Artist: Reena Katz
Reena Katz uses recorded sound, handmade electronics, wood and live performance to create diverse listening spaces. She was born in Guelph, Ontario in 1975, and is currently based out of Toronto. Her work explores gender, ethnicity, migration and anachronism with a constant reference to collectivity and oral archive. Katz focuses on the use and re-use of analog sound technologies, as well as fibers and materials from a variety of wounded landscapes.
Guided by a deep love of collaboration, Katz has developed an inventive and strong voice across disciplines. Her collaborations include film and video, poetry, dance and grassroots organizing. She teaches music, listening practice and audio production in a variety of educational settings.
Katz’s compositions, installations and performances have been exhibited at galleries, festivals and on radio internationally, including Toronto, Montreal, New York and Berlin.
Curator: Kim Simon
Kim Simon is the curator of Gallery TPW, an artist-run centre in Toronto with a media mandate focused on photography, video and film. In addition to TPW, Kim regularly writes and curates independently for other institutions. In 2006 she was one of the curators for Toronto’s first edition of Nuit Blanche. More recent projects include curating and writing for the Mississaugua Art Gallery, York Quay Gallery, Musée d’Art Joliette, and The Tree Museum
Poster Design: Leslie Topness
Leslie Topness is a Toronto base letterpress printer and text-based visual artist. Her work is draws on the traditions of visual poetry and the avant-garde typographical experiments by artists working in the first half of the 20th century in Europe (e.g. Hendrik Nicolaas Werkman, El Lissitzky, iliazd).
Choir: Christine Duncan and The Element Choir
The Element Choir is an improvising choir from Toronto led by vocalist Christine Duncan. This is a group that works with both structured and non-structured elements, based primarily on a system of conduction cues. As an ensemble we explore textural and timbral sound qualities, soundscapes, rhythmic patterns, sound poetry, group and individual composition ideas, musical genre interplay and extended voice techniques. This cinematic approach to group vocalizing presents both tonal and non-tonal material in a constantly evolving and ‘in the moment’ sonic environment.
A musical chameleon with a near five octave range, Christine Duncan uses her voice as an instrument, exploring its full tonal, timbral and textural range. She is involved with everything from jazz, R&B, gospel, improvised music, sound poetry, to new music and musique actuelle. She performs with many musical groups and projects, most notably Hugh Fraser’s VEJI (Vancouver Ensemble of Jazz Improvisation) and Barnyard Drama with drummer/electronic artist Jean Martin. Christine also teaches voice in the jazz programs at Humber College and the University of Toronto.
Vocal Duets:
Lily Cheng
Lily C believes life should be lived as an adventure. She recently replanted in Toronto after a stint in Asia where she: Hosted radio and television, released an album, garnered an adoring fan club, biked around the country, swam across a lake, and sang to hundreds of inmates doing hard time. Since returning to Canada she’s been hanging out with her mom who is living with ALS, working on a new album, hosting a show at Bite TV and hosting a monthly gathering called the Toronto Song Crib for singer/songwriters to workshop new material. See her at: www.lilyc.com Hear her at: www.sonicbids.com/lilyc
Darryl Huggins
Darryl Huggins is a professional conductor and performer, currently singing with the Nathaniel Dett Chorale. He teaches beginner piano and guitar, and advanced voice & sightsinging. Darryl loves the magic that happens when people collaborate.
Katey Morley
Katey is a Toronto-based singer/songwriter and recording artist and DJ. Katey’s musical interests take her anywhere and everywhere, through jazz, pop, triphop, electropop, dance, cabaret and folk. She plays piano and autoharp, loves coffee and lives right in Kensington Market.
Jessica Stuart
Based in Toronto, Jessica Stuart is an accomplished vocalist, guitarist, koto player and composer. She is involved in diverse projects spanning choral, rock, jazz, experimental, musical theatre, hip-hop, and R&B.
In addition to numerous recording credits, Stuart is a charismatic performer and has performed in Japan, England, Israel, Australia and the U.S. Some Canadian performance highlights include Hot Jazz, Cool Blues, Burlington (2009), Junction Arts Fest, Toronto (2008), Nuit Blanche, Toronto (2008), Sound Travels Festival, Toronto Island (2008), Brampton Indie Arts Festival, Brampton (2007), Artists In Our Midst, Victoria, BC (2006), FernFest, Victoria, BC (2005), Chutzpah Festival, Vancouver (2002) & Theatre Under The Stars – Fiddler On The Roof, Vancouver (1997).
Jessica is currently a member of The Histrionics, Ginger & Irene, The Element Choir, Shunga, Vespera Choir, Emaline Delapaix & The Delistocracy and leads The Jessica Stuart Few who will be releasing their debut full-length album in early, 2010.