park, Toronto
South of Danforth between Logan and Carlaw (Chester Subway Station)
Nightly Performances: August 4-11, 2019Preview on August 4 / Opening night on August 5Free square dance workshops start at 7:00pm & dance performances start at 7:30pm+ Matinée Performance: August 11, 2019 at 2:00pmFree square dance workshops start at 2:00pm & dance performances start at 2:30pm$15 per person suggested / Pay-What-You-Can More info: http://duskdances.ca or call 647.671.0075
From 2017:
New Classical: University of St. Thomas (UST) Symphonic Wind Ensemble - The Other Side (Innova Recordings - March 8, 2019)
New Classical:
University of St. Thomas (UST) Symphonic Wind Ensemble: The Other Side
(Innova Recordings - March 8, 2019)
• Buy/Download the CD
This impressive release from conductor Matthew George and the Minnesota-based University of St. Thomas [UST] Symphonic Wind Ensemble showcases the glorious possibilities of the symphonic concert band, an often neglected and even maligned ensemble. Tight, brilliant playing by the ensemble and soloists make the most of the palette of instrumental colours and dramatic possibilities.
B-Side Concerto was commissioned by George and the ensemble. By Spanish composer Luis Serrano Alarcón, the first track, incorporates all the drama and instrumental colour that you could ever expect from a concert band. Take elements of classical music, add grand themes along the lines of movie music, then a slide into a jazzy electric guitar solos and the fat sound of a Hammond B3 organ...The combination of concert band and rock/jazz fusion ensemble somehow create a seamless flow of music that explores the emotional ranges of both.
Nigel Clarke was inspired by the artwork of René Magritte, when he wrote his Mysteries of the Horizon, naming the four movements are named after some of his paintings - The Menaced Assassin, The Dominion of Light, The Flavour of Tears, The Discovery of Fire. The recording features Belgian cornet soloist Harmen Vanhoorne, for whom Clarke wrote the piece. Harmen dazzles as he leads the ensemble through a piece that ranges from strident to mystical and trance-like in mood, with a gorgeous tone.
University of St. Thomas Symphonic Wind Ensemble (image by Mark Brown)Everything Starts from a Dot, by British composer Kit Turnbull was also inspired by visual art, in this case the work of Wassily Kandinsky. The piece captures a bouyant brightness of tone and playfulness in the spirit of the Russian painter.
Serrano Alarcón’s Second Symphony for Wind Orchestra, another commissioned piece, pays tribute to the great Russian Romantic composers. Made up of four movements, the Symphony evokes the majestic scale of composers like Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff with a sweeping kind of narrative.
With a count of over 90 commissioned works for band, Matthew George and the University of St. Thomas Symphonic Wind Ensemble are filling a void in the musical world with intriguing works and splendid performances.
University of St. Thomas (UST) Symphonic Wind Ensemble: The Other Side
(Innova Recordings - March 8, 2019)
• Buy/Download the CD
This impressive release from conductor Matthew George and the Minnesota-based University of St. Thomas [UST] Symphonic Wind Ensemble showcases the glorious possibilities of the symphonic concert band, an often neglected and even maligned ensemble. Tight, brilliant playing by the ensemble and soloists make the most of the palette of instrumental colours and dramatic possibilities.
B-Side Concerto was commissioned by George and the ensemble. By Spanish composer Luis Serrano Alarcón, the first track, incorporates all the drama and instrumental colour that you could ever expect from a concert band. Take elements of classical music, add grand themes along the lines of movie music, then a slide into a jazzy electric guitar solos and the fat sound of a Hammond B3 organ...The combination of concert band and rock/jazz fusion ensemble somehow create a seamless flow of music that explores the emotional ranges of both.
Nigel Clarke was inspired by the artwork of René Magritte, when he wrote his Mysteries of the Horizon, naming the four movements are named after some of his paintings - The Menaced Assassin, The Dominion of Light, The Flavour of Tears, The Discovery of Fire. The recording features Belgian cornet soloist Harmen Vanhoorne, for whom Clarke wrote the piece. Harmen dazzles as he leads the ensemble through a piece that ranges from strident to mystical and trance-like in mood, with a gorgeous tone.
University of St. Thomas Symphonic Wind Ensemble (image by Mark Brown)Everything Starts from a Dot, by British composer Kit Turnbull was also inspired by visual art, in this case the work of Wassily Kandinsky. The piece captures a bouyant brightness of tone and playfulness in the spirit of the Russian painter.Serrano Alarcón’s Second Symphony for Wind Orchestra, another commissioned piece, pays tribute to the great Russian Romantic composers. Made up of four movements, the Symphony evokes the majestic scale of composers like Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff with a sweeping kind of narrative.
With a count of over 90 commissioned works for band, Matthew George and the University of St. Thomas Symphonic Wind Ensemble are filling a void in the musical world with intriguing works and splendid performances.
July 24, 2019
NYC Restaurant Week® July 22 – August 16 2019
From a media release:
NYC Restaurant Week®
July 22 – August 16 2019
2-course lunch $26 | 3-course dinner
• Check out all the participating restaurants & make a reservation
Eat your way through New York City with great deals through August 16 during NYC Restaurant Week. NYC Restaurant Week is the highly anticipated—and often imitated—twice-yearly celebration of dining throughout New York City. With prix-fixe meals at over 370 of the City’s finest restaurants (two-course lunch, $26; three-course dinner, $42), the program invites diners to sample the incredible array of eateries that make up NYC’s culinary culture.
NYC Restaurant Week Summer 2019 runs from July 22 through August 16. To book your table, visit the official NYC Restaurant Week page, the only place to find a comprehensive list of NYC Restaurant Week menus. Browse by neighborhood, cuisine, meal (lunch or dinner), or search for your favorite restaurant. Make your reservation today!
