{"id":113261,"date":"2025-04-04T12:32:37","date_gmt":"2025-04-04T16:32:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=113261"},"modified":"2025-04-04T14:00:02","modified_gmt":"2025-04-04T18:00:02","slug":"preview-chamber-music-society-mississauga-celebrates-earth-month-2025-kune-universal-echoes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2025\/04\/04\/preview-chamber-music-society-mississauga-celebrates-earth-month-2025-kune-universal-echoes\/","title":{"rendered":"INTERVIEW |  The Chamber Music Society of Mississauga Celebrates Earth Month 2025 With Kun\u00e9: Universal Echoes"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_113263\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-113263\" style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-113263\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/04\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-61.jpg\" alt=\"Kun\u00e9, Canada\u2019s Global Orchestra - the 11 members stand, with two sitting, in front of a tree (Photo: Zahra Saleki)\" width=\"1200\" height=\"628\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/04\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-61.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/04\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-61-300x157.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/04\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-61-1024x536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/04\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-61-768x402.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-113263\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kun\u00e9, Canada\u2019s Global Orchestra (Photo: Zahra Saleki)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Chamber music with a difference, and a message that resonates with Earth Month \u2014 that\u2019s the concept behind the next concert presented by The Chamber Music Society of Mississauga, which features the ensemble Kun\u00e9. Their concert program titled Universal Echoes takes its inspiration from the four natural elements: earth, fire, air, and water, and takes place April 10.<\/p>\n<p>Kun\u00e9 is made up of ten immigrant musicians from all over the world, and one Metis-Canadian, creating a rich base of traditions to draw from in creating original music. Universal Echoes is the title of their 2023 album.<\/p>\n<h3>Kun\u00e9<\/h3>\n<p>Kun\u00e9 was formed in 2017 as the result of an initiative by The Royal Conservatory of Music. Executive Director of Performing Arts <strong>Mervon Mehta<\/strong> chose the ensemble\u2019s 11 performers with a view to celebrating the cultural diversity of Toronto, and Canada. Its members hail from countries as widespread as Peru, Burkina Faso, China, and Iran, bringing their own musical traditions and practices together to create a truly unique sound.<\/p>\n<p>The ensemble recorded their first album with the RCM. In 2021, they became independent, and released their second album on the Lulaworld label in 2023. They have performed at Koerner Hall, the National Arts Centre, the National Music Centre, and at the Ness Creek, Hillside, and Sunfest music festivals, among others.<\/p>\n<p>Together, the members compose and arrange music that comes from a sense of experimentation and play, and constant dialogue.<\/p>\n<p>Its members are:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Ahmed Moneka, darbuka, vocals<\/li>\n<li>Aline Morales, vocals, percussion, vocals<\/li>\n<li>Demetri Petsalakis, guitar and oud<\/li>\n<li>Alyssa Delbaere-Sawchuk, violin<\/li>\n<li>Dora Wang, dizi, xiao &amp; alto flute<\/li>\n<li>Salif \u201cLasso\u201d Sanou, vocals, djembe, n\u2019goni, peul flute and tama<\/li>\n<li>Luis Deniz, alto saxophone<\/li>\n<li>Matias Recharte, drums &amp; percussion<\/li>\n<li>Paco Luviano, double bass &amp; electric bass<\/li>\n<li>Padideh Ahrarnejad, tar<\/li>\n<li>Selcuk Suna, vocals, clarinet &amp; tenor saxophone<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>We spoke to Matias Recharte about the ensemble and the music.<\/p>\n<p>Water, Part III<\/p>\n<div class=\"jetpack-video-wrapper\"><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/4zZYk7Zct1s?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<h3>Matias Recharte: The Interview<\/h3>\n<p>The Universal Echoes program and its music goes back a few years.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis project it started back when we were still at the Conservatory in 2018,\u201d Matias recalls. \u201cWe were commissioned to do a suite.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The music, which focused on the four elements of earth, fire, water, and air, was composed, arranged, and even performed live over the course of a couple of years.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd then the pandemic happened,\u201d he laughs.<\/p>\n<p>While the lockdowns were in place, however, it gave the ensemble the time and opportunity to apply for funding that was then turned into their 2023 album, Universal Echoes. Musically, the four elements theme evolved into reflection on the climate crisis.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe all come from different places and we come from all over the globe,\u201d he points out. The situation offers varying but related perspectives on the environment and its issues. For some regions, oil spills are common. For others, it may be drought. But, there are also commonalities, the \u201cEchoes\u201d that resound throughout the world, and the music.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a little bit like an ode to these things that keep life going.\u201d The other side of the coin is mourning for what has been lost.<\/p>\n<p>The music has been part of their repertoire for a few years. \u201cWe\u2019ve been playing some of these songs for a while,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s also about Earth Day. \u201cWe\u2019re also celebrating that.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"jetpack-video-wrapper\"><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/cH-8-lc9l-A?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<h3>The Music<\/h3>\n<p>Genre-wise, Kun\u00e9\u2019s music is essentially undefinable.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s hard,\u201d he begins. \u201cThe best way to describe it is, it sounds like Toronto a little bit.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The ensemble\u2019s music specifically tries to avoid approaching the label of an \u201cAfrican song\u201d a \u201cMiddle Eastern song\u201d. \u201cBut all those elements are present,\u201d Matias says. One of the songs, for example, is sung in both Portuguese and Arabic.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s about bringing the various elements together in a musical conversation. Over the years, that process itself has resulted in different directions, and the musicians learning from each other.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ve evolved quite a lot,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt sounds organic, in a weird way,\u201d Matias adds. \u201cIt\u2019s really trying to capture that experience.