June 8 2024
Artio Choir + Traction: The Nature of Us
St. Patrick’s Island
A choir in collaboration with nature.
A blindfolded audience in a public green space. The performer offers the audience a vocal sound score that is in collaboration with the natural sounds around them. This, as an acoustic experience, widens the listening field of the audience Members and expands the soundscape to involve everything from the birds, trees and wind.
The Nature of Us is semi-improvised devised theatre and choral performance featuring soundscapes, monologues, sound choreography, and choral music. The concept grew out of a desire to give voice to natural elements, in hopes of developing a more empathic understanding of nature. A visual score was conceived for movements one and two. Members of the choir then developed vocal sequences inspired by this score.
The name Artio is derived from the Celtic word for "bear," and was the name of a Gallo-Roman goddess who often took the form of a bear. She represented creative, bold and emergent abundance — all qualities that describe the singers who make up Mount Royal Artio and what they do.
Artio specializes in choral music that is distinct, demanding, diverse and innovative. They explore a variety of genres from early music through to innovative creations being crafted by today’s composers. They re-imagine and re-invent music of the past and embrace the avant-garde music of tomorrow while continually seek to push the boundaries of choral music and performance. In addition Mount Royal Artio has been involved in a number of collaborative events including performing on stage with Canadian Astronaut Chris Hadfield in 2016 and Tanya Tagaq in 2017.
Mount Royal Artio presents a final choral music performance each year that fuses music with innovative ideas and other art forms — “choral theatre” performances that highlight the season and give audiences exciting new performance presentations that draw upon the talent and imagination of the members.
TRAction is a dynamic collective of interdisciplinary artists who actively and publicly address issues of climate justice.
Although the projects are primarily facilitated and organized by Melanie Kloetzel and Kevin Jesuino, TRAction expands and contracts to include other interested allies, professionals, scientists, volunteers and artists who work at the intersection of art-making and climate change. Using diverse methods of artistic creation, TRAction addresses complex environmental issues and advocates for climate justice for all humans and species.
TRAction aims to generate, respond to and incite active and open dialogue with the public through a myriad of artistic mediums, including contemporary performance, street theatre, posters, site dance, installation, publications, parades, blogs, graffiti, ritual, festivals, and more.
TRAction envisions a future where all species have the right to a safe and healthy environment, a future where society values the role that art has in creating lasting and meaningful change.
TRAction works in close relationship with a group of Indigenous artists and knowledge keepers from across northern Turtle Island. TRAction aims to honour and learn from Indigenous ways of knowing. As TRAction has grown, we have been working with an Indigenous Advisory Council of five members. These members – which include Chantal Stormsong Chagnon, Sandra Lamouche, Cole Alvis, Starr Muranko and Jacob Crane – are artists, educators and/or knowledge keepers within their various communities. As a collective whose ethics are based on developing relationality as well as being held accountable to the Indigenous communities of the lands we are on, TRAction is grateful beyond words for what these individuals offer in terms of time, knowledge and experience.
