Watch Tanya Tagaq and TSO perform powerful lament for missing and murdered Indigenous women
Jennifer Van Evra | CBC | Posted: June 2, 2017 10:01 PM | Last Updated: June 2, 2017
The work was a commission by the Toronto Symphony, and premiered at the New Creations Festival.
Throat singing and orchestral music may seem like an unusual pairing, but the two came together with dramatic effect when powerhouse Inuit throat singer and improviser Tanya Tagaq joined the Toronto Symphony earlier this year.
Tagaq performed a work titled Qiksaaktuq, which included an improvised lament for missing and murdered Indigenous women. Veteran Canadian vocalist and conductor Christine Duncan also used improvisation to direct the brass section using a series of cues she had developed.
The work was commissioned by the Toronto Symphony, and was one of seven that received world premieres at the New Creations Festival, which ran March 4 to 11.
Canadian musician and fellow Polaris winner Owen Pallett curated the program.
The video is an extended excerpt from Tagaq's 20-minute performance. Watch:
— Jennifer Van Evra, q digital staff
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