Tips for NYC Restaurant Week
Here’s the inside scoop on the best ways to enjoy the program’s gourmet goodness:
1. Score a top table
Having trouble getting a table at one of the City’s popular restaurants? Try booking for lunch: many sought-after eateries participate in the program only for the midday meal. Alternatively, make a reservation for Sunday night, when there’s usually more availability—and when many restaurants still serve their NYC Restaurant Week menus. (Check in advance.)
2. Check your calendar
Come back for seconds (and thirds and fourths and…you get the idea). Many diners reserve tables only during the first five days of the program, but NYC Restaurant Week actually runs for four weeks—leaving many opportunities to recover from your food coma and book again.
3. Know before you go
See what’s on offer in advance at nycgo.com/restaurantweek—the only website to feature a comprehensive list of NYC Restaurant Week menus. That way you can find out if your favorite dishes are available—or whet your appetite for something new.
4. Explore new cuisines
Speaking of trying something new, every NYC Restaurant Week is a chance to expand your palate with a novel cuisine. The participating restaurants serve up excellent dishes from around the globe—a delicious way to experience the City’s famous diversity.
5. Drink it all in
Thirsty? Some restaurants pair beverages—wine, specialty cocktails and the like—with their meals, typically for around $15–$25 extra. It’s one more way to make an evening memorable (or afternoon, sure; who are we to judge?).
6. Let Instagram be your guide
Check #nycrestaurantweek on Instagram to see what dishes and restaurants are trending. Pro tip: Search the geotags of participating restaurants to see what looks delicious before you book. When you dine, post your own photos and tag them with #nycrestaurantweek!
A Taste of History
NYC Restaurant Week is the City’s original culinary celebration—and the world’s first-ever Restaurant Week. The program debuted in 1992, when it was developed as a one-time culinary event to welcome the Democratic National Convention (DNC) to the City. Though it was created to appeal to delegates and other DNC attendees, the program—with 95 participating restaurants—also found a strong following among residents excited to dine at some of the City's top restaurants.
Over the past 26 years, NYC Restaurant Week has grown tremendously, yet has remained committed to giving visitors and residents the opportunity to experience the quality, variety and hospitality that embody the NYC dining experience.
Make your reservations today!
NYC Restaurant Week®
July 22 – August 16 2019
2-course lunch $26 | 3-course dinner
• Check out all the participating restaurants & make a reservation
Eat your way through New York City with great deals through August 16 during NYC Restaurant Week. NYC Restaurant Week is the highly anticipated—and often imitated—twice-yearly celebration of dining throughout New York City. With prix-fixe meals at over 370 of the City’s finest restaurants (two-course lunch, $26; three-course dinner, $42), the program invites diners to sample the incredible array of eateries that make up NYC’s culinary culture.
NYC Restaurant Week Summer 2019 runs from July 22 through August 16. To book your table, visit the official NYC Restaurant Week page, the only place to find a comprehensive list of NYC Restaurant Week menus. Browse by neighborhood, cuisine, meal (lunch or dinner), or search for your favorite restaurant. Make your reservation today!
Tips for NYC Restaurant Week
Here’s the inside scoop on the best ways to enjoy the program’s gourmet goodness:
1. Score a top table
Having trouble getting a table at one of the City’s popular restaurants? Try booking for lunch: many sought-after eateries participate in the program only for the midday meal. Alternatively, make a reservation for Sunday night, when there’s usually more availability—and when many restaurants still serve their NYC Restaurant Week menus. (Check in advance.)
2. Check your calendar
Come back for seconds (and thirds and fourths and…you get the idea). Many diners reserve tables only during the first five days of the program, but NYC Restaurant Week actually runs for four weeks—leaving many opportunities to recover from your food coma and book again.
3. Know before you go
See what’s on offer in advance at nycgo.com/restaurantweek—the only website to feature a comprehensive list of NYC Restaurant Week menus. That way you can find out if your favorite dishes are available—or whet your appetite for something new.
4. Explore new cuisines
Speaking of trying something new, every NYC Restaurant Week is a chance to expand your palate with a novel cuisine. The participating restaurants serve up excellent dishes from around the globe—a delicious way to experience the City’s famous diversity.
5. Drink it all in
Thirsty? Some restaurants pair beverages—wine, specialty cocktails and the like—with their meals, typically for around $15–$25 extra. It’s one more way to make an evening memorable (or afternoon, sure; who are we to judge?).
6. Let Instagram be your guide
Check #nycrestaurantweek on Instagram to see what dishes and restaurants are trending. Pro tip: Search the geotags of participating restaurants to see what looks delicious before you book. When you dine, post your own photos and tag them with #nycrestaurantweek!
A Taste of History
NYC Restaurant Week is the City’s original culinary celebration—and the world’s first-ever Restaurant Week. The program debuted in 1992, when it was developed as a one-time culinary event to welcome the Democratic National Convention (DNC) to the City. Though it was created to appeal to delegates and other DNC attendees, the program—with 95 participating restaurants—also found a strong following among residents excited to dine at some of the City's top restaurants.
Over the past 26 years, NYC Restaurant Week has grown tremendously, yet has remained committed to giving visitors and residents the opportunity to experience the quality, variety and hospitality that embody the NYC dining experience.
Make your reservations today!
July 5, 2019
Fall for Dance North 2019 Celebrates Fifth Anniversary October 2–6, 2019 in Toronto
Fall for Dance North 2019 Celebrates Fifth Anniversary
with Electrifying Range of Leading and Emerging Artist
October 2–6, 2019
An interview with FFDN Artistic Director Ilter Ibrahimof
• Tickets/Find Out More
"FFDN programming is a tricky business," says festival Artistic Director Ilter Ibrahimof.
Fall For Dance North is a premier international dance festival, celebrating its fifth season this October. Performances will take place at co-presenter TO Live’s MERIDIAN HALL (formerly the Sony Centre), Ryerson Theatre in partnership with the Ryerson School of Performance, and Union Station in three different series.
The New Zealand Dance Company – Sigan by KIM Jae Duk. Photo by John McDermottThe Festival's lineup is diverse, with 12 works from 11 different companies across the globe, with a focus on international Indigenous artists at Ryerson Theatre.
