Focus: GENERATIONS

"In a garden that was itself 'generated' by the music of J.S. Bach (his Suite No. 1 in G Major for solo cello), this year's concerts connect with the Generations focus with exuberance and diversity—from a new, unexpected generation of Yiddish songs to taiko drums made from trees planted by the ancestors of modern Japanese drum-makers. Come and hear, for instance, how the Baroque fugue popped up, much changed, generations later in the classical string quartet, and be transported by the artistry of Aruna Narayan, who inherited her musical knowledge from her illustrious father. Linda Melsted plays dazzling 17th-century violin music 'generated' by short, repeating bass tunes; Lori Freedman and Julia Sasso carry that creative energy into new music and dance inspired by Biber's Passacaglia. Enjoy!"

Summer Music In the Garden

Toronto Music Garden

Summer 2007

Pampalam has been on the forefront of Barbadian comedy for three decades. As a female-centred troupe, the historical relevance of their material is rich and varied. The artistry of this generation of women is defined by such events as the civil-rights movement, equality for women and even 911. Pampalam has a universal appeal because of their ability to hone in on the essence of the human experience and express it so throughly in their comedic stage performances"

Pampalam

Brigantine Room
June 15 - 16, 2007

"Playing music that is three or four hundred years old is a curious occupation. I have no rational explanation for doing it – only that these pieces contain a vitality that resonates with me. And reading what musicians back then had to say about their work is so liberating! They write with unabashed directness about music's power, and its power over feelings! Startling, because such talk would never be thought credible in our jaded materialist age — which is absurd, because why else do we bother with music? Indeed, the ancients hold many gifts for our weary age..."

Past Perfect with Jeannette Zyngg of Opera Atelier

Carnivalissima Tent
June 9, 2007

"There's old people. There's kids. Let's get them together and see what happens!"

Mamalian Diving Reflex – Balloonroom Dancing

Lakeside Terrace
July 1, 2007

"Generations — In a time when music accessibility is at an all time high and the audience spans over several generations, it is time to bring together the different generations of creators. The future of music in Canada rests on the veteran songwriters to help create creators."

Songwriters in the Round at Harbourfront Centre

Lakeside Terrace
June 30, 2007

"Generations-generative-generous: generative process of joining past creative activities with the present while sharing them with the future. In cinema it is the remembering (re-membering or putting the members together, as Stan Brakhage said) of its genesis in the moving light and shadow performances, its photographic beginnings that cast painting into the new light, its alchemical potency and artistic experimentation that have been captivating audiences for over a century, its material origins (the animal-gelatine emulsion, the vegetal-cellulose acetate base, the metal-silver) and physical presence as projected light on screen and sound in space, and connecting it with the present–the present state of throwing away its wet and material origins as insignificant and the force of digital technology that presses on its presence while casting it into the immaterial future of binary code–while placing all these past and present members on the new path where all can share in its future together."

True Patriot Love

Studio Theatre
July 1, 2007

"Generations of Canadian immigrants have created a diverse and bountiful Canadian culture. The Maple Leaf, the Beaver and the Mountie have evolved as iconic representations of the Canadian Identity. Whatever one's background, these uniquely Canadian symbols and their stories are a unifying force that cross the divisive boundaries of politics, language, creed and culture."

The Maple Leaf Forever

Harbourfront Centre
June 29 - July 2, 2007

"It is sad not to know where we are going, but it is much sadder not to know where we come from..."

Ballet Folklorico Puro Mexico

Toronto Star Stage
June 30, 2007

"In my life what I've seen is that when the generations stand together, the result is prosperity. But I think it's the older, not the younger ones who are most accountable for creating the conditions to keep the generations close."

Call of the Hummingbird

Studio Theatre
July 7, 2007

"We are plugged in. Each generation becomes more connected to the machine. From cell-phones to mp3 players, we are wired into a matrix of new mediums, connected through cables and vibrations of a new digital age. In a natural evolutionary step forward, the human-machine connection becomes ever more intimate and creative. Embrace it."

