Basking in the rainbow beaming from the Pride Parade, núna invites you to cool down inside and listen to a musical triptych at the Windsor Hotel. Sticky glitter, confetti, tired feet and all.
The evening starts out with Viðarneisti (Victoria Sparks, percussion, and Catherine Wood, clarinet), a premier of a commissioned work by Fjóla Evans. The piece explores the transformational journey undertaken by the early Icelandic settlers of Manitoba. Drawing on a history of music inspired by landscape, it juxtaposes the desolate lava fields with the prairies, environments hostile to people in very different ways. A special thank you to Canada Council for the Arts who made the development of this composition possible.
The Viðarneisti duo Victoria Sparks and Catherine Wood will then carry on independently, pairing Evans’ work with a set of miniatures by Manitoba composer Christopher Byman. The set is based on his experiences from his time in Iceland when performing at the 2013 Dark Days Music Festival in Reykjavik. Byman’s miniatures will be followed by a set of Three Winter Songs by Manitoba composer Sid Rabinovitch. With their performance, the duo hopes to embody the diversity of colours and stylistics available to the unique combination of the clarinet and the marimba.
núna (now) is only too excited to welcome Fjóla Evans back in the flesh! The audience will have the privilege of experiencing a set of Fjóla’s original music for solo cello and electronics. Based on her love of Icelandic folk-song and drones, her music explores looping white-noise, archival and field recordings to build twitching, minimal soundscapes. She will be performing slow-moving pieces inspired by her study of Icelandic Rímur, a type of intonement of skaldic poetry. For this year’s event, Fjóla will be collaborating with Winnipeg-based artist jaymez (James Jansen) who will be creating live video projections during the performance.
Closing the evening off ”in the bar at the end of the world” is 10,000 HORSES. Velvet Nite (Alexis O’Hara, ukulele, voice and electronics) and Lady Nite (Stephen Lawson, synthesizers) are sisters committed to shining sonic light on the underestimated triumphs of our female heroines; celebrating in song the rocky emotional terrain that is often assigned to the feminine condition.
Initially inspired by dreams, they were visited by the spirit of Khutulun, Kubla Khan’s niece. This Mongol warrior princess had vowed to marry the man who could beat her in a wrestling match, his defeat awarding her a bounty of horses. Unbeaten to the end, she amassed 10,000 horses. Her legacy has been poorly understood. Today, the Mongolian national wrestling costume includes a bolero vest that exposes the chest, thus preventing women from participating. The opera Turandot, borrowing greatly from the story of Khutulun, casts her as a murderous shrew. Inspired by the true story of this fierce feminist icon, Velvet and Lady nite will perform with the potency of 10,000 horses.
Sound too wild to believe? In any case, don’t take our word for it, just join us!
Doors open at 7pm.