Putting together such a diverse lineup is a challenge. "We work with their own arts councils as well as with our own." He intentionally selects companies from a wide range of locations around the world, while juggling international touring schedules, and budgets. With the 5th anniversary season, he wanted an emphasis on new material - hence the slew of new works and premieres.
"Of course, there's that artistic journey we want to take audiences on,"Ibrahimof adds. Last year, he mentions that the program presented at Ryerson was female-centric. This year, the focus is on global Indigenous artists.
"We've been building up to this moment. We just wanted it to be a special season."
Along with marking a significant milestone for the international dance festival, FFDN is about raising the profile of dance in the city overall, and in Canada in general.
"It's the right time for this dance model in Canada, in Toronto," Ibrahimof says, pointing out that many international dance companies hit Montreal and then NYC, skipping Toronto entirely. He's hoping to change that. "I think the time is right."
In addition to the performances, he's excited about the International Presenters Program, where he invites international presenters to come see Toronto artists in a showcase format. "We already have 20 presenters signed up," he says. Ibrahimof notes that Toronto artists have benefited from this programme over the last three years. "It's already designed to raise the profile of the dance community in Toronto - and Canada."
There is no shortage of dance talent in Toronto, and it's only right that the city should take its place among the dance centres of the world. But, as Ibrahimof notes, it will take a community effort to get the Toronto dance scene a bigger place in the culture mix. There is reason for optimism, and he's excited, in particular, about the upcoming season of dance in Toronto.
"I feel like 2020 will be a dance season like no other."
• Fall for Dance North offers all festival tickets for only $15.
• Find tickets & the full lineup at the link.
Grupo Corpo – Dança Sinfônica by Rodrigo Pederneiras. Photo by Jose Luiz Pederneiras.Fall for Dance North 2019 Festival:
AT MERIDIAN HALL (FORMERLY THE SONY CENTRE)
A signature mix of exceptional dance from Canada and around the world
PROGRAM 1
October 2 at 7:30pm (official festival opening) + October 3 at 7:30pm
Toronto Dance Theatre (Toronto): GH 5.0 by Hanna Kiel
featuring live music by Greg Harrison
Independent choreographer Hanna Kiel created GH 5.0 with Toronto Dance Theatre (TDT) at the invitation of Artistic Director Christopher House.
The New Zealand Dance Company (New Zealand): Sigan by KIM Jae Duk
North American debut I North American premiere
Exploring qualities of meditation and attack, Sigan evokes the traditional Korean martial art of taekkyeon in its movement vocabulary, which integrates the whole body in a quicksilver style.
Skånes Dansteater (Sweden): Dare to Wreck by Madeleine Månsson and Peder Nilsson
North American premiere
In this highly nuanced duet, choreographed and performed by Madeleine Månsson and Peder Nilsson of Sweden’s Skånes Dansteater, the artists access a range of expression through both subtle and intense physicality.
Grupo Corpo (Brazil): Dança Sinfônica by Rodrigo Pederneiras
Canadian premiere
In an act of turning back that is reflected in the movement motifs themselves, Grupo Corpo’s choreographer Rodrigo Pederneiras wove Dança Sinfônica from elements of previous works he created over the Brazilian company’s history, to celebrate its 40th anniversary in 2015.
PROGRAM 2
October 4 at 7:30pm + October 5 at 2pm
Shantala Shivalingappa (India/France): Shiva Tarangam by Shantala Shivalingappa
featuring live music
Canadian premiere
Madras-born and Paris-based, acclaimed dancer Shantala Shivalingappa has trained in kuchipudi from a young age, with her mother, Savitry Nair, and then with Master Vempati Chinna Satyam.
Conversation by Caroline ‘Lady C’ Fraser (Toronto) – FFDN COMMISSION
featuring live music by re.verse
World premiere
Caroline ‘Lady C’ Fraser is widely known on the global street dance scene for her versatility. Live music, by the Toronto-based group re.verse, layers six-string electric base, electric guitar, keys and drums with blended beats, grooves and vocal tracks in an integrated set that builds and shifts with the dancers.
The National Ballet of Canada – The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude by William Forsythe. Photo by Karolina KurasThe National Ballet of Canada (Toronto): The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude by William Forsythe
featuring live music by The National Ballet of Canada Orchestra
In this signature work from 1996, William Forsythe takes the vocabulary of classical ballet — its verticality, balance and symmetry — and places it under immense pressure, generating high-speed twisting and torqueing along oblique angles and skewed lines.
FIDDLE EMBRACE by Anne Plamondon (Montreal) – FFDN COMMISSION
with dancers from the Ryerson School of Performance (Toronto)
featuring live music
Anne Plamondon’s process is driven by a quest for meaning, for revelation of her own truth and that of others. With FIDDLE EMBRACE, eighteen dancers from Toronto’s Ryerson School of Performance fully commit to embodying Plamondon’s movement world with resonance and sensitivity. The festival premiere of FIDDLE EMBRACE concludes Plamondon’s two-year residency with FFDN, in partnership with Ryerson School of Performance.
AT RYERSON THEATRE
An international selection of current Indigenous dance expressions
PROGRAM 3
October 4 at 7:30pm + October 5 at 7:30pm + October 6 at 2pm
The New Zealand Dance Company (New Zealand): In Transit by Louise Potiki Bryant
North American debut I North American premiere
In this work, Maori choreographer, dancer and video artist Louise Potiki Bryant evokes a textured weave of earth and beings, of time now and time eternal.
Mani.Deux by Northfoot Movement / Cody Berry (Toronto) – FFDN COMMISSION
featuring live music
World premiere
In honour of two-spirited people, Mani.Deux offers an abstract acknowledgment of the history and revived acceptance of this ultimately non-translatable, non-binary Indigenous identity.
