Origins by The Canadian Arabic Orchestra

Date: Thu, Nov 09, 2017 07:00PM
Price: $30, $27 Friends

Experience the work of exemplary artists who show us the myriad ways cultures communicate through the performing arts. Linked thematically with HERE, the Museum’s first exhibition devoted to contemporary Canadian art, our Conversation Nation series of events offers a chance to see and hear innovative, inspiring, and socially relevant performances by renowned Canadian artists.

During this spectacular world premiere, Laura Grizzlypaws performs Indigenous song and dance alongside the musicians, singers and whirling dervishes of the Orchestra, which seeks to connect expatriate Arabs with their heritage and engage non-Arab communities through cross-cultural collaborations.

Laura Grizzlypaws was born and raised in Lillooet, British Columbia in the Interior Plateau region. She is of St’át’imc and descent belongs to the people of Xwisten, the Bear Clan. A singer/songwriter, academic, educator, and a language and cultural advocate, she has a Masters of Education in Land-Based Education and a Bachelor of General Studies in Linguistics and First Nation Studies.

Wafa Al Zaghal studied the string instrument qanun at the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music of Palestine before becoming a music instructor training there and leading Arabic music ensembles. He has performed with many notable Arab musicians including singer and oud player Marwan Abado, oud players Anouar Brahem and Nizar Rohana, and Palestinian violin virtuoso Simon Shaheen.

Lamees Audeh is a Canadian-Palestinian-Jordanian pianist who has performed in Palestine, Jordan, England, Scotland, and Tunisia. She received her Master’s Degree in Music Performance from Newcastle University in England, then worked at the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music. Fueled by their shared passion for Arabic and Western classical music, Audeh and Al Zaghal founded the Canadian Arabic Orchestra with the goal of building bridges between the two rich genres.