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Kent Monkman's Iskonikan On View At Art Toronto 2023 October 26 To 29 2023
From a media releaseKent Monkman Announces IskonikanOn view at Art Toronto 2023October 26 to 29Tickets to Art Toronto At The LinkKent's work will be at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Booth #B34Toronto, ON, October 19 2023 – Kent Monkman is pleased to present iskonikan at Art Toronto 2023, on view in Booth #B34 at Metro Toronto Convention Centre from October 26 – 29, 2023. iskonikan is a Cree word for “Indian reserve” that when translated literally means left-over land. Monkman’s exhibition at Art Toronto 2023 references the limiting of Indigenous sovereignty to reserve lands with a new installation and a selection of paintings from his 2022 Being Legendary series. The project also introduces two new editions of Monkman’s work: an unlimited, free risograph poster and a limited edition silk screen print. 50% of the proceeds from the print’s sale will be donated to nēhiyawak Language Experience, a nonprofit organization that hosts an annual Cree language camp focusing on producing authentic language engagement and uplifting nēhiyaw (Cree) identity, including ways of knowing and being.Kent Monkman, Giants Walked the Earth, 2022. Acrylic on canvas, 27 in. x 42.5 in.“Reserves were specifically defined to dispossess and control First Nations people,” says Kent Monkman. “After European settlers arrived and spread across Turtle Island, we signed agreements to share the land with them. Our ancestors believed we were entering into a kinship relationship with them, making us all treaty people. These treaties stated that our land was not to be sold or given away, yet most Indigenous lands have been stolen, encroached upon, or embezzled. Today, most reserves are located in remote areas, far from the urban centres that were once Indigenous people’s meeting, living, hunting, agricultural and trading places. Many of us have been forcibly moved to remote areas that European settlers viewed as the leftovers. This dispossession and land theft has created many barriers to how we thrive in today’s world.”In the middle of the iskonikan booth is mêmêkwêsiwak Trading Post, a miniature version of a prototypical “Indian Trading Post” partially hidden behind tall grasses on what appears to be a slice of land — the “World’s Smallest Reserve.” A cut-out roof reveals a white-cube exhibition of small paintings — a series of portraits of Cree legendary beings known as the mêmêkwêsiwak (the little people), who appeared in Monkman’s Being Legendary exhibition at the Royal Ontario Museum earlier this year.Kent Monkman, The mîmîkwîsiwak Remember the Giants, 2022. Acrylic on canvas, 18.5 in. x 29 in.Surrounding the trading post on the walls of the booth are studies for several of the paintings from Being Legendary that reinforce Indigenous presence on Turtle Island for 100,000 years — much longer than settlers’ theories of human presence in the Americas. The paintings from Being Legendary explore the complexities of Indigenous knowledge systems, including the science embedded in Indigenous ways of knowing and the deep and extensive relationship of Indigenous peoples to the land.Historically, trading posts were places where Indigenous peoples and settlers across Turtle Island bought, sold, and traded furs and commodity items. Monkman’s siting of a miniature trading post in a booth at Art Toronto 2023 is a meta reference to the commercial buying and selling of art. With its play on scale, mêmêkwêsiwak Trading Post emphasises that Indigenous territories have been reduced to small slices of land. Its function as a mobile gallery, small enough to travel anywhere on Turtle Island, implies that treaty rights and Indigenous sovereignty should extend beyond the limits of iskonikan.Kent Monkman, Constellation of Knowledge, 2022. Acrylic on canvas, 93 in. x 124 in.ABOUT KENT MONKMANKent Monkman (b. 1965) is an interdisciplinary Cree visual artist. A member of Fisher River Cree Nation in Treaty 5 Territory (Manitoba), he lives and works in New York and on treaty territory in Ontario. Known for his thought-provoking interventions into Western European and American art history, Monkman explores themes of colonization, sexuality, loss, and resilience—the complexities of historic and contemporary Indigenous experiences—across painting, film/video, performance, and installation. Monkman’s gender-fluid alter ego Miss Chief Eagle Testickle often appears in his work as a time-travelling, shape-shifting, supernatural being who reverses the colonial gaze to challenge received notions of history and Indigenous peoples.Monkman’s painting and installation works have been exhibited at institutions such as The Metropolitan Museum of Art; Musée des Beaux-Arts de Montréal; Musée d’artcontemporain de Montréal; The National Gallery of Canada; The Royal Ontario Museum; Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art; Hayward Gallery; Witte de With Centre for Contemporary Art; Musée d’art Contemporain de Rochechouart; Maison Rouge; Philbrook Museum of Art; Palais de Tokyo; and the Hood Museum at Dartmouth College. He has created site-specific performances at The Metropolitan Museum of Art; The Royal Ontario Museum; Compton Verney, Warwickshire; and The Denver Art Museum. Monkman has had two nationally touring solo exhibitions, Shame and Prejudice: A Story of Resilience (2017-2020), and The Triumph of Mischief (2007-2010).Monkman’s short film and video works, made with his long-time collaborator Gisèle Gordon, have screened at festivals such as the Berlinale (2007, 2008) and the Toronto International Film Festival (2007, 2015). Monkman co-wrote, with Gordon, The Memoirs of Miss Chief Eagle Testickle: A True and Exact Accounting of the History of Turtle Island, a two-volume edition featuring Monkman’s artwork to be published in November of 2023. Monkman is the recipient of the Ontario Premier’s Award for Excellence in the Arts (2017), an honorary doctorate degree from OCAD University (2017), the Indspire Award (2014), and the Hnatyshyn Foundation Visual Arts Award (2014) and was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2023.Monkman has self-represented on treaty territory since 2018 and hosts studio visits by appointment in New York and Toronto. Learn more at www.kentmonkman.com.From a recent show:

Smoke and Mirrors: Magical Thinking in Contemporary Art At the Boca Raton Museum Opens November 18 through May 12
 From a media releaseSmoke and Mirrors: Magical Thinking in Contemporary ArtAt the Boca Raton MuseumOpens to the General Public on November 18 through May 12Pre-opening night fundraiser November 17 - check it out [HERE]As South Florida's museums from Palm Beach to Miami present their highly anticipated offerings for Art Basel Season, the Boca Raton Museum of Art is especially poised to lead the pack with a one-two-punch this year: the world premiere of the Teiger Award-winning exhibition Smoke and Mirrors: Magical Thinking in Contemporary Art, and the sleek new high-speed rail station just blocks from the Museum's front door, luring visitors with a quick escape off the beaten path from the art fairs. Imponderable, (film still) by Tony Oursler (5-D feature length film, 90 minutes).The new group show was originated by Kathleen Goncharov, the Museum's Senior Curator, and features 30 contemporary artists.This is the only exhibition in South Florida (and in the entire Southeast U.S.) to win the prestigious Teiger Foundation 2023 Grant Award for Curator-Led Projects – among only 13 museum shows selected nationwide in the Single Exhibition category, recognizing boundary-pushing curatorial work.  The works in this exhibition crack through the looking glass of illusion and beliefs. While performative magic is certainly celebrated here, many of these artists are acclaimed for tackling the thorny issues of disinformation, hoaxes, cults, conspiracy theories, "alternative facts," and the rise of deceptive artificial technologies in our culture.When exposed, these deepfakes often reveal a greater truth. According to the Teiger Foundation site, the competition “Acknowledges the uncertainty, fear, and loss in our time of enormous change and supports innovative curatorial work committed to experimentation and creativity in exhibitions, championing curators who engage in the pressing conversations of our time. Curators are thinkers and leaders who play multiple, changing roles in their communities.”The exhibition is anchored by an entire gallery of phantasmagorical installations by the globally acclaimed artist Tony Oursler, celebrated for asking the pressing question: what happens when the occult is confronted by its mirror image of technology? Among the 30 artists are: Urs Fischer, Alfredo Jaar, Jim Shaw, Sarah Charlesworth, Glenn Kaino, Christian Jankowski, Kristin Lucas, Jane Hammond, Gavin Turk, Michael Ray Charles, Faisal Abdu'Allah, Mark Thomas Gibson, Robin Tewes, Jeanette Andrews, Stephen Berkman, Jose Alvarez (D.O.P.A.), Jacob Hicks, and The Yes Men.This timely exploration pulls back the curtain on modern-day deceptions, often perpetrated for political or financial gain – before our very eyes. Today’s hoaxes, and the blatant lies posted on social media, are often fabricated with new technology yet have earlier precedents in America’s history. Merma, by Tony Oursler (fiberglass, resin, acrylic paint, glitter, fake hair, gemstones, video projection, sound). Performance by Dominique Bousquet.The exhibition’s temporal twist juxtaposes parallels between our current struggles and the same peculiar fascinations with magical thinking during the late 1800s and early 1900s – when the deadly flu pandemic and World War I created an epidemic of fake mediums, seances, and the golden age of stage magic. Fast-forward to today, and these artists investigate how the trauma of our own pandemic, climate change, political extremism, violence, and the disruption of societal norms are spurring belief and fascination with the paranormal.An explosive increase in supernatural characters in popular culture, and dangerous hoaxes that are proving difficult to discredit, are rampant again now. “Our City is honored by this national acclaim, and that this museum exhibition is the only one in the entire Southeastern U.S. selected by the Teiger Foundation 2023 Grant Award for Curator-Led Projects in the single exhibition category,” says Scott Singer, the Mayor of Boca Raton. “We are proud of the stellar team at the Boca Raton Museum of Art for shining the national spotlight on South Florida’s museum scene.” “The caliber of the contemporary artists in this exhibition is earning major attention for the new season at the Boca Raton Museum of Art,” says Irvin Lippman, the Executive Director of the Museum.