Jasmin Sheppard (Australia): Choice Cut by Jasmin Sheppard
North American debut / North American premiere
Jasmin Sheppard is a contemporary dancer and choreographer, a Tagalak and Kurtjar Aboriginal woman with Irish, Chinese and Hungarian ancestry. Choice Cut explores parallels between her experience as a First Nations woman and the colonization of the land known as Australia.
Bulareyaung Dance Company (Taiwan): LUNA by Bulareyaung Pagarlava
featuring live a cappella
North American premiere
Bulareyaung Dance Company embraces Indigenous practices of the Taiwanese tribes, under the leadership of choreographer Bulareyaung Pagarlava.
FREE Programming at Union Station
Unexpected dance encounters beyond the theatre
September 23–October 5
Open Studio – September 23–25
Our signature ‘dance studio without walls’, returns to Union Station’s West Wing from September 23-25, for three (3) full days of rehearsals and classes from select artists and companies from our Mainstage programs. Catch a behind-the-scenes peek at the creative working processes of our festival artists within the uniquely beautiful context of Canada’s busiest transit hub.
THE BIG SOCIAL – October 5
A full day of social dance awaits… THE BIG SOCIAL offers an opportunity for the general public to dive into the movement of three distinct social dance styles, all with live music. Featuring swing, tango, and Haudenosaunee (Indigenous) social dances, THE BIG SOCIAL is a moment to learn some new moves in a beginner’s workshop and celebrate dancing together in a social setting, in the stunningly renovated West Wing at Union Station.
THE BIG SOCIAL is hosted in partnership with Kaha:wi Dance Theatre, Lindy Hop Revolution, and Bulent & Lina Tango.
In addition to its ticketed performances and free programming at Union Station, FFDN features an extensive variety of ancillary events and programming that seek to enrich audience appreciation for the form and offer dance practitioners opportunities to enhance their craft and career. Activities in 2019 will include:
• Complimentary master classes and workshops for dance artists and non-dancers.
• The return of its popular artist talks, both at MERIDIAN HALL (formerly the Sony Centre) and Ryerson Theatre.
• New for 2019, the Harbourfront Centre will act as the main hub of the International Presenters Program.
Fall for Dance North 2019
October 2–6, 2019
Venues: MERIDIAN HALL (formerly the Sony Centre)
1 Front St. East, Toronto, ON
Ryerson Theatre 43 Gerrard St. East, Toronto, ON
Union Station 65 Front St. West, Toronto, ON
Ticket Prices: $15
Tickets and Info: ffdnorth.com
with Electrifying Range of Leading and Emerging Artist
October 2–6, 2019
An interview with FFDN Artistic Director Ilter Ibrahimof
• Tickets/Find Out More
"FFDN programming is a tricky business," says festival Artistic Director Ilter Ibrahimof.
Fall For Dance North is a premier international dance festival, celebrating its fifth season this October. Performances will take place at co-presenter TO Live’s MERIDIAN HALL (formerly the Sony Centre), Ryerson Theatre in partnership with the Ryerson School of Performance, and Union Station in three different series.
The New Zealand Dance Company – Sigan by KIM Jae Duk. Photo by John McDermottThe Festival's lineup is diverse, with 12 works from 11 different companies across the globe, with a focus on international Indigenous artists at Ryerson Theatre.Putting together such a diverse lineup is a challenge. "We work with their own arts councils as well as with our own." He intentionally selects companies from a wide range of locations around the world, while juggling international touring schedules, and budgets. With the 5th anniversary season, he wanted an emphasis on new material - hence the slew of new works and premieres.
"Of course, there's that artistic journey we want to take audiences on,"Ibrahimof adds. Last year, he mentions that the program presented at Ryerson was female-centric. This year, the focus is on global Indigenous artists.
"We've been building up to this moment. We just wanted it to be a special season."
Along with marking a significant milestone for the international dance festival, FFDN is about raising the profile of dance in the city overall, and in Canada in general.
"It's the right time for this dance model in Canada, in Toronto," Ibrahimof says, pointing out that many international dance companies hit Montreal and then NYC, skipping Toronto entirely. He's hoping to change that. "I think the time is right."
In addition to the performances, he's excited about the International Presenters Program, where he invites international presenters to come see Toronto artists in a showcase format. "We already have 20 presenters signed up," he says. Ibrahimof notes that Toronto artists have benefited from this programme over the last three years. "It's already designed to raise the profile of the dance community in Toronto - and Canada."
There is no shortage of dance talent in Toronto, and it's only right that the city should take its place among the dance centres of the world. But, as Ibrahimof notes, it will take a community effort to get the Toronto dance scene a bigger place in the culture mix. There is reason for optimism, and he's excited, in particular, about the upcoming season of dance in Toronto.
"I feel like 2020 will be a dance season like no other."
• Fall for Dance North offers all festival tickets for only $15.
• Find tickets & the full lineup at the link.
Grupo Corpo – Dança Sinfônica by Rodrigo Pederneiras. Photo by Jose Luiz Pederneiras.Fall for Dance North 2019 Festival:AT MERIDIAN HALL (FORMERLY THE SONY CENTRE)
A signature mix of exceptional dance from Canada and around the world
PROGRAM 1
October 2 at 7:30pm (official festival opening) + October 3 at 7:30pm
Toronto Dance Theatre (Toronto): GH 5.0 by Hanna Kiel
featuring live music by Greg Harrison
Independent choreographer Hanna Kiel created GH 5.0 with Toronto Dance Theatre (TDT) at the invitation of Artistic Director Christopher House.
The New Zealand Dance Company (New Zealand): Sigan by KIM Jae Duk
North American debut I North American premiere
Exploring qualities of meditation and attack, Sigan evokes the traditional Korean martial art of taekkyeon in its movement vocabulary, which integrates the whole body in a quicksilver style.
Skånes Dansteater (Sweden): Dare to Wreck by Madeleine Månsson and Peder Nilsson
North American premiere
In this highly nuanced duet, choreographed and performed by Madeleine Månsson and Peder Nilsson of Sweden’s Skånes Dansteater, the artists access a range of expression through both subtle and intense physicality.
