The Koerner Hall concert season will begin on September 30 with an evening dedicated to the lives and knowledge of Indigenous people.
Elder Banakonda Kennedy-Kish (Bell) will perform an opening and closing of the space on the Koerner Hall stage as people arrive.
A testimony from Aunty Mary, a survivor of the residential school system, is one of the highlights of the evening that includes a performance by young dancers. Rebecca Cuddy is singing a song cycle by Ian Cusson and poet Marilyn Dumont with the New Orford String quartet and Philip Chiu.
The second half of the evening will feature a performance by Tomson Highway, who recently received the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award. Excerpts from Songs in the Key of Cree will be played by Highway with singers and saxophonists. Each song will be introduced by Highway at the end of the band. John Alcorn has put together a band that includes a who’s who of country/roots session players.
There will be a live stream of the event on www.RoyalConservatory. Live.
The Koerner Hall event will be followed by a postlude concert in the Anna Dan Galleria. The KUNE – Canada’s Global Orchestra was created by Mervon Mehta. The group brings together different musical traditions into a respectful musical dialogue by showcasing the talent of immigrant musicians.
In Koerner Hall, several Indigenous artists have shared their work, and three of them have received fellowship. The Royal Conservatory is proud of its record of engagement with First Nations, Métis, and Inuit people, as well as its work with underserved youth in low-income communities, and in unifying all Canadians through music and the arts.
There will be more artists and composers from First Nations and Inuit communities during the 2022-23 season, including a new work by jazz trumpeter Andrew McAnsh.
The World Travel & Tourism Council awarded Koerner Hall a stamp for adopting health and hygiene global standards. Click here if you want to learn more.
Anyone who has experienced pain or distress as a result of his or her residential school experience can call the Indian Residential Schools Crisis Line.