I'm in Japan! 12/26/2011
 
This is what's kicking off next year at the Canadian Embassy in Tokyo. 
Picture
Rebirth: Reflections for Japan post 3/11
January 18 – March 16, 2012
Embassy of Canada Prince Takamado Gallery
Admission Free

カナダ人アーティストによるグループ展
「再生：3.11後の日本に捧げるアート」
2012年1月18日（水） ～ 3月16日（金）
於　カナダ大使館高円宮記念ギャラリー
入場無料
 
 
Picture
The Wellington Centre choir is a small choir (at the moment) that I work with. We are having a very casual summer concert this Saturday. Why not stop by if you are in Verdun and enjoy the music and the beautiful church. 

LE SAMEDI 20 AOÛT 2011, 14H (PORTE 13H30) 
L'ÉGLISE NOTRE-DAME-DES-SEPT-DOULEURS 
4155 RUE WELLINGTON MONTRÉAL (VERDUN), QC  

ENTRÉE LIBRE - OUVERT AU PUBLIC / 
FREE ADMISSION - OPEN TO THE PUBLIC  
INFO: (514) 768-2668 ext. 309  
Le Centre Wellington est un centre de réadaptation psychosociale  et de soutien communautaire (SPECTRUM). / The Wellington Centre is a psychosocial rehabilitation and community support centre (SPECTRUM).
 
 
Matsuri Japon 
".. an event presented in the spirit of a traditional Japanese festival, as a means to develop greater awareness of Japanese culture among Montreal citizens and foreign visitors." 

Saturday, August 13th, from 12pm to 9:30pm
Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre of Montreal 
8155 Rousselot, Montréal (métro Jarry)
(514) 728-1996
info@festivaljapon.com
 
Someone 06/13/2011
 
Happy mid-June!

Performing Stimmung at the Suoni festival was a blast with confetti of congrats, excitement and concentrated energy! Music in the right place at the right time for the right audience. I'd like to do it again. 

Here is an experimental filmmaker Marianna Milhorat, a young woman who is a true artist, also my old roommate now living in Chicago. She is one of the coolest people I've ever met, and I wish people not only to see her art work, but also to get to meet her in person and get to know her along the way.
 
 
Picture
Songwriter, Mandolinist, my friend Todd Macdonald (Norvaisa) has invited me to sing along a little at his weekly gig starting this week! 

MERCREDI TURQUOISE
Wednesday, June 1st, around 9pm
Bistro Chilien Araucaria (5607 Parc, Montréal)
(514) 278-6134

The weather is nice. Go out and dine and enjoy the turquoise lay back sounds. Work a little, too. 



 
 
Stimmung by Karlheinz Stockhausen
Tuesday, June 7th, 9pm
Sala Rossa
4848 Boul. St-Laurent, Montréal
(514) 844-4227
Picture
Ensemble:
Soprano: Sarah Albu
Soprano II: Aya Aikawa
Alto: Dina Cindric
Tenor: Olivier Borzeix
Baritone: Rémy Bélanger de Beauport
Bass: Wil Eizlini

Artistic Direction: Will Eizlini
Duration: approx 60-70 minutes
Stimmung is a contemporary classical piece composed by Karlheinz Stockhausen which premiered in 1969. It is written for 6 voices doing a form of overtone singing based on vowels to produce overtone melodies. Stimmung is considered to be the first systematic use of overtone singing within a classical music piece. (the diagram above is the vowel square found on cover of the 1969 and 1982 recordings on Stockhausen’s own label, and represents the core technique of this piece).

Inspired by architectural visions from his journeys among the Meso-American Ruins in Mexico, Stimmung proceeds though 51 movements like a 1960s modern exploration of incantation, drones, intonation and timbre; it reflects on humans tuning into magic and ritual, nature, globalisation of culture, and the sexual revolution. Stockhausen distils the spirit of neo-pagan late 60s and brings this into the classical music world. The piece is playful, openly erotic and filled with the composer’s cleverness, wit, and inside jokes.

In Stimmung, The performers are usually placed in the center of the hall, sitting cross legged on cushions, with the audience arranged in a circular fashion around them. The hall’s lighting is dimmed only to the lights among the performers. The performance begins with the singers tuning into the first 9 natural harmonics of a b-flat (114 Hz) aided by the drone.

The singers move through the movements of the piece according guidelines that allow the performers to arrange their own sequence of the 51 moments (models). This performance features a new and original arrangement of the different sections of this piece, never before performed.

A rare and not to be missed event!
 
 
DU JAZZ POUR LE JAPON MONTRÉAL
Sunday, May 22nd, starting at 5(4:45)pm
Ticket: $ 25
Rialto Theatre
5723 Parc, Montréal
(514) 770-7773

".. will reunite 50+ jazz musicians among the best in Quebec, to help the Japanese survivors of the tsunami, on-going earthquakes and radiation leakage since March 11th, 2011. (Profits generated by this event will be sent directly to the Japanese Red-Cross Society in Japan through the General Consul of Japan in Montreal. For more info: Barbara Reney (514) 332-0879 Barbara.Reney@mcgill.ca)"

Remember to be there a bit early since I'm opening the event at 4:45pm:))) 
I'm excited to see the spectacle myself..
The artist line-up: http://dujazzpourlejaponmontreal.com 
 
Donation account 05/02/2011
 
Happy May everybody! Summer is almost here in Montreal.

The Consulate General of Japan at Montreal has created an account specifically for donations for the relief of the great east Japan earthquake. The donations will be sent to the Japanese Red Cross Society. Please check out the link for details. 
Picture
My performance this month will be on the 12th and the 22nd. 
On May 12th I will be opening boire.manger.donner... party for Japan with songs in Japanese. Drink, eat and give! 
On May 22nd I will be amongst many Montreal jazz artists at the concert DU JAZZ POUR LE JAPON MONTRÉAL. Music will continue! 
 
 
2 weekend Coco☆Montréal event made around $3500 last week, and the music/environmental event REACTOR made over $3000!! It will be going directly to Japan. Hurray! 
We can do it! 
My next performance will be on April 19th and will be a part of an event at Collège Stanislas, Montreal. 
 
Radio for Japan 03/31/2011
 
A short panel discussion I had with Alice Petersen (Organizer of fundraising event for New Zealand and Japan: “Readings from the Ring of Fire") on The Link on Radio Canada International. 
I'm speaking a little bit about how I felt when the earthquake happened in Japan, how it feels to be away from home when a disaster occurs and what can each person do to support their home county.