WESTERN FRONT – Modesty of the Magic Thing

Description:

Composer, harpist, and improviser Zeena Parkins was joined by her close collaborator, percussionist William Winant, for a concert in the Grand Luxe Hall. Together they performed work from Parkins’s album Modesty of the Magic Thing (Tzadik Records, 2025), and the composition LACE II (2023).

Composed by Parkins for harp, percussion, and electronics, Modesty of the Magic Thing pays tribute to American visual artist Jay DeFeo and her series The Seven Pillars of Wisdom (1989). These drawings iterate a seven-sided shape derived from a pink cup gifted to DeFeo by sculptor Ron Nagle, rendered in charcoal and metallic powder to create a meditative field of mysterious power. This central form becomes the conceptual core of Parkins’s composition, providing a framework for its line, rhythm, texture, and form. In her project LACE, Parkins translates intricate textile patterns and lace-making techniques into musical scores.

The pieces were performed on acoustic harp, wooden bows, tracer microphone, metal percussion, and several just-intoned instruments, including a unique metallic tubophone designed by Lou Harrison and played by Winant. The instrumentation also included microtuned bells, a hanging cymbal, a giant tam-tam, and a balloon. Together, the instrumentation melded to ring with unexpected rubbing, resonance, and reverberation.

The concert was followed by a short talk back with Parkins facilitated by Western Front executive director Susan Gibb.

Presented with support from the Government of Canada.

The duo, harpist Zeena Parkins and percussionist William Winant, perform in the center of the Grand Luxe Hall, surrounded by more than twenty audience members. Most of the audience remains in shadow, encircling the performers, who are illuminated by a large warm yellow spotlight that draws focus to the performance. Zeena’s face is partially obscured by a large golden acoustic harp as she plays. Opposite her, William stands at a percussion setup including wooden bows, a tracer microphone, metal percussion, and a metallic tubophone. Both performers look toward one another as they play, while the audience watches attentively.

Harpist Zeena Parkins and percussionist William Winant perform in the foreground of the Grand Luxe Hall, illuminated by a large warm yellow spotlight. Zeena’s face is visible through the strings of a large golden acoustic harp as she plays. William is seen from behind, wearing a blue shirt and reading glasses, playing a metallic tubophone at his percussion setup. Nearby, a large drum and a hanging cymbal are visible. In the background, approximately fifteen audience members sit and stand in darkness, watching the performance attentively.

Around ten audience members gather around harpist Zeena Parkins, their bodies mostly in shadow as she performs under a warm yellow spotlight. She plays a large golden acoustic harp with a gold frame, red edging, and white and red strings. Zeena wears light blue jeans and a flowing beige T-shirt. She reaches toward the instrument with one hand while playing, with a musical score placed on a stand in front of her.

Audience members gather around percussionist William Winant in the Grand Luxe Hall. He performs on a metallic tubophone using mallets in both hands. He wears dark pants, a light blue shirt, and reading glasses, and looks down at the instrument with concentration. Surrounding him are a hanging cymbal, a music stand with a score sheet, microtuned bells, and a tracer microphone. The audience watches attentively from the shadows as William is illuminated by a soft warm overhead light.

William Winant is in focus in the Grand Luxe Hall, performing on a percussion setup under a soft warm overhead light. He scrapes a mallet across the surface of a cymbal with one hand while the other steadies the instrument. His expression is serious and concentrated as he looks down. A large drum appears in the lower portion of the frame, with a hanging cymbal and the edge of a metallic tubophone visible above him. Audience members are present in the background, mostly in shadow, watching the performance.

In the Grand Luxe Hall, percussionist William Winant performs under a soft warm overhead light, his setup coming into focus as the central subject of the frame. He touches the surface of a cymbal with one hand to dampen its vibration while holding a violin bow in the other. His expression is serious and concentrated as he looks ahead. A large drum sits at the bottom of the frame, with a hanging cymbal and the edge of a metallic tubophone visible above it. In the background, audience members sit and stand in dim light, mostly in shadow, watching the performance.

Harpist Zeena Parkins and percussionist William Winant perform in the center of the Grand Luxe Hall, illuminated by a large warm yellow spotlight that makes them the focal point of the image. A few audience members are visible as heads in the darkness at the bottom of the frame, with more seated and standing behind the performers in shadow. Zeena’s face is visible through the strings of a large golden acoustic harp as she plays with both hands, looking down at her instrument. Opposite her, William appears focused as he holds a mallet in one hand, looking down at the metallic tubophone.