“The correlation between magic and artmaking has always loomed large, and this exhibition takes this idea one step further, revealing strong connections between today and earlier periods in history when crises led to magical thinking. Art itself is a process of alchemy, transforming physical medium into illusions of beauty, messages that have the power to both inspire and manipulate audiences,” adds Lippman.Cracks through the looking glass of illusion and beliefs. Levitating Woman, by Sarah Charlesworth (Cibachrome with lacquered wood frame). Courtesy of Paula Cooper Gallery. ©The Estate of Sarah Charlesworth.Highlights from the ExhibitionThe largest gallery in the exhibition is transformed by Tony Oursler into an otherworldly landscape titled Creature Features. The Museum has commissioned several new installations by Oursler, exploring what the artist calls the “delicate balance between creativity, mysticism and scientific ingenuity.” Based on American folklore, legends, and hoaxes likened to today’s urban myths, viewers will walk into a dream world where the artist’s collection of the unbelievable comes to life. Tony Oursler is one of the world’s foremost pioneers of video art, working with moving images, installation and projection.His inspirations include conspiracy, mysticism, narrative evolution and facial recognition technologies. Viewers are often disoriented and disarmed upon entering his installations.Oursler’s video art is celebrated for transcending traditional screens, TV monitors and surfaces. His work jumps out at viewers via visual experimentation, described by his gallerists as harking back to camera obscura and psychedelia – through the surreal environments he creates with bots and intimate digital effigies, optical devices, sculptures, and ethereal talking automatons. Central to Oursler’s work is his endless fascination with how technology impacts humanity. For several decades, the artist has amassed a vast archive of more than 3,000 historical materials pertaining to the paranormal fringes, pseudo-science that connects to cults, and the intersection of science and the occult. The realms of magic and illusion are generationally embedded into the artist’s DNA. Oursler’s grandfather was a magician who exposed trickery used in seances by the Spiritualists of his era, who lied to desperate widows yearning to communicate with relatives who died in World War I. Oursler’s father founded the magazine Angels on Earth, about spiritual encounters. The artist’s spirit world fascination also includes his admiration for mediums and mystics who never charged for their services, falling outside the realm of financial fraud. Imponderable, (film still) by Tony Oursler (5-D feature length film, 90 minutes).In 2000, Oursler was awarded the U.S. Art Critics Association ICA New Media Award. Oursler has been selected for solo exhibitions throughout the United States and is currently one of America’s most internationally exhibited artists (with solo shows in more than 25 countries).Imponderable, Oursler’s cinematic 5-D experience, has only been exhibited at MoMA in New York and was created using Pepper’s Ghost, a mirror illusion technique first used in the 1800s in theatrical ghost plays.Other installations in Oursler’s Creature Features landscape include: Fairy (a fantasy projection of a performance by Katiana Rangel); Cardiff Giant (Oursler’s never-before-seen life-size recreation of one of the most famous archaeological hoaxes in American history); Flatwoods Monster (a re-living of the 1952 legendary UFO extraterrestrial folklore encounter); Alice Cooper Head (inspired by The Amazing Randi’s infamous creations for Alice Cooper’s concert tour in the 1970s); Crystals (created in part with artificial intelligence, exploring the digital divine, 5-D technology, near-death experiences, and hallucinogenic states); Charles Doyle Fairy Painting (based on his fantastical paintings of Victorian-era fairies and other fantasy themes); and Merma (described as “beautiful in a horrifying way”). Parallels between our current struggles and the same peculiar fascinations with magical thinking during the late 1800s and early 1900s.The original Cardiff Giant at the Farmers' Museum in Cooperstown, New York, where it is still displayed (Photo by Martin Lewison/CC2.0).The trauma of our own pandemic, climate change, political extremism, and violence are spurring belief and fascination with the paranormal.Francesca Panetta and Halsey Burgund’s installation In Event of Moon DisasterFrancesca Panetta and Halsey Burgund’s installation In Event of Moon Disaster was made using sophisticated deepfake technology. In 1969 most of the world celebrated the Apollo 11 crew’s first successful moon landing, the exceptions being conspiracy theorists claiming it was all staged. In this work, Panetta and Burgund ask: what would have happened if the mission had gone wrong? Their Moon Disaster installation reimagines this seminal event to illustrate the possibilities of deep-fake technologies. In this alternative history, visitors will time-travel to a Florida living room where Richard Nixon appears on a television set to announce the tragedy.Dow Does the Right Thing - a media hoax by The Yes Men: “We hope our work will spark critical awareness among the public. We want them to be alert to what is possible with today’s technology, to explore their own susceptibility, and to be ready to question what they see and hear as we enter a future fraught with challenges over the question of truth,” said Francesca Panetta. The spirit of the beloved magician, author and actor, Ricky Jay is also prominent in this exhibition. He was famous for tricks in which he threw playing cards, and was able to pierce a watermelon with a playing card from 160 feet.The artist Glenn Kaino tips his hat to Ricky Jay by creating a large-scale wall portrait of Ricky Jay by throwing cards that will puncture and adhere to the museum wall, forming the shape of the famous magician’s face.This throwing cards trick is one of Ricky Jay’s stage mysteries, and can only be installed at museums by special preparators with no other witnesses around, to avoid revealing the late magician’s secrets. The celebrated artists/activists duo known as The Yes Men have been exposing corporate malfeasance since the early 1990s, by convincingly impersonating government officials, corporate officers, and salesmen at real-life events. In addition to videos of the pair’s many hoaxes, their installation features the inflatable Survivaball, an imagined “new Halliburton product” The Yes Men presented at an insurance conference about catastrophic loss, tricking the attendees of the conference into believing it was all real.  