British Council, in partnership with British Underground and Harbourfront Centre, have invited UK musicians Sarathy Korwar (Ninja Tune), Luke Jackson and Jess Morgan and paired them with Canadians David Morin, Flavia Nascimento and Nick Sherman respectively as they head out across Canada on these mobile residencies.
Each pair will be joined by a visual artist – Sophia Burke, Jenni Welsh and KC Adams – who will capture these fascinating collaborations as the journeys unfold against a changing backdrop of inspiring landscapes. The culmination of these collaborations will be a series of live performances at Toronto’s Harbourfront Centre as part of their Sounds of Home festival.
“There’s something about hauling an instrument and a duffel bag onto a train that makes you feel like you’re a part of a much bigger story as a musician and a traveller,” said Jess Morgan, participating singer-songwriter born in Norwich. “Doing this in Canada just takes the experience to a new level.”
The musicians will make short stops en route to research and further develop their work, focusing on music that resonates with their experience seeing, first-hand, the sights and sounds of Canada’s cultural landscape.
The residencies and concluding performances will each highlight a different region of the country: from Vancouver to Toronto for Our Home on Native Land on 30 June, from Halifax to Toronto for Shield to Shore on 15 July, and from Winnipeg to Toronto for Northern Passages on 21 July.
Sarathy Korwar will also perform on 1 July, Canada Day, coinciding with international celebrations, including in London’s Trafalgar Square.
Sarathy Korwar said about the project:
”I’m looking forward to interacting with people and music that challenges my preconceived ideas of what Canada is, at the same time trying to create unique collaborations that are built on relationships developed in unique circumstances. I believe this is a very special opportunity to create music while constantly on the move and develop a connection with the landscape and sound of the places that I visit.”
The performances during the Sounds of Home festival series will feature a diverse range of voices and sounds to explore the different narrative threads interwoven in Canada’s history through Indigenous, French, British and immigrant heritage.
Journey 1: Our Home on Native Land – Vancouver to Toronto
Performance: June 30
David Morin – Singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Métis Native American descent, based in British Columbia
Sarathy Korwar – Percussionist and composer. Born in the US, raised in India and now based in London, UK
Sophia Burke – Interdisciplinary artist based in Toronto. Born in Salt Spring Island, British Columbia
Journey 2: Shield to Shore – Halifax to Toronto
Performance: July 15
Flavia Nascimento – Singer and guitarist. Born in Brazil, based in Quebec City, Canada
Luke Jackson – Singer-songwriter. From Canterbury, UK
Jenni Welsh – Artist, photographer, videographer, and video editor living in Halifax, NS
Journey 3: Northern Passages – Winnipeg to Toronto
Performance: July 21
Nick Sherman – Singer and guitarist. From Northern Ontario, Canada
Jess Morgan – Singer-songwriter. Born in Norwich, UK
KC Adams – Artist specializing in new media, photography, video, and installation, based in Winnipeg, MB