Grupo Corpo (Brazil): Dança Sinfônica by Rodrigo Pederneiras
Canadian premiere
In an act of turning back that is reflected in the movement motifs themselves, Grupo Corpo’s choreographer Rodrigo Pederneiras wove Dança Sinfônica from elements of previous works he created over the Brazilian company’s history, to celebrate its 40th anniversary in 2015.
PROGRAM 2
October 4 at 7:30pm + October 5 at 2pm
Shantala Shivalingappa (India/France): Shiva Tarangam by Shantala Shivalingappa
featuring live music
Canadian premiere
Madras-born and Paris-based, acclaimed dancer Shantala Shivalingappa has trained in kuchipudi from a young age, with her mother, Savitry Nair, and then with Master Vempati Chinna Satyam.
Conversation by Caroline ‘Lady C’ Fraser (Toronto) – FFDN COMMISSION
featuring live music by re.verse
World premiere
Caroline ‘Lady C’ Fraser is widely known on the global street dance scene for her versatility. Live music, by the Toronto-based group re.verse, layers six-string electric base, electric guitar, keys and drums with blended beats, grooves and vocal tracks in an integrated set that builds and shifts with the dancers.
The National Ballet of Canada – The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude by William Forsythe. Photo by Karolina KurasThe National Ballet of Canada (Toronto): The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude by William Forsythefeaturing live music by The National Ballet of Canada Orchestra
In this signature work from 1996, William Forsythe takes the vocabulary of classical ballet — its verticality, balance and symmetry — and places it under immense pressure, generating high-speed twisting and torqueing along oblique angles and skewed lines.
FIDDLE EMBRACE by Anne Plamondon (Montreal) – FFDN COMMISSION
with dancers from the Ryerson School of Performance (Toronto)
featuring live music
Anne Plamondon’s process is driven by a quest for meaning, for revelation of her own truth and that of others. With FIDDLE EMBRACE, eighteen dancers from Toronto’s Ryerson School of Performance fully commit to embodying Plamondon’s movement world with resonance and sensitivity. The festival premiere of FIDDLE EMBRACE concludes Plamondon’s two-year residency with FFDN, in partnership with Ryerson School of Performance.
AT RYERSON THEATRE
An international selection of current Indigenous dance expressions
PROGRAM 3
October 4 at 7:30pm + October 5 at 7:30pm + October 6 at 2pm
The New Zealand Dance Company (New Zealand): In Transit by Louise Potiki Bryant
North American debut I North American premiere
In this work, Maori choreographer, dancer and video artist Louise Potiki Bryant evokes a textured weave of earth and beings, of time now and time eternal.
Mani.Deux by Northfoot Movement / Cody Berry (Toronto) – FFDN COMMISSION
featuring live music
World premiere
In honour of two-spirited people, Mani.Deux offers an abstract acknowledgment of the history and revived acceptance of this ultimately non-translatable, non-binary Indigenous identity.
Jasmin Sheppard (Australia): Choice Cut by Jasmin Sheppard
North American debut / North American premiere
Jasmin Sheppard is a contemporary dancer and choreographer, a Tagalak and Kurtjar Aboriginal woman with Irish, Chinese and Hungarian ancestry. Choice Cut explores parallels between her experience as a First Nations woman and the colonization of the land known as Australia.
Bulareyaung Dance Company (Taiwan): LUNA by Bulareyaung Pagarlava
featuring live a cappella
North American premiere
Bulareyaung Dance Company embraces Indigenous practices of the Taiwanese tribes, under the leadership of choreographer Bulareyaung Pagarlava.
FREE Programming at Union Station
Unexpected dance encounters beyond the theatre
September 23–October 5
Open Studio – September 23–25
Our signature ‘dance studio without walls’, returns to Union Station’s West Wing from September 23-25, for three (3) full days of rehearsals and classes from select artists and companies from our Mainstage programs. Catch a behind-the-scenes peek at the creative working processes of our festival artists within the uniquely beautiful context of Canada’s busiest transit hub.
THE BIG SOCIAL – October 5
A full day of social dance awaits… THE BIG SOCIAL offers an opportunity for the general public to dive into the movement of three distinct social dance styles, all with live music. Featuring swing, tango, and Haudenosaunee (Indigenous) social dances, THE BIG SOCIAL is a moment to learn some new moves in a beginner’s workshop and celebrate dancing together in a social setting, in the stunningly renovated West Wing at Union Station.
THE BIG SOCIAL is hosted in partnership with Kaha:wi Dance Theatre, Lindy Hop Revolution, and Bulent & Lina Tango.
In addition to its ticketed performances and free programming at Union Station, FFDN features an extensive variety of ancillary events and programming that seek to enrich audience appreciation for the form and offer dance practitioners opportunities to enhance their craft and career. Activities in 2019 will include:
• Complimentary master classes and workshops for dance artists and non-dancers.
• The return of its popular artist talks, both at MERIDIAN HALL (formerly the Sony Centre) and Ryerson Theatre.
• New for 2019, the Harbourfront Centre will act as the main hub of the International Presenters Program.
Fall for Dance North 2019
October 2–6, 2019
Venues: MERIDIAN HALL (formerly the Sony Centre)
1 Front St. East, Toronto, ON
Ryerson Theatre 43 Gerrard St. East, Toronto, ON
Union Station 65 Front St. West, Toronto, ON
Ticket Prices: $15
Tickets and Info: ffdnorth.com
Jazz Guitar: David Cruz - David Cruz (Independent - May 10, 2019)
Jazz Guitar:
David Cruz - David Cruz
(Independent - May 10, 2019)
• Buy/Stream the CD
David Cruz is a jazz guitarist based in Toronto. He just released his first, and self-titled, CD. It offers a nice mix of old and new tunes, stamped with Cruz' contemporary sense of style.
