Leading up to our show at Celebration of Nations on September 7 we will be featuring each of our artists! Today’s second Artist Spotlight is singer Conlin Delbaere-Sawchuk.
Conlin Delbaere-Sawchuk is a singer and
steel-string guitarist who draws inspiration from his heritage, fusing Métis
folk traditions with contemporary musical genres and styles. He
holds a Bachelor of Music in classical voice performance from the University
of Ottawa. In addition to his performance practice, he has
worked extensively as a presenter and workshop facilitator, sharing his passion
for Métis history, Canadian music, and creative processes. He is currently
a JD candidate at the University of Toronto, Faculty of Law.
Leading up to our show at Celebration of Nations on September 7 we will be featuring each of our artists! Today’s first Artist Spotlight is horn player Iris Krizmanic.
Iris Krizmanic holds the position of principal horn in the Windsor Symphony Orchestra and third horn in the Niagara Symphony. She graduated from the Glenn Gould School, having studied with principal horn of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Neil Deland, and Associate Principal horn, Christopher Gongos. A multi-talented musician, Iris is also an accomplished singer and she plays the cello. She has participated in the Tafelmusik Baroque Summer Institute as a vocalist, has performed in musicals and G&S productions as a cellist, and she loves performing chamber music, especially with her woodwind quintet, Quintagious!
Leading up to our show at Celebration of Nations on September 7 we will be featuring each of our artists! Today’s second Artist Spotlight is trombonist Justin McLean.
Justin McLean is an Ojibwe Bass Trombonist from Sudbury, Ontario. Since 2013, he has performed on bass Trombone with the Timmins Symphony, Sudbury Symphony, the Northern Brass Choir, Pembroke Symphony, Thunder Bay Symphony, and has made appearances on CBC Radio. Although Justin is primarily a bass trombonist, he also performs on euphonium, and tuba. Justin regularly assists and mentors amateur and semi-professional groups throughout the Sudbury area, including directing the Hark Wind Ensemble’s recording for Mozart’s Grand Partita. He performed in the premiere of “Contraries: a Chamber Requiem”, in 2018. Most recently he completed a residency with the inaugural “Indigenous Dramaturgies Gathering” at the “Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity.”
Leading up to our show at Celebration of Nations on September 7 we will be featuring each of our artists! Today’s first spotlight is our bassoonist, Kevin Harris.
Kevin Harris is an active freelance orchestral bassoonist, performing with the Niagara Symphony, the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, the Windsor Symphony, Against the Grain Theatre, and the Toronto Concert Orchestra. He also enjoys belonging to several chamber ensembles: his woodwind quintets Blythwood Winds and Quintagious!, and the electric pop bassoon quartet DFM. Always interested in discovering and creating repertoire for these groups, Kevin is an avid arranger, crafting everything from Mozart arias for woodwind quintet to ‘80s pop standards for four amplified bassoons.
Kevin’s quintet “Quintagious!” is playing a show on September 12th, 7:30pm at Heliconian Hall.
Leading up to our show at Celebration of Nations on September 7 we will be featuring each of our artists! Our first Artist Spotlight is singer Everett Morrison.
Everett Morrison is an Aboriginal (Cree) bass-baritone. Everett is originally from Moosonee, Ontario and now resides in Wikwemikong, Ontario. Everett is a band member of The Crees of Waskaganish Quebec.
He is a graduate of Cambrian College’s Music Program (Voice) and a Graduate from Laurentian’s Music Program (Voice).
Everett has studied with Marion Harvey-Hannah and Dr. Robert Hall. He has performed throughout Northern Ontario and Northern Quebec. Everett also facilitates Voice Workshops for Aboriginal Youth. Everett made his professional debut spring of 2017 with the Canadian Opera Company. He sang the role of the Wandering Spirit war chief of the Crees in the Canadian Opera Company’s production of the Canadian opera Louis Riel. Everett also sang at the National Arts Centre of their production of Louis Riel in June of 2017. Then in July of 2017 in Quebec City for Opéra de Québec / Festival d’opéra de Québec in Louis Riel.
Everett made his Opera in Concert debut singing the role of David Joe in Victor Davies world premiere of the opera The Ecstasy of Rita Joe March 2018. Everett sang the bass solos for unsettled scores. Contraries a requiem which was based on Residential school. It was in partnership with The Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto June of 2018.
Tickets are only $20 ($5 for high school students) and are available here.
Additionally, we will be providing a limited number of FREE tickets to Indigenous community organizations and centres. If you are interested, please email unsettledscorescelebration[at]gmail.com
RADAR is a new work for oboe, bassoon, horn, bass trombone, guitar and timpani that explores the conceptual idea of a palindrome, and the notion of being targeted while invisible. This piece is a musical response to the violence experienced by Indigenous people, particularly Indigenous women, Two-Spirit, and Trans-identified persons.
Contraries: a chamber requiem tells the story of a little boy and his quest to relearn his gifts. After escaping the grip of a tyrannical schoolmaster, he embarks on a journey to fulfill his heroic destiny and transform into a sacred being.
Chi Miigwetch to the Brock University Social Justice Research Institute Seed Grant program for research support, the Faculty of Education Discretionary Strategic Initiatives Fund, the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, and the Music and Dramatic Arts Departments.
We are excited to be part of this year’s Weesageechak Begins to Dance 31! We will be presenting an excerpt of our new full-length opera, Canoe, at the festival’s Opera Night on November 17 at Aki Studio. We are grateful to Native Earth Performing Arts for supporting the development of this work through their Mskomini Giizis Artist Residency this past summer.
Canoe is a tale of transformation that revolves around the lives of eccentric sisters, Constance and Gladys, and the flood that consumes their world. Blending Indigenous oral tradition with neo-baroque and jazz/blues motifs, Canoe is a unique operatic performance.
This presentation will feature Nicole Joy-Fraser, Conlin Delbaere-Sawchuk , Cecilia Lee on piano, and will be dramaturged by Moynan King.
As we moved into week two of our Mskomini Giizis Residency with Native Earth Performing Arts we were very excited to begin working with our director, Moynan King, and our designers Jay Havens (sets), Samay Arcentales Cajas (projections) and Kinoo Arcentales (costumes), as well as our stage manager, Heather Kilner!
As a team we’re having a great time teasing out the dramatic and comedic elements of this opera, as well as envisioning how it could be presented in a full production. We are thankful for everyone’s contributions as they fearlessly explore the work and experiment with us.
Week three will start to incorporate the instruments, as well as the design elements which, until now, have been in the planning and conceptualizing stages!
We have just finished our first week of the Mskomini Giizis Residency at Native Earth Performing Arts, and are so thankful to be able to work with such amazing musicians (and dogs)! Next week we will start working with director Moynan King, as well as our design team and stage manager on integrating the non-musical aspects of this opera.