Alison Mackay's multimedia projects explore ideas that have profound resonance in today's world. Her latest, The Indigo Project, examines a colour with political, social, and cultural implications, and was created in collaboration with master percussionist Trichy Sankaran and vocalist Suba Sankaran, a father-daughter duo specializing in South Indian music. Narrator and vocalist Cynthia Smithers, members of Tafelmusik Chamber Choir, and student choirs from Earl Haig and Unionville Secondary Schools join Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra under the direction of Elisa Citterio. These performances take place February 27 to March 1 at Jeanne Lamon Hall, Trinity-St. Paul's Centre, and March 3 at George Weston Recital Hall, Meridian Arts Centre. For full program details, visit tafelmusik.org.
The Indigo Project combines street ballads from England and France performed by Cynthia Smithers, baroque music by Handel, Lully, Corelli, Stradella, and Fasch performed by Tafelmusik, and South Indian music by Purandara Dasa, Arunagirinathar, Ponniah Pillai, and Purandara Dasa, among others, performed by Suba and Trichy Sankaran. Through words, music, and stunning images, The Indigo Project traces the influence of indigo dye on the culture and economy of several countries on different continents. From 17th-century Europe, where indigo dye infused both the royal blue of the Bourbon courts and the denim originally worn by Genoese port workers, to the exploitation of garment workers in the present day, thanks to the effects of fast fashion and globalization; and from India, where indigofera tinctoria was grown, to the North American slave plantations where it was cultivated. The story of indigo provides a vivid backdrop to the kind of immersive concert experience for which Tafelmusik is renowned.Tafelmusik Box Office: (416) 964-6337
Website: tafelmusik.org
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