Vancouver, BC - The Chan Centre for the Performing Arts at the University of British Columbia (UBC) presents environmental activist Severn Cullis-Suzuki and celebrated Inuit throat singer Tanya Tagaq tonight and tomorrow, October 16 & 17, 2014 at 7:30pm, as part of the Beyond Words series at the Telus Studio Theatre. This original collaboration masterfully combines words and music -- Tagaq will be joined on stage by acclaimed violinist, Jesse Zubot - to address a pressing range of political, ecological, and cultural issues.
Launched in 2012, Beyond Words explores the power of words in performance as an agent of change and means of igniting conversation. Previous events have focused on literature and poetry, including sold-out engagements by John K. Samson, Shane Koyczan, and Ivan Coyote. Cullis-Suzuki and Tagaq's upcoming performance breaks new ground as the first of the series to delve into environmental issues and music.
"Beyond Words was conceived as a means of tying together literature and the performing arts - I am thrilled to see it evolve to incorporate non-fiction forms of expression," said
Wendy Atkinson, Rentals and Programming Manager of the Chan Centre. "Tanya is an absolutely captivating artist and musician. For those familiar with her work, this will be an opportunity to experience her in a whole new light: combining forces with a fellow, devoted activist for a timely exploration of global sustainability."
Cullis-Suzuki and Tagaq merge their unique skills to present a daring conversation around the mass extinction event the globe is currently witnessing. Through lecture, dialogue, and musical performance, the duo touches on our individual role in democracy; the intersection of justice, ecology, and culture - as well as the influence of women and indigenous ways of knowing, protecting, and stewarding the earth in a time of profound destruction.
A public environmental activist since childhood, when she captured the spotlight at the Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit in 1992 at age 12 (now a viral hit entitled
"The Girl Who Silenced the World for Five Minutes"), Vancouver-born Severn Cullis-Suzuki is also an author, host of the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network series Samaqan - Water Stories, and a Yale-educated scientist. A board member of the David Suzuki Foundation, council member of the Skeena-Northwest BC Citizens' Conservation Council on Climate Change, and a champion of We Canada Initiative at the Earth Summit in 2012, Cullis-Suzuki - who currently resides on the archipelago of Haida Gwaii - has spoken extensively on sustainability issues around the world.
Tanya Tagaq is a contemporary performance artist who uses the ancient traditional Inuit art of throat singing to bring her singular talent to audiences around the world. Since breaking onto the world stage in 2001, she has emerged as a Canadian national treasure. Born and raised in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, Tagaq has received numerous accolades for her work and is currently shortlisted for the 2014 Polaris Music Prize for her most recent recording, Animism. Recently she has ventured into film as a composer, narrator, actor, and writer, most recently on the award-winning short Tungijuq.
Previous collaborations have seen her share the stage at
Carnegie Hall with dynamic new music ensemble Kronos Quartet, in recording and on tour with Icelandic pop star Björk; just prior to her engagement at the Chan Centre this fall, Tagaq performs alongside the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra in the Royal Winnipeg Ballet's 75th anniversary season opener Going Home Star - Truth and Reconciliation.
For the Beyond Words performance, Tagaq is joined onstage by frequent collaborator, violinist and three-time JUNO award-winning musician and composer, Jesse Zubot.
About the Chan Centre for Performing Arts at UBC (
www.chancentre.com) - Since 1997, the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts at UBC has earned an international reputation for its striking design, stellar acoustics, and exceptional programming. Artists, critics, and patrons alike are unanimous in their praise of the facility, winning it a place among North America's premier performing arts venues. The Chan Centre boasts three unique venues: the superb Chan Shun Concert Hall, the dramatic Telus
Studio Theatre, and the intimate Royal Bank Cinema. From classical, jazz, theatre, and opera to world music, the Chan Centre is a vital part of UBC campus life - a place where the artistic and academic disciplines integrate with one another to inspire new perspectives on life and culture. Past performers and guest speakers include:
Yo-Yo Ma, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Renée Fleming,
Wynton Marsalis, Sigur Rós,
Mavis Staples, and
Hugh Masekela.
DETAILS:Beyond Words: Severn Cullis-Suzuki and Tanya Tagaq
October 16 & 17, 2014 at 7:30pm
Ticket Prices: From $20
Address: Telus
Studio Theatre at the
Chan Centre for the Performing Arts at UBC, 6265 Crescent Road, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z1
Box Office: 604-822-2697 /
chancentre.com
In person at the Chan Centre ticket office, open Tue-Sat, 12pm-5pm; Performance Days, 12pm-intermission; Sun-Mon performance days: 2.5 hours before event start until intermission. Closed Sundays, Mondays, and statutory holidays.
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