Davis's guitar has a golden tone and liquid fluidity, with a nicely tasteful phrasing that doesn't favour virtuosity over musicality. Beatrice has a laid back lounge flair, with great work by bassist William Dietrich against Cruz' melodic riffs. As a soloist, he has an impressive sense of invention.
He takes The A Train in a languid pace, trading runs with the bass in a kind of counterpoint. Jazz is all about finding and dancing with the groove in these well worn tunes, and he adds enough personality to make it his own style.
In Hindsight takes the pace up several notches, allowing drummer Miles Fuller to shine with a sense of rhythm that's crisp and delicate all at the same time. Dietrich kicks in a stellar bass solo in the middle, just before Cruz himself lets loose.
There's a nice sense of variety on the release that showcases Cruz' and his collaborators' talents. Avery is slow and romantic, emphasizing Cruz' warm tone. Giant Steps is a classic contemporary jazz track, with Cruz soloing over a buzy rhythm section at breakneck pace. Chocolate Blackout emphasizes a sexy groove and tasteful licks.
While it's his debut release, David has a long history in music. He began with piano lessons at age six, and then guitar at age 10. You can hear him play with his main project called FOMA, (@fomaband on Instagram) a group that focus’ on playing modern jazz music with an awareness of hip-hop and funk.
Peronnel:
Guitar - David Cruz
Bass - William Dietrich
Drums - Miles Fuller
Recorded February 2019 in Toronto Canada at Magnolia Studios
David Cruz - David Cruz
(Independent - May 10, 2019)
• Buy/Stream the CD
David Cruz is a jazz guitarist based in Toronto. He just released his first, and self-titled, CD. It offers a nice mix of old and new tunes, stamped with Cruz' contemporary sense of style.
Davis's guitar has a golden tone and liquid fluidity, with a nicely tasteful phrasing that doesn't favour virtuosity over musicality. Beatrice has a laid back lounge flair, with great work by bassist William Dietrich against Cruz' melodic riffs. As a soloist, he has an impressive sense of invention.
He takes The A Train in a languid pace, trading runs with the bass in a kind of counterpoint. Jazz is all about finding and dancing with the groove in these well worn tunes, and he adds enough personality to make it his own style.
In Hindsight takes the pace up several notches, allowing drummer Miles Fuller to shine with a sense of rhythm that's crisp and delicate all at the same time. Dietrich kicks in a stellar bass solo in the middle, just before Cruz himself lets loose.
There's a nice sense of variety on the release that showcases Cruz' and his collaborators' talents. Avery is slow and romantic, emphasizing Cruz' warm tone. Giant Steps is a classic contemporary jazz track, with Cruz soloing over a buzy rhythm section at breakneck pace. Chocolate Blackout emphasizes a sexy groove and tasteful licks.
While it's his debut release, David has a long history in music. He began with piano lessons at age six, and then guitar at age 10. You can hear him play with his main project called FOMA, (@fomaband on Instagram) a group that focus’ on playing modern jazz music with an awareness of hip-hop and funk.
Peronnel:
Guitar - David Cruz
Bass - William Dietrich
Drums - Miles Fuller
Recorded February 2019 in Toronto Canada at Magnolia Studios
Glenfiddich Artist in Residence Exhibition July 27 to August 25, 2019 at the Glenfiddich Distillery in Dufftown, Scotland
From a media release:
Glenfiddich Artist in Residence Exhibition
July 27 to August 25, 2019
at the Glenfiddich Distillery in Dufftown, Scotland
Love art and scotch? If you're in Scotland this summer, you owe yourself the opportunity of taking in a unique art exhibition in a unique location at the Glenfiddich Distillery in Dufftown - the Valley of the Deer in the Scottish Highlands. You may naturally also choose to sample the distiller's art while you are there.
For the past 18 years the Glenfiddich Distillery has been honoured to play host to an array of visual artists from around the world.
Each artist spends three months living and working at the distillery, harvesting ideas and inspirations before distilling them down into a fresh range of visual interpretations that document their experience in The Valley of the Deer.
Since arriving in early May, Marla Hlady and Christof Migone - a collaborative partnership from Toronto - have spent many hours collecting sounds from all areas of the distillery. The sound of water rushing from the Robbie Dhu spring in the Conval hills, the daily actions of our coopers and warehouse teams, the clinking of bottles as they go down the filling lines have all been merged with a special arrangement of vocal recordings made by many of the workers in an audio piece entitled the Doric Dozen.
A recent graduate of Gray’s School of Art in Aberdeen, Samantha Cheevers was selected for the Glenfiddich residency at the New Contemporaries exhibition held at the Royal Scottish Academy of Art and Architecture earlier this spring. Samantha has been exploring some of the abandoned former family homes and hunting lodges scattered across the Cabrach to the south of the distillery.
Taking inspiration from the memories of inhabitation they contain such as wall papers or long disused arm chairs she has created a range of her distinctive and evocative paintings.
The Glenfiddich Distillery in Dufftown, Scotland by Paul Stafford for TravelMag.comOver the past few years Korean artist Ryu Biho has moved from painting into videography, capturing his subject matter digitally rather than on canvas. Presenting a triptych of video works shot over the past two months Biho’s work offers a thoughtful and atmospheric rendering of the landscape around the distillery.
Glenfiddich Distillery
Glenfiddich Distillery Castle Road, Dufftown AB55 4DH, Scotland
The exhibition opens to the public on Saturday 27th July until Sunday 25th August. Admission is free.
Dufftown
This village in the Scottish Highlands is located on the rivers Fiddich and Dullan, at the foot of the Conval Hills. A market town, it has been dubbed the malt whisky capital of the world. Dufftown offers an authentic taste of Scotland.
From the 2017 Exhibition:
Glenfiddich Artist in Residence Exhibition
July 27 to August 25, 2019
at the Glenfiddich Distillery in Dufftown, Scotland
Love art and scotch? If you're in Scotland this summer, you owe yourself the opportunity of taking in a unique art exhibition in a unique location at the Glenfiddich Distillery in Dufftown - the Valley of the Deer in the Scottish Highlands. You may naturally also choose to sample the distiller's art while you are there.
