Category: Indigenous

Browsing: Indigenous

FTA 2022: Recognizing Change

By Nathalie de Han on 9 April 2022 Arts Industry, Classical Music, Dance, Indigenous, La Scena Online, La Scena Spotlight, Scena Arts, Technology, Theatre

After two long years, the new co-artistic directors of the Festival TransAmériques (FTA), Martine Dennewald and Jessie Mill, announced a renewed international festival will be held in Montreal from May 25 to June 9. The two women, who have crossed paths at various festivals for several years, wanted to build on exchange and dialogue. Well-known to Montreal festivalgoers, Jessie Mill worked as artistic and dramaturgical advisor while Martin Faucher was head of the festival. Martine Dennewald, a born Luxembourger, directed the Festival Theaterformen in Brunswick, Lower Saxony (Germany) for six years. “We have to think about where we are today,…

Oktoecho: Transcestral (2021)

By Justin Bernard on 16 January 2022 CD and Book Reviews, Contemporary, Indigenous, Vocal, World Music

Katia Makdissi-Warren, musical and electronic arrangements; Joséphine Bacon, Innu poet; Nina Segalowitz, Inuit throat singer; Hélène Martel, vocals. The blending of styles and cultures is a topic that comes up a lot when we talk about world music. The approach of Katia Makdissi-Warren and the Oktoecho team, followed by a host of musicians, is somewhat different. Their Transcestral project is, rather, the meeting of two world cultures, Sufism, on the one hand, and that of the First Nations, on the other hand, which is put forward with the notable contribution of Western styles. Needless to say,…

Flute in the Wild (Centredisques, 2021)

By Justin Bernard on 24 December 2021 Canadian Music, CD and Book Reviews, Contemporary, Indigenous

Flute in the Wild Jaye Marsh, flutes; Heidi Elise Bearcroft, harp; Darren Hicks, bassoon; Andrew Morris, percussion; John Rice, storyteller; Christina Marie Faye and Richard Herriott, piano Label: Centrediscs, 2021 The album lives up to its name. Flute in the Wild, the flute in nature. Initiated by the flautist Jaye Marsh, this new release of Centredisques indeed immerses us in a rural universe, sometimes peaceful, sometimes intriguing, even scary. No need to know the music of Diane Berry, Elizabeth Raum, Richard Mascall and Richard Herriot to appreciate them as they awaken in us an imagination of…

Oktoécho presents the concert Transcestral: A gathering of sufi and indigenous peoples’ musical traditions

By Hassan Laghcha on 21 November 2021 Indigenous, World Music

Author : (NEWSWIRE)

Ensemble Oktoécho presents the concert Transcestral, on November 27, at 8 pm, at the Outremont Theatre. An original creation of the Oktoécho ensemble, the event brings together 15 artists, singers, dancers, and poets from different backgrounds: six indigenous and Sufi communities are represented as well as musicians from jazz, classical and contemporary music. Transcestral weaves together the sacred ancestral traditions of Sufi trance music and indigenous music from Canada. It is a true hymn to life, highlighting our perpetual quest for harmony and communion with nature. Active communities Known for their unique musical contributions, rich in poetic lyricism and inspired…

Tara-Louise Montour and the OCM: the beauty of the revived tradition

By Nathalie de Han on 15 November 2021 Chamber Music, Contemporary, Indigenous, Violin

Have you heard Régent Levasseur’s enchanting Farewell to the Warriors? The Orchestre classique de Montréal (OCM) presents it as part of its 82nd season, titled Women of Distinction, with the remarkable 18-minute concerto for string orchestra, harp and drum, in an orchestration by the versatile melodist. Tara-Louise Montour recorded the piece with the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra and the work earned the ensemble a Juno nomination (2005). “I am delighted that the OCM invited me into the program of Tales and Melodies, the first concert of its season, and I think that Farewell to the Warriors will fit in perfectly, firstly because of…

Photo: Marc Giguère

Upcoming concerts (November-January): Montreal

By Justin Bernard on 14 November 2021 Baroque and Early, Canadian Music, Indigenous, Opera, Orchestral, Piano

27th JAL Gala After the 2020 edition was cancelled because of the pandemic, the 27th Jeunes Ambassadeurs Lyriques Gala is back in full force this year with no less than 30 singers. For the occasion, two dancers will accompany them in arias and ensemble numbers from the great operatic repertoire. Among the works on the programme, the public will find excerpts from Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Puccini’s La Bohème, Rossini’s La Cenerentola and Verdi’s La Traviata and Rigoletto. In order to reach a larger audience, ticket prices have been reduced compared to previous editions ($12 for students and $35 for the…

La Scena Special on Indigenous Arts Revisited

By La Scena Musicale Team on 30 September 2021 Canadian Music, Indigenous, Popular Music, Vocal

On Canada’s National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (September 30, 2021), La Scena revisits our Special on Indigenous Arts from June 2018. Below are articles on Indigenous artists. Cover Story: Jeremy Dutcher: A Musical Mosaic Portraits of Visual Artists Nadia Myre, Rebecca Belmore and Sylvain Rivard Alanis Obomsawin: Our People Will Be Healed Manon Barbeau & the Wapikoni Mobile: Bringing Production to the People Montreal First Peoples Festival: Creating a new collective “us” Ondinnok: A theatre in search of healing Lara Kramer: Generational Questioning Émilie Monnet: Building Bridges Joséphine Bacon: A Linguistic Legacy Musique Nomade: The Wapikoni Mobile of…

WWL

First Peoples’ Festival : Welcome to the big leagues

By Hassan Laghcha on 4 June 2021 Arts Industry, Indigenous

The 2021 edition of the First Peoples’ Festival will take place from Aug. 3 to 11 before live audiences. The organizers hope that the gradual reopening will allow this unmissable summer celebration to be held in Montreal. Until then, we must await the programing details for this event, which has just been recognized by the City of Montreal as one of the major festivals in the city. According to festival artistic director and co-founder André Dudemaine, this is a major news development, as it translates into a substantial increase of around 30% to the city’s contribution. Dudemaine says that in…

Dreamspeakers Film Festival Celebrates Innovation and Diversity in Indigenous Filmmaking

By Newswire on 27 May 2021 Film, Indigenous

May 27, 2021 (Amiskwaciy-Wâskahikan/Edmonton, AB) – Dreamspeakers Festival Society will host its 28th annual International Indigenous Film Festival from May 31 to June 7 to showcase Indigenous filmmakers, actors and artists from around the globe. “This festival offers a unique exploration into Indigenous culture and illustrates the diversity, vitality and excellence of Indigenous art,” said Executive Director Christine Frederick. “We are committed to giving Indigenous artists a platform to showcase their art, grow as artists and contribute to the community.” Due to Alberta COVID-19 regulations, the festival will be held virtually for the first time in 28 years. Festival passes…

Ange Loft (Photo - Centaur Theatre)

Announcing Centaur Theatre’s first Indigenous Artist-In-Residence

By Newswire on 20 April 2021 Arts Industry, Indigenous

Montreal, April 20, 2021 – After circulating an appeal for submissions to Indigenous artists in January 2021, Centaur Theatre is extremely proud to announce Ange Loft and the Talking Treaties Tio’tia:ke Collective as its first Indigenous Artist Residency, supported in part by the Conseil des arts de Montréal (CAM). Joining Loft as a member of the Collective is Barbara Kaneratonni Diabo, a dancer and choreographer with over 25 years’ experience, who specializes in blending traditional First Nations dance with contemporary styles and has performed throughout North America. Completing the triumvirate is Iehente Foote, an actor, stage manager, costume designer and…