Soundstreams will open their 2024/25 season on October 24 with Letters to God, a concert that connects Canadian and Japanese culture via music and performance. Akira Miyoshi’s Letters to God is a cornerstone of the program, a piece that uses text from letters written by children, in all their simple poignancy.
Performers include the Fujii Percussion Ensemble, with Toronto’s Soundstreams Choir 21, The Canadian Children’s Opera Company, pianist Gregory Oh, and percussionist Ryan Scott.
The Program in Detail
The text for Akira Miyoshi’s Letters to God was inspired by a Japanese children’s book titled Letters to God, by Japanese poet Syuntaro Tanizaki and illustrator Syomei You. The creators gathered the letters from across Japan.
Also on the program:
- Melody McKiver’s river woman: An Indigenous-inspired choral work that meditates on on nature and life.
- R. Murray Schafer’s Seventeen Haiku: A choral work commissioned for the Utaoni choir in Japan, using text in the original Japanese by poets such as Basho and Kobayashi, as well as members of the choir.
- Tokyo-born, and Paris-educated Akira Miyoshi’s Conversation: A suite for solo marimba piece to be performed by Mutsuko Fujii.
- Toru Takemitsu’s Seasons: A choral composition for percussion scored for metal percussion instruments only, including exotica like Juice Pipe, Iron Wind Bells, Flex Pipe, and more.
- Claude Vivier’s Pulau Dewata: The title means “Island of the Gods” in Indonesian; it’s Vivier’s musical tribute to the Balinese people and culture.
- Songs for Ishikawa (world premiere): A collection of traditional Japanese folk songs from Ishikawa, which was the epicentre of the earthquake on New Year’s Day 2024, arranged by Haruka Fujii & Rika Fujii.
Performers
Fujii Percussion Ensemble
Mutsuko Fujii and daughters Haruka and Rika make up this family based percussion ensemble. Mutsuko is a master percussionist, a marimbist, and a Sanukite player (the Sanukaite being a marimba-like instrument named after the stone is it crafted from). A multi-percussionist, Haruka performs with the Grammy Award-winning Silkroad Ensemble, led by Yo-Yo Ma. Rika Fujii is based in Tokyo, and a frequent performer in theatrical and orchestral concerts, along with traditional Japanese taiko events. All of the Fujii family members have performed as solo artists worldwide, and add teaching to their performance practice.
Canadian Children’s Opera Company (CCOC)
Founded more than 55 years ago, the CCOC works with talented young vocalists via fully staged productions, along with collaborative projects with some of the country’s leading arts organizations, including frequent performances with the Canadian Opera Company.
Soundstreams Choir 21
Choir 21 was founded in 2010 by Soundstreams’ Artistic Director Lawrence Cherney. Its member singers are handpicked by Music Director David Fallis according to their facility with contemporary music. Many of the members are professional choristers who are also members of choirs such as the Canadian Opera Company Chorus, Tafelmusik Choir, and The Elmer Iseler Singers.
- Find details about the October 24 concert, including tickets, [HERE].
Letters to God: P.S I (don’t) believe in you — TD ENCOUNTERS (October 15)
As a prelude to Letters To God, the next free Soundstreams TD Encounters event, Letters to God: P.S I (don’t) believe in you takes place on Tuesday, October 15.
Along with a combination of performance and artist discussion, there will be a Q&A session with composer Chris Pruden and performers Ky Brooks and Tara Kannangara.
- Seats are free but space is limited, reserve tickets in advance [HERE].
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