\u201d It\u2019s something every Torontonian, or anyone who lives in a diverse city, can relate to. Everyone comes from a different background.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat happens when you put them together?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>World music, rightly, is pass\u00e9 as a term nowadays. \u201cWorld music. [&#8230;] It\u2019s like a bit of a safari. We\u2019re trying to avoid that,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s really just music that comes from the realities of coming to a new country as an artist. Who do you get together with first? Obviously, other musicians.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen I arrived [&#8230;] I was very curious,\u201d he says of his own experience. Getting together with other musicians was a natural early step, long before Kun\u00e9. \u201cIt\u2019s really sharing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He\u2019s noticed that many of the people who will come up to band members to talk after shows are also immigrants. They\u2019ll recognize familiar aspects of the music, even outside the usual context, and even outside their own backgrounds. \u201cThere\u2019s something that sounds familiar.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMusic doesn\u2019t care about borders,\u201d he notes. All the same, there are few opportunities outside global music festivals to see that kind of true cross-cultural experimentation on stage. The traditions survive largely intact in immigrant communities. While he appreciates the nostalgic appeal, it can\u2019t be the only direction for the music \u2014 one that doesn\u2019t take into modernity or evolution into account.<\/p>\n<p>The perspective of immigrant musicians, he points out, is unique. After bringing your traditions and established practices, you now cross paths with others who come from virtually anywhere in the world. It\u2019s just another aspect of adapting to the new environment.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat now, that we\u2019re all here?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Honouring your roots while reaching out to the rest of the world expands the limits of the art form, as he points out.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOnce people hear it, and they see it, they\u2019ll get it,\u201d he says, and points out, \u201cEven if you\u2019ve been here for generations, your neighbours come from everywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>Performances<\/h3>\n<p>Kun\u00e9\u2019s performance calendar is fairly relaxed, given its larger size, and the fact that many of its members have high profile careers on their own, including Brazilian-Canadian percussionist and singer <strong>Aline Morales<\/strong> and rising star in the worlds of theatre, film, and musician <strong>Ahmed Moneka<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s how we like it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Typically, before any show, the ensemble will precede a show with a free preview and community outreach.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Six of the members will be performing a free concert as a preview of the Universal Echoes program at the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mississauga.ca\/library\/locations\/meadowvale-library\/programs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Meadowvale branch of the Mississauga Library<\/a> on <strong>April 5 at 11 a.m.<\/strong> Admittance is first come, first served.<\/li>\n<li>Find out more about the <strong>April 10<\/strong> concert [<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/chambermusicmississauga.org\/concert\/kune-universal-echoes-thurday-april-10-2025-8-pm\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">HERE<\/a><\/strong>].<\/li>\n<li>They\u2019ll be taking the same program on the road to Huntsville, ON (July 11), and Trail, BC (July 24), with dates through the year, including Quebec and St. Catharines, ON. Find more information [<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kuneworld.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">HERE<\/a><\/strong>].<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong><em>Are you looking to promote an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/advertising\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"color: #0e101a\"><u>event<\/u><\/span><\/a>? Have a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/masthead\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u>news tip<\/u><\/a>? Need to know the best\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/events\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u>events<\/u><\/a>\u00a0happening this weekend? Send us a\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><a href=\"mailto:anya@ludwig-van.com?subject=Let's%20chat\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><em><u>note<\/u>.<\/em><\/strong><br \/>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"western\"><em><b>#LUDWIGVAN<\/b><\/em><\/h3>\n<p class=\"western\"><em>Get the daily arts news straight to your inbox.<\/em><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"western\"><em>Sign up for the Ludwig Van Toronto e-Blast! \u2014 local classical music and opera news straight to your inbox <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/583e6ce0-dfd0-48be-8a33-61256b3c58e3.mlbtlr.com\/p2\/Fbd8jWoWQQ6CdBcLIvut3Q\/02E3cYaETqaj4Xm087cpSg?contactid=S3HHYfHY5rZv5f94S15MnA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/583e6ce0-dfd0-48be-8a33-61256b3c58e3.mlbtlr.com\/p2\/Fbd8jWoWQQ6CdBcLIvut3Q\/02E3cYaETqaj4Xm087cpSg?contactid%3DS3HHYfHY5rZv5f94S15MnA&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1695737525351000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0QTqKRwRJQFGK3KoJYigxX\">HERE<\/a>.<\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Chamber music with a difference, and a message that resonates with Earth Month \u2014 The Chamber Music Society of Mississauga presents Kun\u00e9 and Universal Echoes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":64,"featured_media":113263,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[41660,10,19,29,41221,4557,51,63,72,73],"tags":[41855,2198],"yst_prominent_words":[7712,8218,6616,17871,12016,23245],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/04\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-61.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9bakr-tsN","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113261"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/64"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=113261"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113261\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":113268,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113261\/revisions\/113268"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/113263"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=113261"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=113261"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=113261"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=113261"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}