For the past 18 years the Glenfiddich Distillery has been honoured to play host to an array of visual artists from around the world.
Each artist spends three months living and working at the distillery, harvesting ideas and inspirations before distilling them down into a fresh range of visual interpretations that document their experience in The Valley of the Deer.
Since arriving in early May, Marla Hlady and Christof Migone - a collaborative partnership from Toronto - have spent many hours collecting sounds from all areas of the distillery. The sound of water rushing from the Robbie Dhu spring in the Conval hills, the daily actions of our coopers and warehouse teams, the clinking of bottles as they go down the filling lines have all been merged with a special arrangement of vocal recordings made by many of the workers in an audio piece entitled the Doric Dozen.
A recent graduate of Gray’s School of Art in Aberdeen, Samantha Cheevers was selected for the Glenfiddich residency at the New Contemporaries exhibition held at the Royal Scottish Academy of Art and Architecture earlier this spring. Samantha has been exploring some of the abandoned former family homes and hunting lodges scattered across the Cabrach to the south of the distillery.
Taking inspiration from the memories of inhabitation they contain such as wall papers or long disused arm chairs she has created a range of her distinctive and evocative paintings.
The Glenfiddich Distillery in Dufftown, Scotland by Paul Stafford for TravelMag.comOver the past few years Korean artist Ryu Biho has moved from painting into videography, capturing his subject matter digitally rather than on canvas. Presenting a triptych of video works shot over the past two months Biho’s work offers a thoughtful and atmospheric rendering of the landscape around the distillery.Glenfiddich Distillery
Glenfiddich Distillery Castle Road, Dufftown AB55 4DH, Scotland
The exhibition opens to the public on Saturday 27th July until Sunday 25th August. Admission is free.
Dufftown
This village in the Scottish Highlands is located on the rivers Fiddich and Dullan, at the foot of the Conval Hills. A market town, it has been dubbed the malt whisky capital of the world. Dufftown offers an authentic taste of Scotland.
From the 2017 Exhibition:
CD Release: Villalobos Brothers - Somos (Independent / July 23, 2019)
From a media release:
CD Release:
Villalobos Brothers - Somos
(Independent / July 23, 2019)
All for one: the Villalobos Brothers charge their virtuoso violins with eclectic energy on Somos
• Buy/Download/Listen the CD
• Check the website for tour dates
The Villalobos Brothers' story starts like a fairy tale, or an adventure story: Once upon a time, three brothers who made beautiful music on their violins left home to seek their fortunes. What they learned on that journey is given musical expression on their new album, Somos (release: July 23, 2019).
From their three violins, they conjure all the sounds they encountered on the way: the technical virtuosity of their classical training, the flamboyant energy of Son Huasteco, the honeyed melodies of Mexican trova, jazz-inflected dissonance, the charm and energy of pop. Politically aware lyrics respond to injustice and corruption at home and abroad. Somos (We Are) is a musical declaration: “We’re here,” it says, “Hear all that we are.”
Their story begins in rural Veracruz, Mexico, where the three brothers grew up studying violin. As Luis reminisces, “Our formal training was classical, but growing up in Xalapa, its traditional music was always close to our hearts. Our grandmother never trained formally, but she played guitar and sang songs from all over Mexico, from the time of the revolution.”
Nevertheless, the brothers set out to earn advanced degrees abroad, where classical violin was more likely to lead to a lucrative career. First, Ernesto won a Fulbright scholarship to study at the Manhattan School of Music in Pinchas Zukerman’s studio, then Alberto went to Belgium to train with Igor Oistrakh at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels, while the youngest, Luis, became a disciple of Nicolas Chumachenco at the Hochschule für Musik in Freiburg, Germany.
Their professional futures seemed clear: orchestras, PhD studies, professorships. Then Ernesto issued a surprising summons to Alberto and Luis: Could they come to New York to play a benefit at Carnegie Hall? Oh, and could they compose two hours of original music? They jumped at the chance. Luis says leaping into another musical world just felt right: “My admiration was always with the composers. They have been dead for 300 years, but still many people get together to make their music happen all over again. I wanted to find my voice.”
Creating original music resonated more deeply than performing classical music ever could. Alberto recalls listening to regional Mexican folk music while he was studying in Brussels, out of a need to feel himself represented: “I would listen to the great European composers, and I would wonder ‘where are the brown people, where are my people?’ My Russian professor would never let me tell him how to play Tchaikovsky. But who can tell me how to play the music of my heritage?”
Their hard work (and a little bit of fairy-tale luck) has paid off, earning them a stint as the house band at the Latin Grammys and an opportunity to perform orchestral arrangements of their original compositions with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra. They’ve delighted audiences throughout Latin America, India, Russia, Canada, and the U.S., in settings as diverse as the United Nations on its 60th anniversary, the 66th FIFA Congress in Mexico City, and the Blue Note Jazz Festival. They’ve made guest appearances with stars across the firmament. In fact, you can hear Luis’s violin on Bruce Springsteen’s latest project, Western Stars.
Along the way, they recorded their own album that reflected another journey—toward U.S. citizenship. Aliens of Extraordinary Ability, named after their initial visa category, explored the brothers’ immigration saga by focusing on the sounds of Mexico from a largely classical perspective. The musical and political horizons of Somos are considerably broader.
• Listen to the album here
Nevertheless, the raw plight of immigrants is never far from their minds—Ernesto is still embroiled in the naturalization process, and the brothers are seeking U.S. residency for their mother. The brothers feature on jazzman Arturo O’Farrill’s “Fandango at the Wall” project with the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra, a suite first performed on alternate side of the San Diego-Tijuana border as a protest against cruel border policies. Arturo guests on Somos, adding piano to “Xalapa Bang!,” an edgy song about peaceful protests crushed by state-sanctioned violence.