Music & Technology: How technology is shaping the production and performance of new music

Brigantine Room
July 7, 2007

"One of the aspects of Beyond the Pale's music which I am most proud of is our ability to appeal to a broad range of audiences. In particular, our ability to appeal to different age groups is very edifying. We are as comfortable playing for retirees as we are for college-age audiences, and every age bracket in between. That quality of age universality is often rare in contemporary music but somehow our music is able to offer a little something for everyone, without us having to pander or resort to nostalgic appeals. I think it has a lot to do with how the "historical" nature of our music (based as it is in centuries-old European folk forms) mingles with the eclectic and contemporary sensibilities of all the band members. We've fashioned our own musical consensus that is based in and respectful of tradition, but never bound by it, and at all times is driven by an urge to sound unique and contemporary. This in my opinion is the only way that folk music traditions, particularly those for which an indigenous context no longer exists (like klezmer music), can continue to evolve without becoming simply "museum" works."

Beyond the Pale

Toronto Star Stage
July 14, 2007

"Chinese-Canadians have been living in Canada since the 19th century. From traditional opera to contemporary dance, generation after generation of Chinese-Canadian artists made a significant contribution to our cultural fabric (or mosaic) that define our cultural identity as Canadians. The Dim Sum Chinese Festival provides an excellent opportunity for audiences to sample the rich and diverse range of artistic works (or expressions) from different generations of high calibre Chinese-Canadian artists across the country...leading the way for future generations to come into the wonderful artistic world of our maple leaf country."

Lotus On Stage – Peking Opera Showcase featuring Master Bi Gu Yun

Brigantine Room
July 21, 2007

"What I can tell you is that North America has lost more than two thirds of its farmers (and farms) in the last 10 generations as urbanization has replaced rural culture.

All the prior generations in human history had some direct connection to the land they lived on, and the fact that this has largely disappeared in a relatively short period of time should be cause for great concern.

Locally sustainable culture requires more hands to work the land and a greater awareness for the local environment.

Recognizing and preserving the skills of our ancestors is paramount to the survival of future generations and to future cultural development."

Local Food in the Industrial Age
Film & Panel Discussion

Studio Theatre
August 12, 2007

"Generations represents the revolution of wisdom, ideas and knowledge. Generations also represents values and meanings of life. Life is fragile; it blossoms and fades: a momentary presence. We count on our next generation to carry and pass down our wisdom, ideas and knowledge."

"Taiwanese glove puppetry is a drama that is deeply embedded in Taiwanese society. In the past it served as the Taiwanese people's best outlet for recreation and relaxation; however, today it remains to be one of Taiwan's most important drama activities, glove puppetry continues to adjust to changing trends to offer appealing entertainment."

Puppets and Me (Arts & Life in Kaohsiung, Host of 2009 World Games)

Lakeside Terrace
August 24 - 26, 2007

"Generations of ingenious concept and techniques of craft are presented through the essence of artworks. Young craftsmen may lack experience but they are very capable of producing exquisite art pieces. With time, the techniques of craft can be honed and polished."

Art Gallery of Taiwan – The National Taiwan Institute of Handicrafts Exhibit

Marilyn Brewer Community Space
August 24 - 26, 2007

"The Titanic is about the evolution of technology, the evolution of mythology...it is connected to where many Irish, Scottish and European immigrants came from. it is connected to the history of the sea, the historical figures of Harold McBride and Jack Phillips, and the generations of energies—ghostly, spiritually, etc.—of the Atlantic ocean…"

April 14, 1912

Presented by Theatre Rusticle in association with Harbourfront Centre

Studio Theatre
September 21 - 29, 2007

"We live in a generation of increased technological innovation but with far less one on one conversation. Between midnight myspace messages, a myriad of mp3 playing devices and incessant texting a lot of people tend to be in their own bubbles. The Mayhem Poets have found that by accessing this means of disconnecting we are (paradoxically) able to make connections and speak to a younger generation about things outside these disconnects (love and relationships, social issues, politics and positive self expression)."