Two timely experiences will confront museumgoers in this exhibition: one is an artwork by Jacob Hicks utilizing ChatGPT Artificial Intelligence, and the other is a video about deepfakes edited by the Museum team.The new artwork by Hicks allows viewers to ask questions to a virtual magician and receive answers generated by the ChatGPT A.I. Jacob Hicks trained the ChatGPT A.I. to imagine itself as an ancient entity capable of telling the future, to be aware that it is an art project, and to be aware that Hicks wants it to present as a false persona.From The Magician, by Jacob Hicks. Video, computer with internet connection, black electric candles, computer tablet, crystal bubble vase, table (2023).The ChatGPT A.I. is trained to imagine itself as an ancient entity capable of telling the future, to be aware that it is an art project, and to present as a false persona.For the deepfakes video encounter, the Museum team will regularly update a video screen titled DEEPFAKE-O-RAMA with the latest deepfakes in the political news cycle during the run of the exhibition.  The Museum commissioned the artist Jeanette Andrews (also a professional magician) to create a new interactive work titled magi.cia.n inspired by the recently declassified CIA Manual of Trickery and Deception, written by two professional magicians. She created a “clean room” in the museum – an enclosed, transparent box with two holes equipped with gloves used by the viewer to flip through a blank journal that visually transforms into a magic book and then into a spy craft technical manual before one’s very eyes. Jeannette Andrews. Photograph by Saverio Truglia.The installation, surrounded by black curtains, also includes a video in which Andrews oscillates between her intricate sleight-of-hand as a stage magician, and then, into a CIA agent that uses the same skills for espionage in the real world. Both of her parallel realms rely on learning secret information, rehearsing until she gets it just right, and split-second timing. The Illusionist, by Jose Alvarez (D.O.P.A.). Acrylic, colored pencil, ink, pastel, handmade paper, feathers, quills and collage on paper ( 2021).Also featured is a major video artwork by Christian Jankowski titled Magic Numbers ruminating on the parallels between magic tricks and the world of finance, and the very real power of illusion; Lindsey White’s leg of the famous illusionist Harry Blackstone suspended from the ceiling; Faisal Abdu’Allah’s Duppy Conqueror II, an Afro-Caribbean conjuror spirit; Gavin Turk’s video recreation of the infamous 18th-century Mechanical Turk, a chess-playing automaton; the late Sarah Charlesworth’s entire Natural Magic suite of eleven large color photographs; a self-portrait by Alfredo Jaar dressed up as a magician; and the fantastical photographs by Stephen Berkman, where he resurrects a vanished world of imaginary characters using period photographic lenses from the 1800s and an archaic glass plate process. The Amazing Randi The exhibition also features an homage to one of the most notorious investigators of the paranormal, James Randi (a.k.a. The Amazing Randi, 1928-2020). Randi lived near the Boca Raton Museum with his husband and life partner of 34 years, the artist Jose Alvarez D.O.P.A. Randi was known for sponsoring the One Million Dollar Paranormal Challenge, offering one million dollars to anyone who could prove a supernatural or paranormal ability under agreed-upon scientific testing criteria. More than a thousand people applied to this challenge between 1964 and 2015, but none were successful.Randi originally defined himself as a conjuror, and began his career as a professional stage magician and escape-artist in 1946.In later years, he preferred to call himself a skeptical educator, and was a MacArthur Fellow "Genius Grant" winner. He maintained that magicians are honest liars because the audience is in on the deception.The section in the Smoke and Mirrors exhibition honoring the life of The Amazing Randi includes ephemera from his storied career, including his numerous television appearances on NBC's Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, and never-before-seen curiosities from Randi’s life-long collection of arcana, including his tour with the wildly theatrical 1970s rock star Alice Cooper. Two of Jose Alvarez D.O.P.A.’s magic-related paintings are featured in the exhibition.The PBS film An Honest Liar, documented Randi’s investigations to expose charlatans. From the film’s PBS website: “He discovered that faith healers, fortune tellers, and psychics were using his beloved magic tricks to swindle money from the credulous. Randi devoted his life to exposing con artists with wit and over-the-top showmanship all his own.""An acolyte of Harry Houdini, Randi became a famed magician-turned-debunker, with a series of unparalleled investigations and elaborate hoaxes. His grand schemes fooled scientists, the news media, and a gullible public, but always in service of demonstrating the importance of skepticism and the dangers of magical thinking.”Trial by Fire by Sarah Charlesworth (Cibachrome with lacquered wood frame). ©The Estate of Sarah Charlesworth. Courtesy of Paula Cooper Gallery.

