Women From Space Festival

Women From Space’s fifth iteration brings their eclectic and exploratory event to a whole new level.  Highlights of this year’s program include brilliant Danish saxophonist Lotte Anker, who will be visiting the festival to perform in a trio alongside acclaimed pianist Craig Taborn and storied drum dynamo Chris Corsano.  Amirtha Kidambi will presenting her duo with saxophonist Darius Jones, Angels & Demons, which employs musical adaptations of cosmological writings by iconic composer and bandleader Sun Ra in a co-presentation with Suoni Per Il Popolo. An alumnus of ECM Records, enigmatic vocalist-composer Judith Berkson will be coming to Toronto for a rare solo appearance with voice and electronics in a co-production with the Canadian Music Centre‘s CMC Presents series. Los Angeles-based vocalist and composer Micaela Tobin has been crafting bold, daring work under the pseudonym White Boy Scream. The project dissects her operatic and extended vocal techniques through the use of electronics, oscillating between extreme textures of noise, drone, and operatic sound walls, garnering praise everywhere from the New Yorker to the Wire.

Also featured: a collaboration between stalwart composer Gayle Young and vocalist Sarah Albu, the duet of renowned American improvisers Nicole Mitchell and Coco Elysses, a solo percussion program by Aiyun Huang, the pairing of Karen Ng and Jasper Stadhouders, a solo performance by Mount Joy (the solo project of WFS’ very own Bea Labikova) and an elaborate interdisciplinary concoction from Seylon Stills, Bee Pallomina and Kristine White. Another interdisciplinary set features Heidi Chan—noted for their performances on bamboo flutes, modular synthesizers and electronics—alongside percussionist Naoko Tsujita. Mo:delic Arts, AKA Vanese Smith, known for her musical productions as Pursuit Grooves, will be augmenting the duo’s exchanges with live visuals. Finally festival organizers have assembled BIG BANG, a large ensemble featuring a vast cast of some of Toronto’s most finest.

Join us for the 5th Anniversary Festival! Early bird passes are still available for the very low price of $30 until February 19th. On February 20th, regular price passes ($45) go on sale, while single tickets will be available at $15 per night.