Bourgie Hall presents

Oktoecho – Saimaniq-Sivumut

For more than 15 years, Oktoecho has helped to share the wealth of Inuit culture with audiences through its boundless creativity. The original creation Saimaniq-Sivumut creates a true alchemy between three gems of this age-old culture: katajjaq, the Inuit drum, and Ayaya singing, while also incorporating Arabic polyrhythms, Japanese and Irish flutes, and electronics

In conjunction with the new presentation of the Inuit art collection ᐆᒻᒪᖁᑎᒃ uummaqutik: essence of life, at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.

A 30-minute pre-concert talk with artists Katia Makdissi-Warren, Nina Segalowitz and Louisa Qaurritaiyuk will take place at 6:30pm.

Artists
Oktoecho Ensemble

Oktoécho guides the listener into a sonic world brimming with lyricism in a space between the musics of the Middle East, Arboriginal and the West. Under the artistic direction of composer Katia Makdissi-Warren, Oktoécho explores mixed music and musical sounds through its own creations.

​The group has recorded soundtracks for film and expositions in Canada, France, Singapore, Korea, Lebanon and created the music for a permanent multi-media exhibit at the Burj-Dubaï Tower in Dubai, the highest structure in the world.  

Nina Segalowitz, Inuit throat singing and drum

In the purest tradition of Inuit culture, Nina Segalowitz (Inuit/Chipewyan and member of the Igloo Lounge Group) has given regal performances of throatsinging for more than ten years. Throat singing has been practiced by the Inuit for hundreds of years, and their interpretations are Inuit women’s prized moments of leisure and entertainment. Nina has performed in many countries (especially in France and England) with many groups and singers like with Ariane Moffat or The Symphony Orchestra of Montréal. She has been actively involved in Oktoecho projects since 2010.

Louisa Quaritalyu, Inuit throat singing and drum
Hélène Martel, experimental and jazz throat singing
Katia Makdissi-Warren, artistic director, compositions and oud

Katia Makdissi-Warren studied composition in Quebec and in Hamburg, as well as Arabic and Syrian music in Beirut, with Ennio Morricone, Franco Donatoni, Manfred Stahnke, P Louis Hage and Michel Longtin.

An innovative composer, she drew attention on the national and international scene with her unique style, where the music of the Middle-East, the West and Native America meet. In 2001 she founded the Oktoecho ensemble, specialized in the blending of cultures, for which she regularly composes in addition to helming it as its artistic director. Her aesthetic of fusion drove her to work regularly – as a composer, an ensemble director and a performer – with the Native American, Arab and Jewish communities. Katia has won several prizes through her ensemble, including the 2019 Prix Opus for Album of the year, and the Conseil des Arts de Montréal prize for inclusion and diversity in 2020.

Carla Antoun, cello
Michel Dubeau, flutes
Bertil Schulrabe, percussion
Eryk Warren, electronics

The program features works by Katia MAKDISSI-WARREN, texts by Nina SEGALOWITZ, Lydia ETOK and MAKDISSI-WARREN, as well as traditional Inuit throat singing.

Wednesday, November 6, 2024 at 7:30pm
To purchase your tickets, visit: www.mbam.qc.ca/en/bourgie-hall/