Classical Invention | Black Dog String Quartet: A Thousand Times Brighter (Independent / 28 April 2023)
Classical InventionBlack Dog String Quartet: A Thousand Times Brighter(Independent / 28 April 2023)Stream It On SpotifyVancouver's Black Dog String Quartet bring Western classical music and contemporary sensibilities together with dramatic flair and virtuosic technique. Contemporary vocalists add a contrasting element to the dazzling classical musicianship.Their 2023 release A Thousand Times Brighter includes nine new compositions. "These songs present the quartet in an unique role: the quartet as a band, forming the energetic core of the music, with support on some tracks from upright bass, drums, and brass instruments. The composition reflects our collective interests in contemporary composition, fiddle, folk, and pop music. Recognizable pop forms are mixed with extended instrumental sections, unexpected textures, and extended string techniques. There are stylistic elements borrowed from fiddle music, contemporary classical, Romantic-period art song (especially German Lieder), contemporary folk, and Balinese gamelan."The album's primary thematic material is ecology and the natural world. The songs explore specific western Canadian environments such as the interior plateau, the coastal rainforest, and the prairies, as well as our human relationship with these places. Woven through this imagery is a narrative of deeply personal reflections on mental health, intimacy, and dreams."The Black Dog String Quartet was formed in 2007, and the group has appeared on the recordings of artists such as 54-40, Marianas Trench, Bleeding Through, among others. The individual members of the quartet have performed live on stage with acts such as Rod Stewart, Kanye West, Sting, Michael Buble, Mariah Carey, The Trans-Siberian Orchestra, and Video Games Live.All The Pretty Little Horses puts the traditional lullabye into a swell of strings that rise and fall with the words. Drums in a rapid-fire jazzy mode are the bottom layer to Two.  The effect is something like musical theatre in its dramatic intensity. In A Dream could also be in a staged production. Call it art song without the operatic style.How I Remember It is a standout on the release, with its jazzy syncopations on bass and drums. The vocals offer a conventional song structure against the increasingly complex web of string lines. Thompson is a folk song with a lush arrangement of strings, and a story of love lost. Black Dog String QuartetIn MemoriamDuring the production of "A Thousand Times Brighter", Black Dog String Quartet experienced a significant tragedy when their producer/engineer, Olivia Quan, passed away suddenly and unexpectedly of natural causes at just 25 years old. She had nearly finished mixing the album at the time - the final adjustments were done by her colleague, Tom Dobrzanski. "Olivia was a young audio engineering phenom, having already worked on multiple Juno-nominated recordings, and the BDSQ considered her a friend. We had specifically selected her to work on this project with us after having worked with her as a session quartet on multiple other artists' albums."Olivia's colleagues and family set up the Olivia Quan Award for Audio Excellence through Music BC in her memory. The remaining fees we owed her at the time of her passing were donated to this scholarship fund for promising young engineers. "A Thousand Times Brighter" is dedicated to Olivia and the olive tree imagery on the cover is a nod to her (as the name Olivia means 'olive tree'). Personnel: Elyse Jacobson, violin | Molly MacKinnon, violin | John Kastelic, viola | Doug Gorkoff, cello (with John Kastelic, Chelsea Rose, and Naomi Kavka on lead vocals) Websites:Official Website: blackdogstringquartet.comFacebook: facebook.com/blackdogstringquartetInstagram: instagram.com/blackdogquartet

Guitar Meets Erhu | Rock Of Asia: TAMI (Independent / June 16th 2023)
Guitar Meets ErhuRock Of Asia: TAMI(Independent / June 16th 2023)Buy/Stream It On Bandcamp Tokyo-based Rock Of Asia blend East and West, with a repertoire of traditional Japanese music in addition to its original and cover songs.Nikki Matsumoto performed rock music as a pro in the United States for about 15 years before returning to Tokyo to form Rock Of Asia. The band blends Western instruments like the guitar and violin with Eastern instruments like the koto, shamisen, sho, and erhu.The result is driving rock with an unexpected sound. Kizen Ohyama's virtuosic Shakuhachi, a Japanese bamboo flute, is a particularly lovely addition to the mix. The lyrics are in English, and Nikki's vocals are melodic when needed, and harsh enough for the rockier parts. Four-Legged Requiem has a jazzy edge and insistent rhythm, overlaid by layers of melody.There are eight tracks on the album, each presenting a different face to the fusion mix. Sunbright turns to traditional Japanese melodies for inspiration, mixed with a bit of North American folk rock. The erhu and violin weave in and out of the Shakuhachi.Capital In Your Vein leans into Western jazz, pop and rock with a gloss of Japanese instrumentation to make it interesting. Eastern Eyes is a standout track with a driving heart that showcases the violin as a rock instrument. It's an original sound that should appeal to eclectic tastes.Official Website: rockofasia.comFacebook: www.facebook.com/rockofasiaPersonnel: Nikki Matsumoto (Vocals, Biwa, Sanshin, Guitars, Bass, Programming & Percussions); Yasuhisa Murase (Acoustic Guitar); Kizen Ohyama (Shakuhachi); Yuki Ishii (Violin)

Neoclassical Piano | Frank Clare: Admiratio Magna (Independent / January 4, 2023)
