Part 4 - Connection | Polycentric Polyphonies - An Intercultural Vocal Exploration

Polycentric Polyphonies - An Intercultural Vocal Exploration
What happens when a group of professional vocalists from various backgrounds, genres, and influences gather together for connection, not production? Who are the people behind the voices? Who are they singing for? How does the voice act as a bridge across divides?
This project aims to explore how diverse voices can create new ways of being and feeling in the world. In Canada, we reflect on our relationships as and among Indigenous peoples, immigrants, and settler communities.
Polycentric Polyphonies seeks to imagine what our interactions would sound like today if they had been respectful and reciprocal 200-300 years ago. The project provided a space for vocalists to collaborate, share their stories, and gain new perspectives, moving beyond the usual grind of production to create a richer, multi-dimensional understanding of each other.
Through this 4-part series, the participants share their insights into their music and evolving relations within and across cultures.
Vocalists:
Hussein Janmohamed
Shruti Ramani
Deanna Gestrin
Russell Wallace
Sarah Jo Kirsch
Part 1 - "Gathering" introduces the project and highlights the experiences of the participants.
Part 2 - "Identities" dives deep into each vocalists' pluralistic identities and if and how those identities influence their voice.
Part 3 - "The Voice" ask each participant to expand on their relationship with their voice. What does it mean to be a vocalist? How does each artist use their voice?
Part 4 - "Connection" reflects on the connections made and the sense of collective belonging that was created.
Workshops took place in October and November of 2023 at The Annex on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded Indigenous territories of the ʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and sel̓íl̓witulh (Tsleil-Waututh) First Nations.
Filmed at KW Studios by Jo Hirabayashi and Aya Garcia
Produced by Vancouver Independent Music Centre Society
This project was made possible through generous support from the BC Arts Council, Government of BC, The Hamber Foundation, and Vancouver Civic Theatres.