As the audience arrived at the Chan Centre for Echo: Memories of the World (May 31), they were immediately directed to the choral loft behind, and above the stage. “This is an intimate concert,” the ushers said as they asked us to fill the first two rows of seats. This intimacy fostered a closeness to one’s neighbour and undivided attention on the carefully curated program we were about to see.
Gryphon Trio. Photo: Bo Huang
On the stage, four or five additional rows of seats allowed some audience members to be even closer, only a few feet away from the performers. Above them was a large screen, which displayed videos of the ocean waves as everyone found their seats.
Soon, the Gryphon Trio, mezzo-soprano Marion Newman, and narrator Cheri Maracle took their places. Their opening song was accompanied by videos of the sky and forests overlaid with some of the lyrics. There was a sense of peacefulness that fell over the crowd as Newman’s voice welcomed everyone into the space.
Marion Newman
This multimedia concert examined numerous forms of storytelling in its 75-minute running time. There were sections where Newman sang and drummed with the Gryphon Trio. Then, Maracle performed spoken word poetry and there were also moments when artists, poets, researchers, and Indigenous leaders shared their stories in videos shown on the screen. This weaving of histories could have been overwhelming or even confusing, but its successful execution resulted in a show that looked to the future with a thorough understanding of the past.
This concert considered some difficult truths of our past and present: the conflict in Ukraine, World War II, and residential schools in Canada. These were and are not easy topics to sit with and digest. However, from these tragedies come stories of resilience and strength. These are the moments that Echo highlighted through accounts about the maintenance and sharing of knowledge and culture. For example, one of the videos was about Future Library in Norway, a project by artist Katie Paterson. For this public artwork, one thousand trees were specially planted in the Nordmarka forest with the intention that 100 manuscripts will be printed using paper made from the trees.
During the show’s lighter, more hopeful moments, lighting turned blue and seemed to flow like waves. Alternatively, as things turned more intense, with the strings arguing back and forth, red lighting projected from overhead and within the piano. These design choices by Hugh Conacher evoked emotion through colour choice alone.
Cheri Maracle
The performers each brought their own strengths to the concert. Newman led the charge with self-assured vocals that comforted the ear. The Gryphon Trio carried each moment seamlessly into the next with their awareness of the moment’s needs. And Maracle engaged the audience with her passionate facial expressions and captivating movements and speech. Their unity as a group gave this performance stability through a rollercoaster of emotions and challenging topics.
After the concert, the performers, composer Ry Moran, and director Reneltta Arluk had a brief discussion with the audience about hope. This helped tie up the show’s themes since the concert, despite its heavy topics, was inherently hopeful. With its multimedia format, Echo demonstrated the power of archiving in many forms. In these ways, we share historical memories and protect them from being erased, altered, or attacked.