Neoclassical PianoFrank Clare: Admiratio Magna (Independent / January 4, 2023) Stream It On SpotifyNeoclassical musician and composer Frank Clare delivers his debut album Admiratio Magna. It's inspired by Clare's appreciation for 19th century classical music, as well as his love of philosophy, science, and mindfulness, as he explains in a statement."I started piano at a late age, 15, and was never good at playing other people's music. But I loved music and wanted to play, so I started composing."The music of the 19th century spans classicism and romanticism, and Clare's style adds the sensibility of a minimalist - only as many notes as are required for the effect. "Admiratio Magna is Latin for The Big Surprise. What blows me away is that anything exists at all. Matter. You, me. Washing machines.The Grand Canyon, the Milky Way. Chocolate croissants. Anything. Everything. The Big Surprise. From nothing to everything and back again. Admiratio Magna.".It's an interesting premise, and results in a very contemporary expression. Patterns and snippets of melody and pure tone weave together with an eclectic sensibility. Clare leads the listener into his compositions with a skilful sense of structure - so skilful that it seems nonchalant. "I use notes to make music.  I also use notes to make space to dream in. "Part One, Vox Intus Omnia is Latin for The Voice Behind Everything. It's inner, still, heartbeat and breath. The space between heartbeat and breath.  The verge.  "Part Two, La Grande Sorpresa is inspired by Italian opera: melodramatic, rhapsodic and grand. It's ignition, excitement, catastrophe, and what's left after there's nothing left.  "Part Three, Apotheosis, starts with L'Extase, influenced by French music, creativity, frivolity, individuality, the battle between fun and responsibility, re-creation and the pure joy of being alive.  Die Apotheose is culmination, transformation, transfiguration.  Inspired by German classical music, it's foreboding, dramatic, apocalyptic, apotheotic.  Goodbye Hello brings us back to just after the end and just before the beginning."The seven tracks should please fans of relaxing and meditative piano music and contemporary neoclassical in general.Websites: Official Website: https://www.frankclare.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100012297945488 Instagram: Frank Clare 

Multi-layered Instrumental Music | MVI (Mark Vickness Interconnected): In The Rain Shadow (Independent / May 15, 2023)
Multi-layered Instrumental MusicMVI (Mark Vickness Interconnected): In The Rain Shadow(Independent / May 15, 2023)Stream It On SpotifyMVI, or Mark Vickness Interconnected, is a project of invention for the titular acoustic guitar virtuoso. On In The Rain Shadow, the collective has produced a multi-layered concept album of instrumental music."Most of the music on In The Rain Shadow takes its inspiration from moving to the high desert (California's Owens Valley) in late 2020. We live literally in the rain shadow, which is a meteorological term meaning on the sheltered side of a mountain range where there is less precipitation because of the wind patterns. "Most of the titles on this recording are taken from geological or meteorological features we experience daily. These compositions are intended to reflect a new appreciation for the opportunity to absorb the wonders of living in the rain shadow. It is humbling, awesome, peaceful, thrilling, tranquil and beautiful."The nine tracks are named after the natural surroundings - The Gorge, Alluvial Fans, Roadrunner. The instrumentation is lush and subtly intertwines the various voices. Each gets a chance to shine within the mix.The mood is generally upbeat, from the speedy rhythms of folky High Desert to the jazzy groove of The Gorge and gentle flow of Alluvial Fans. There are many different elements in the music.The ensemble has grown to become a 7-member collective, each bringing varied influences to the music, from jazz to progressive rock to classical and more.MVI Interconnected"MVI is intended to reflect musically the idea that we are all part of one incredibly diverse human family. As a composer, this is my dream ensemble. Each musician is an accomplished soloist adept at many different types of music. They all bring an astounding breadth and depth of musical understanding and experience. "There is almost no style of music we cannot draw from. We have a classical trio (violin, cello, oboe), a jazz quartet, percussion instruments from almost every continent and virtuoso players capable of playing pretty much anything I put in front of them from funk to raga style improvisation, from interwoven counterpoint to rock power chords, from a fast Irish 12/8 romp to an ambient textural tapestry and more – they do it all with ease and with an infectious energy that is palpable on every track. I could not be more grateful to be able to work with these remarkable musicians!"Stillness (for Will) is a standout track. Its meditative opening gives way to a vibrant polyrhythm underneath a soaring solos by the oboe and violin. After early training at the piano, Mark switched to acoustic fingerstyle guitar, and from performer to composer. He holds bachelors and masters degress in composition, and has studied classical piano, guitar, sitar, and tabla. Along with many years as a performer, he's composed film and dance scores.The album should please fans of classical music, jazz and global jazz, and and fusions thereof.Personnel: Mark Vickness/guitar; Mads Tolling/violin; Matt Renzi/winds; Joseph Hebert/cello; Dan Feiszli/bass; Ty Burhoe/tabla; MB Gordy/percussionOnline:Websites: www.markvickness.comOfficial Website: www.markvickness.comFacebook: www.facebook.com/mark.vickness/Instagram: mvi_interconnectedThe release has included a series of live HD videos.

Melodic Pop | Bill Godfrey: Hypnotized (Independent / Sept 8 2023)
Melodic PopBill Godfrey: Hypnotized(Independent / Sept 8 2023)Stream It On SpotifyMulti-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter Bill Godfrey's Hypnotized is an album with a kind of story to tell."Hypnotized is a coming-of-age exploration of a young mind that seeks identity and love, but struggles to break free from outside influence and control. Each track explores a means of influence over the mind, by way of fear, grief, co-dependence, substances, dogma, or even malice."His style blends elements of traditional folk and bluegrass, and a poetic sense of storytelling, with a bit of a jazzy edge. Occasionally, he throws orchestration and electronics bits into the mix. It creates an interesting sound that nods to retro jazz and pop, but with a sense of invention that's definitely contemporary.Bill GodfreyThe themes of obsession and influence run through the lyrics of all the songs. On Hypnotized, the title track, it's a romantic obsession, while on Sprightly Gentleman, it's about the cookie cutter influence of school on kids - and how it can be broken. As a singer, he's a versatile tenor who reminds occasionally of Paul Simon. Mama Help Me is a standout track that veers from dancey melodic sections to a heartfelt plea. Patiently has a slow and sexy groove that drives a story about waiting for love.Bill grew up in rural Texas and started playing music at a young age."The Kerrville Folk Festival was a big part of my early exposure to playing and singing. It’s a 3 week long camp out in which friends bring instruments and play music together. Only acoustic instruments are allowed. I learned a ton of songs and was exposed to artists like Townes Van Zandt, Rodney Crowell, Guy Clark, Blaze Foley, James Taylor, Carol King and John Prine."Fans of singer-songwriters who break from the mould will love this release.Personnel: Bill Godfrey - All instrumental performances except: Ray Zepeda - Saxophone solo on Sprightly Gentleman; Dani Poppit - Backing vocals on Patiently; Marshall Gallagher - electric guitar solo on Mama Help MeOnline:Websites:  https://billgodfrey.com   https://hypnotized.billgodfrey.