The Mayhem Poets at HarbourKIDS

Harbourfront Centre
October 6 - 8, 2007

"Generations begin with begetting—and there we have them in their literary sense. Literature inseminates each generation with the intellectual sperm of its sires. It impregnates its descendants."

The Best Minds of My Generation

with Rudy Wiebe, Robert Hough, and Anna Porter

Studio Theatre
October 24, 2007

"In this work—Interiors—I will be exploring relationships between people, but in this case with my own family. Having my own children on stage has a grounding effect, and it gives me a sense of belonging. I guess it is also about trying to connect their world with mine, trying to remember my childhood trough theirs, seeing the beauty in its simplicity."

DW167: Interiors

Coleman Lemieux & Compagnie

Enwave Theatre
October 25 - 27, 2007

"We continue to celebrate the Day of the Dead to pass our culture from one generation to another, to remember the dead so that they are not forgotten and so the young do not loose the meaning."

Day of the Dead

Harbourfront Centre
November 3 - 4, 2007

"The construction of a community's collective memory implies a process of self-recognition, of coming together and reflecting on a common past. The Solidaridad Museum Project presents Ven Seremos an exhibit of artifacts, images and documents of Toronto’s Chilean community. Ven Seremos brings together generations of primarily political refugee Chilean immigrants and their sons and daughters in telling personal stories of immigrant experience in Canada and their work in solidarity with their people's struggle for democracy back home."

"Ven Seremos is more than an exhibit; it is an invitation to participate in a process of re-encounters, re-evaluations and re-construction of a community's history, in their own words and in their own terms."

Ven Seremos (Come, we shall be.)

Marilyn Brewer Community Space
November 9 - 11, 2007

"The Veil explores, among other things, the relationship between four generations of women and the struggles that they face with identity, independence and finding a place for themselves in a rapidly changing world. In this play, Khanoom, a princess born into the Persian harem in the early 1900s, tells her remarkable life story to her teenage grand-daughter, Nanaz. Through the play, Nanaz steps in and out of her grand-mother's shoes as Khanoom journeys through her childhood in the palace, to Russia, to Turkey, to Europe and back to Iran. While Nanaz lives her grand-mother's story, the audience experiences 20th century history from the perspective of an Eastern woman. The Veil brings to life the intimate and unexpected ways that one generation's choices and experiences impact another."

The Veil

Presented by OneLight Theatre
in association with Harbourfront Centre,
Neptune Theatre and Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia

Studio Theatre
November - December, 2007

"My mother sewed most of her life, but it was in her forties that she started crocheting, designing and making sweaters. I also have sewed since I was young, and similar to my mother's progression, at 43 I changed my direction. I went to Sheridan College and took the textile program. The three years spent immersed in design and making completely changed my outlook and direction in life. Because of my mother's influence I am a second generation maker.

Similarly, many of the materials I use are generational. I love taking found things - objects, clothing, fabrics - and transforming them into 'new' objects and wearables. Re-inventing wool sweaters has been my focus for the last 3 years, and it feels like I have only scratched the surface of how they can be changed. As the sweaters have unknown previous lives, I like to imagine someone wearing a collar or bracelet that contains part of a sweater that they previously owned. The cycle completes, and another generation takes shape."

The Generations of a Sweater

Peggy Mersereau

York Quay Gallery
November 10 - December 31, 2007

"Through the Generations, Vic of Vic's Crane has assisted Toronto's leading Public & Environmental Sculptors (Noel Harding, Eldon Garnet, John McEwan and Judith Schwarz) to display their work.

Vic, working as the main crane operator/engineer, assists to place the sculpture in an ideal setting handled with care and expertise.

Public works of art may be placed in a variety of settings. The placement and removal transitions are subject to elemental conditions and various accessibility challenges.

The sculptor writes the story while the crane operator narrates the novel.

Vic's Crane and Generations is a tribute to all the artists work from concept to completion.

The display consists of 8 vitrines that will reveal a map taking us through the environment of change, past and present, close ups, cross cuts and flashbacks.

Vic's Crane

Noel Harding, Eldon Garnet, John McEwan, Judith Schwarz

York Quay Gallery
November 10 - December 31, 2007