The brothers considered naming the album after the track “Hombres de Arcilla,” a powerful, haunting song punctuated by restless strings and impassioned vocals. It’s just one facet of a larger project by Alberto, also a visual artist and sculptor, to commemorate students from a rural teachers' college in Ayotzinapa, Mexico, who disappeared after being attacked by police in 2014. Moved by meeting the father of one of the missing students, Alberto sculpted 43 clay faces—one for each of the vanished—and wrote this song.
They settled on “Somos” as the album’s title track, and its combination of scintillating music and thoughtful lyrics encapsulates the ensemble’s current sound. The uplifting, pop-tinged violin melody is charged with optimism and joy, while Luis’s lyrics plead for expanding the notion of who “we are” beyond our own family, city, and nation, until it encompasses the entire human race. This is the wisdom the brothers absorbed on their fairy-tale journey: Stay true to your voice, while opening your heart to the world.
Stay in touch:
https://www.youtube.com/user/VillaLobosBrothers
https://www.instagram.com/villalobos_brothers/?hl=en
https://twitter.com/villalobosbros
https://www.facebook.com/villalobosbrothers
CD Release:
Villalobos Brothers - Somos
(Independent / July 23, 2019)
All for one: the Villalobos Brothers charge their virtuoso violins with eclectic energy on Somos
• Buy/Download/Listen the CD
• Check the website for tour dates
The Villalobos Brothers' story starts like a fairy tale, or an adventure story: Once upon a time, three brothers who made beautiful music on their violins left home to seek their fortunes. What they learned on that journey is given musical expression on their new album, Somos (release: July 23, 2019).
From their three violins, they conjure all the sounds they encountered on the way: the technical virtuosity of their classical training, the flamboyant energy of Son Huasteco, the honeyed melodies of Mexican trova, jazz-inflected dissonance, the charm and energy of pop. Politically aware lyrics respond to injustice and corruption at home and abroad. Somos (We Are) is a musical declaration: “We’re here,” it says, “Hear all that we are.”
Their story begins in rural Veracruz, Mexico, where the three brothers grew up studying violin. As Luis reminisces, “Our formal training was classical, but growing up in Xalapa, its traditional music was always close to our hearts. Our grandmother never trained formally, but she played guitar and sang songs from all over Mexico, from the time of the revolution.”
Nevertheless, the brothers set out to earn advanced degrees abroad, where classical violin was more likely to lead to a lucrative career. First, Ernesto won a Fulbright scholarship to study at the Manhattan School of Music in Pinchas Zukerman’s studio, then Alberto went to Belgium to train with Igor Oistrakh at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels, while the youngest, Luis, became a disciple of Nicolas Chumachenco at the Hochschule für Musik in Freiburg, Germany.
Their professional futures seemed clear: orchestras, PhD studies, professorships. Then Ernesto issued a surprising summons to Alberto and Luis: Could they come to New York to play a benefit at Carnegie Hall? Oh, and could they compose two hours of original music? They jumped at the chance. Luis says leaping into another musical world just felt right: “My admiration was always with the composers. They have been dead for 300 years, but still many people get together to make their music happen all over again. I wanted to find my voice.”
Creating original music resonated more deeply than performing classical music ever could. Alberto recalls listening to regional Mexican folk music while he was studying in Brussels, out of a need to feel himself represented: “I would listen to the great European composers, and I would wonder ‘where are the brown people, where are my people?’ My Russian professor would never let me tell him how to play Tchaikovsky. But who can tell me how to play the music of my heritage?”
Their hard work (and a little bit of fairy-tale luck) has paid off, earning them a stint as the house band at the Latin Grammys and an opportunity to perform orchestral arrangements of their original compositions with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra. They’ve delighted audiences throughout Latin America, India, Russia, Canada, and the U.S., in settings as diverse as the United Nations on its 60th anniversary, the 66th FIFA Congress in Mexico City, and the Blue Note Jazz Festival. They’ve made guest appearances with stars across the firmament. In fact, you can hear Luis’s violin on Bruce Springsteen’s latest project, Western Stars.
Along the way, they recorded their own album that reflected another journey—toward U.S. citizenship. Aliens of Extraordinary Ability, named after their initial visa category, explored the brothers’ immigration saga by focusing on the sounds of Mexico from a largely classical perspective. The musical and political horizons of Somos are considerably broader.
• Listen to the album here
Nevertheless, the raw plight of immigrants is never far from their minds—Ernesto is still embroiled in the naturalization process, and the brothers are seeking U.S. residency for their mother. The brothers feature on jazzman Arturo O’Farrill’s “Fandango at the Wall” project with the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra, a suite first performed on alternate side of the San Diego-Tijuana border as a protest against cruel border policies. Arturo guests on Somos, adding piano to “Xalapa Bang!,” an edgy song about peaceful protests crushed by state-sanctioned violence.
The brothers considered naming the album after the track “Hombres de Arcilla,” a powerful, haunting song punctuated by restless strings and impassioned vocals. It’s just one facet of a larger project by Alberto, also a visual artist and sculptor, to commemorate students from a rural teachers' college in Ayotzinapa, Mexico, who disappeared after being attacked by police in 2014. Moved by meeting the father of one of the missing students, Alberto sculpted 43 clay faces—one for each of the vanished—and wrote this song.
They settled on “Somos” as the album’s title track, and its combination of scintillating music and thoughtful lyrics encapsulates the ensemble’s current sound. The uplifting, pop-tinged violin melody is charged with optimism and joy, while Luis’s lyrics plead for expanding the notion of who “we are” beyond our own family, city, and nation, until it encompasses the entire human race. This is the wisdom the brothers absorbed on their fairy-tale journey: Stay true to your voice, while opening your heart to the world.
Stay in touch:
https://www.youtube.com/user/VillaLobosBrothers
https://www.instagram.com/villalobos_brothers/?hl=en
https://twitter.com/villalobosbros
https://www.facebook.com/villalobosbrothers
Art & Culture Maven
Where I blog about art and culture, not surprisingly.
- Anya M. Wassenberg's profile
- 5 followers