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/billgodfreymusicInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/billgodfreymusic/

World Premiere: Walking Through the Fire | Indigenous Collaborations with Sultans of String
With material from a media releaseWorld Premiere: Walking Through the FireIndigenous Collaborations with Sultans of String Stream It From Your Fave Service HEREAll Tour Tickets On Sale HEREI'm a little bit late to get on the bandwagon of this tour of an exciting new release by global music specialists Sultans of String. They've collaborated with award-winning First Nations, Métis, and Inuit artists to bring it to the stage in a world premiere production.The tour began a couple of days ago in Markham. See below for the rest of the schedule so far.Walking Through the FireWalking Through the Fire is a musical multimedia experience unlike any other. From Métis fiddling to an East Coast Kitchen Party, rumba to rock, to the drumming of the Pacific Northwest, experience the beauty and diversity of music from Turtle Island with Alyssa Delbaere-Sawchuk of the Métis Fiddler Quartet, Ojibwe/Finnish Singer-Songwriter Marc Meriläinen (Nadjiwan), Coast Tsm’syen Singer-Songwriter Shannon Thunderbird, Mi'kmaw Fingerstyle Guitarist Don Ross, Dene Singer-songwriter Leela Gilday, Elder and poet Dr. Duke Redbird, and The North Sound from the prairies, performing on stage, as well as virtual guests on the big screen, including the Northern Cree pow wow group, and more.A central theme running through Walking Through The Fire is the need for the truth of Indigenous experience to be told before reconciliation can begin in earnest. Embedded in the title of the show is the energy of rebirth: fire destroys, but it also nourishes the soil to create new growth, beauty, and resiliency. Walking Through The Fire ensures that we emerge on the other side together, stronger and more unified.Nîmihito (Dance) is the first single off the Sultans of String album Walking Through the Fire TOUR SCHEDULE:The first leg of the tour features Leela Gilday, The North Sound, Don Ross, Shannon Thunderbird, Alyssa Delbaere-Sawchuk, Marc Meriläinen (Nadjiwan), and a multimedia extravaganza including Northern Cree, Kendra Tagoona, Tracy Sarazin, Duke Redbird and more.Sep 28 – Markham               Flato Markham TheatreSep 29 – Stratford                Stratford SymphonySep 30 - St Catharines          Niagara Symphony-FirstOntario PACOct 1 - St Catharines            Niagara Symphony-FirstOntario PACOct 2 - St Catharines            FirstOntario PAC Education showOct 3 – Brantford                 Brantford SymphonyOct 4 – Lindsay                     Flato Academy TheatreThe second leg features Shannon Thunderbird, Alyssa Delbaere-Sawchuk, Marc Meriläinen (Nadjiwan), and a multimedia extravaganza including Northern Cree, Kendra Tagoona, Tracy Sarazin, Duke Redbird, and more.Oct 10 – Sudbury                  Café Heritage – Education & Evening showOct 11 - North Bay               Capitol CentreOct 12 – Timmins                 Timmins Museum, O’Gorman HSOct 13 – Geraldton               Geraldton Concert SeriesOct 14 - Thunder Bay           Sleeping Giant Folk Music SocietyOct 15 – Dryden                   Dryden Entertainment SeriesOct 16 - Sioux Lookout         Sioux Hudson Entertainment SeriesOct 17 - Red Lake                 Red Lake Entertainment SeriesOct 18 – Kenora                   Lake of the Woods Concert GroupOct 19 - Fort Frances            Tour de Fort Entertainment SeriesOct 22 – Burlington              Burlington PACOct 23 – Burlington              Burlington PAC Education showNov 12 – Walkerton             Victoria Jubilee Hall2024 (more dates being added)Jan 19 - Ottawa                    Centrepointe TheatreJan 23 – Kingston                 Kingston Grand Theatre – Education & Evening showJan 25 – Brampton               Rose Theatre – Education & Evening showJan 30 – Guelph                    River Run Centre Education showJan 31 – Guelph                    River Run Centre Education showFeb 1 – Guelph                     River Run Centre – Education & Evening showMar 2 – Winnipeg                Winnipeg Symphony OrchestraMar 3 – Winnipeg                Winnipeg Symphony OrchestraApril 15 – Markham             Flato Markham Theatre – Education ShowApril 16 – Markham        Flato Markham Theatre – Education Show

Dancer/Choreographer David Giller: From The NBA Courts To Neoclassical Opera
Dancer/Choreographer David Giller: From The NBA Courts To Neoclassical Opera“As a kid I always loved sports,” says professional dancer and choreographer David Giller. He played tennis, basketball, and every other recreational sport he came across. “I was always expressive physically.”Dancer/choreographer David GillerAs he tried a series of sports and activities, dance and tennis were the last two disciplines he came to. He was already dancing competitively when he made his final choice. “I pretty much chose dance over tennis because I felt a lot more creativity and artistry in dance.”He went on to study dance at George Brown College. “I absolutely loved the programme,” he says. “I loved being downtown.” He credits the environment for truly bringing him into the dance world.In the beginning, that consisted of “a lot of free gigs and networking” – a familiar story in any creative field. In the process, he realized that he wanted more training, and went back to George Brown for another two years, adding more intensive training and ballet to his skill set. His first year back, though, got cut off by the pandemic, and eventually became a hybrid online/in-person. David recalls doing ballet in a mask and face shield. “You stand, and you’re exhausted,” he laughs. “It was pretty funny.” The Celestial FoxAnd, despite its drawbacks, the time was well spent. When the dance world finally opened back up again, he’d already made the connections to move on quickly. David became part of a production with the Garden Little Night Orchestra titled The Legend of Huli, based on ancient legends of the Celestial Fox. David served as both choreographer and dancer in a role that took him through several styles of music from flamenco and jazz to baroque. Together with composer, arranger, and guitarist Roman Smirnov, Chinese pipa virtuoso Wen Zhao and oud, lyra and percussion player Demetrios Petsalakis, the show toured to Estonia as well as playing in Toronto.