The image focuses on both performers during a live composition in the Grand Luxe Hall. Zeena Parkins stands in front of a large golden acoustic harp, wearing light blue jeans and a flowing beige T-shirt. Both hands are raised as she adjusts the harp’s tuning pegs, using a tuning key to alter the strings in real time. Opposite her, William Winant is seen from behind wearing a light blue shirt and reading glasses, playing a large tam-tam with mallets in both hands. Around them, audience members watch with interest, some appearing engaged and amused by the interaction between the performers.

A close view of Zeena Parkins’ performance, seen from behind as she stands in front of a large golden acoustic harp. She wears light blue jeans and a flowing beige T-shirt. Both hands pull and engage the harp strings as part of a live composition, her body slightly bent at the knees as she shifts her weight with the movement. The harp fills most of the frame as she plays with focused physical engagement.

Audience members sit and watch attentively from their seats in the performance space, positioned behind the performers. In the center of the scene, William Winant sits on a chair playing a large tam-tam, holding a small green mallet in his right hand while his left hand rests on his lap. He looks down at the instrument with concentration. Behind the tam-tam, Zeena Parkins stands holding a microphone, positioned to amplify the vibrations created by William’s strikes. Both performers appear focused as they collaborate in an improvisational performance.

In the centre of the performance space, William Winant sits on a chair in front of the giant tam-tam, and touches a nearby cymbal with a small mallet. Behind the tam-tam, Zeena Parkins stands with a bent posture and both arms extended, holding a microphone close to capture the instrument’s vibrations. She appears focused on the sound response of the metal surface. Around them is a setup of sonic instruments, including a large drum, microtuned bells, and a hanging cymbal. Audience members sit behind the performers, watching attentively from their seats.

Illuminated by a warm spotlight in the center of the Grand Luxe Hall, harpist Zeena Parkins and percussionist William Winant perform facing each other. Zeena stands in front of a large golden acoustic harp, her face clearly visible as she plays. Opposite her, William performs on a metallic tubophone at a percussion setup that also includes wooden bows, a tracer microphone, and metal percussion. More than twenty audience members surround the performers, seated and standing in darkness, quietly focused on the unfolding performance.

Musician Zeena Parkins is shown in a mid-range shot playing a large golden harp with red and white strings. She wears light blue shorts and a flowy beige T-shirt. Facing forward, she performs with both hands engaged on the instrument, moving through the strings as she plays. Her expression is focused, with a subtle sense of delight and absorption in the performance. The harp’s tall vertical frame and dense arrangement of strings structure the scene, with Zeena centered as she continues the live composition.

The image centers on percussionist William Winant, who is the main focus of the composition, surrounded by his instrument setup. He wears a blue shirt and dark pants. He plays a metallic tubophone, holding a mallet in one hand while a thin yellow tube is placed between his lips. His gaze is directed toward a score on a music stand in front of him. Around him are additional instruments, including microtuned bells, a hanging cymbal, and wooden bows, arranged as part of the performance setup.

Captions:

Zeena Parkins and William Winant, Modesty of the Magic Thing, video documentation, May 9, 2026. 50 min. 51 sec. Camera by Lilith Charlet.
Zeena Parkins and William Winant at Western Front, photo documentation, May 9, 2026. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Zeena Parkins and William Winant at Western Front, photo documentation, May 9, 2026. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Zeena Parkins at Western Front, photo documentation, May 9, 2026. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
William Winant at Western Front, photo documentation, May 9, 2026. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
William Winant at Western Front, photo documentation, May 9, 2026. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
William Winant at Western Front, photo documentation, May 9, 2026. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Zeena Parkins and William Winant at Western Front, photo documentation, May 9, 2026. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Zeena Parkins and William Winant at Western Front, photo documentation, May 9, 2026. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Zeena Parkins at Western Front, photo documentation, May 9, 2026. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
William Winant and Zeena Parkins at Western Front, photo documentation, May 9, 2026. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
William Winant and Zeena Parkins at Western Front, photo documentation, May 9, 2026. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
William Winant and Zeena Parkins at Western Front, photo documentation, May 9, 2026. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Zeena Parkins at Western Front, photo documentation, May 9, 2026. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
William Winant at Western Front, photo documentation, May 9, 2026. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
William Winant at Western Front, photo documentation, May 9, 2026. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.

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Concert by NJLQ Trio

Western Front is a non-profit artist-run centre in Vancouver.

We acknowledge the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and səl̓ílwətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations as traditional owners of the land upon which Western Front stands.