Soundstreams Presents ODDITORIUM By R. Murray Shafer, 3/2-5

Soundstreams is thrilled to present Odditorium from March 2nd-5th, a selection of music theatre works by acclaimed Canadian composer R. Murray Schafer, under the creative direction of award-winning film and theatre director Chris Abraham.

Performances: March 2nd-5th, 2017

Thursday March 2nd, 2017 at 8PM

Friday March 3rd, 2017 at 7PM and 10PM

Saturday March 4th, 2017 at 7PM and 10PM

Sunday March 5th, 2017 at 2PM

Venue:

Newly opened Crow's Theatre, 345 Carlaw Avenue

Repertoire:

Amente-Nufe, Crown of Ariadne, Tantrika, La testa d'Adriana

Odditorium weaves together 4 works from opera, theatre, and dance, all selections from Schafer's Patria-cycle: Amente-Nufe, Crown of Ariadne,Tantrika, and La testa d'Adriana. Conceived over a 40 year period, Patria is considered one of the most radical and inventive Canadian works created in the past half-century, and consists of a cycle of 12 music-theatre works featuring a labyrinth of sideshows, lovers, buskers, and Tantric experts. As the Toronto Star has proclaimed, "there is nothing like Patria in the history of Canadian musical theatre."

The newly conceived realization of these 4 works from Schafer's Patria cycle will debut at Streetcar Crowsnest, Crow's Theatre's new state-of-the art performing arts facility in Toronto's east end. Odditorium will be brought to life with creative collaboration from multi-award-winning film and theatre directorChris Abraham (Crow's Theatre, Stratford Festival, Canadian Stage Company).

Odditorium features two outstanding Schafer stalwarts, harpist Judy Loman and accordionist Joseph Macerollo. They are joined by some of the country's most prominent interpreters of contemporary music and dance: Carla Huhtanen, soprano, Andrea Ludwig, mezzo-soprano; percussionists Ryan Scott, Dan Morphy; and dancer/choreographers Andrea Nann and Brendan Wyatt.

"Schafer invites us to journey with him into an exceptional world of magic and mythology. He touches us constantly with the eerily familiar, yet leaving us with a profound yearning for a return to innocence. These four remarkable works have been sculpted together as a continuous whole, exploring the deepest recesses of Schafer's creative mind" explains Lawrence

Cherney, Soundstreams Artistic Director.

"Myths of creation and destruction, death and re-birth, and the mythic archetypes of Ariadne, Theseus, the minotaur, and the labyrinth are on Schafer's mind. He speaks to our unconscious mind, in order to activate our mythic imagination. Our aim has been to follow his lead and create a space for connections and resonances between these four works" said creative consultant Chris Abraham.

Soundstreams has a storied history with R. Murray Schafer. Soundstreams has commissioned numerous works: the large-scale opera The Children's Crusade co-produced with Luminato; The Fall Into Light for 7 choirs; Death of Shalana, Isfahan, The Soul of God, and Hear The Sounds Go Round. Schafer, one of Canada's most prolific composers, librettists, and music educators, was the first recipient of the Jules Léger Prize (1978) and the Glen Gould Prize (1987). Among his numerous awards and accolades, Schafer has received the Governor General's Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement, and was made a Companion of the Order of Canada in 2013.

Cast:

Andrea Ludwig, Mezzo
Judy Loman, Harp
Carla Huhtanen, Soprano
Ryan Scott, Percussion
Dan Morphy, Percussion
Joseph Macerollo O.C, Accordion
Andrea Nann, Dancer
Brendan Wyatt, Dancer/Co-choreographer

Creative Team:

Chris Abraham, Creative Consultant

Zack Russell, Creative Assistant

Andrea Naan, Choreographer

Kim Purtell, Lightning Designer

Shannon Lea Doyle, Costume/ Set Designer

John Hess, Vocal Coach/ Music Director

Thomas Ryder Payne, Sound Designer

Tickets range from $22-$67.50 and are available through the Crow's Theatre Box Office at 647-341-7390 or online at Soundstreams.ca.

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