“It was very much improvised,” he recalls. There was little time for preparations before the show hit the stage, and then the road. “I was dancing for instruments.”Along with the performing experience, he got a closer look at how shows are financed, as well as the working trip to Estonia. “It was a whole different side of the world to me.” He was the youngest in a group of veteran performers, including Wen Zhao, who is in her 70s and still touring. “I definitely learned a lot from that. I was really grateful to be able to experience it.” Eventually another dancer from Russia was added to the show. “We performed in the nicest places.”David has appeared in music videos, and worked with a variety of noted choreographers, like Hollywood Jade, Shavar Blackwood, Nicola Pantin, Leon Blackwood, Chris Clarke, George Jone, among others. The RaptorsIn between his bouts of college studies, David auditioned for the Raptors.“There’s not a lot of consistency in jobs with dance,” he says. It was almost a challenge – to prove to the world that he could make a living as a dancer. “The training, because it is performing in front of 20,00 people, I always wanted that,” he says. It began with the G-league Raptors in small stadiums in front of a hundred fans or so – not at the Scotiabank Arena. During the second year of the pandemic, he auditioned for the NBA versions. He got the gig, which at the time involved dancing in a mask, with a schedule that could be cancelled at a moment’s notice. “I was still happy that I made it,” he said. “It’s really, really fun. It pushes me.” It led to regular visits to the gym just to keep up with the choreography. “Everyone was already an athlete. All the dancers were very athletic. It really inspired me.”It’s also a busy schedule, with three-hour rehearsals twice a week along with the games. “It’s pretty heavy,” he says – although he still finds time to teach private swimming lessons. Tango For Two“Anything I can pretty much do to stay innovative,” he says of what drives him. In October, he’ll be performing in a new neoclassical opera by Toronto composer Jonathan Kravtchenko titled Tango for Two. The innovative project combines original neoclassical music, opera, and dance. Naturally, the piece involves an entirely different style than what he performs for the Raptors games. “It definitely asks for a lot more, but also just, being flexible [...] to the style that’s given to me,” he says. “I just have to be observant of what the song asks of me.”Learning the tango has been an interesting challenge, including research. “Just like any homework you do,” he explains. “It’s more about the flow than the really fast spins and all that. It’s a sensual style, but it’s classy. It’s nice to research and explore a dance that’s classy like that.”Tickets for Tango For Two are on sale [HERE].Dance Film On And On is David's dance film, released in September 2022. From his description:I can't write you a love song but I can dance you this song. It's my truth to share something as valuable, as impactful as this feeling inside me. My love for our love. The steps will pour out of me as these words shoot out of my thumbs. It's beautiful, it's important, it's feeling.The most impactful thing we can share in this world is how we feel. People will relate and see the window into your truest self. Opening up and letting everyone know that you are more. You are you. Forever in your arms so please keep on holding on and on. I might be lost at times, but if you have me forever I will show you my unconditional love. It will guide me in our relationship. Choreographed and Performed by David Giller; Directed by Theo Zgraggen; Featuring Nicole Jaskot; Music by Thirdstory

Sharing Our Songs: The Songwriter's Open Circle & Lyric Party
Sharing Our Songs:The Songwriter's Open Circle & Lyric PartySince February of 2023, I've been hosting an even I've called the Songwriter's Open Circle & Lyric Party at a local venue called The Casbah.After a painting possibly by Emmanuel Noterman, portrait, genre and animal painter and etcher, 1808-1863, or by Zacharias Noterman, genre and animal painter and etcher, 1813-1874; printed by Lemercier et Cie, ParisThe idea is essentially an open mic for singer-songwriters, but one where you not only get to play your original music for an appreciative audience, but you can also talk about the songwriting process, and what went into each song. You can crowdsource help for lyric ideas, if you want - and people have done that.When I started out, I was honestly expecting a lot of showboating - you know. You've seen them. Those people who go to open mics to show off, and they inevitably have some interminable folk-ish songs with 12 verses... You know.But, that's not what happened at all.Instead, people have come out and shared their thoughts and their lives along with their art, and it's been truly wonderful. They've had sing-alongs;They've tried out works-in-progress for feedback;They've come out to share their music for the very first time in front of people.It's attracted 20-somethings who've been creating and producing work online and via livestreams, and oldsters who've been on stage for four or five decades.I'm really grateful for the response. If you're in Hamilton, we're at it the second Saturday of the month from 2 til 5.This is my opening set from the third one in June, 2023:


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