Concert by Paul Chiyokten Wagner and Jessika Kenney & Eyvind Kang
- Paul Chiyokten Wagner
- Jessika Kenney & Eyvind Kang
Western Front is pleased to present a concert by Paul Chiyokten Wagner and Jessika Kenney & Eyvind Kang.
To open the evening, Paul Chiyokten Wagner will present a number of songs for flute and drum that have come to him with visions of healing and prayer for all relations—tree people, animal people, and human people—from the traditional teachings of his Coast Salish tribal ancestors of the Wsaanich (Saanich) Tribe of southern Vancouver Island, British Columbia.
Collaborating over two decades, Jessika Kenney & Eyvind Kang have developed ethereal and transcendental music based on their study of cross-cultural and pan-musical traditions, forms of ritual, and their connection to lands. At Western Front, the duo will perform selections from their recent album Azure (2023), which comprises five new compositions recorded in Seattle during the spring of 2022. Underscored by allusions to the natural world and drifting temporalities, this body of sonority culminates in a singular gesture of contemporary minimalism that slowly unfolds across the album’s length, producing a profound calm that rises in arcs of tonal colour.
Curated by Aki Onda.
About the Artists
Paul Chiyokten Wagner is a musician and cultural educator based in Redmond, United States. Chiyokten is a member of the Wsaanich (Saanich) Tribe of southern Vancouver Island, Canada, and he is a performer of traditional songs and stories of his Coast Salish ancestors. As a flutist, his songs come to him with visions of healing and prayer for all relations. In addition to his performing and recording work, he teaches drum making and flute workshops; practices Coast Salish wood carving; and experiments with videography and photography.
Jessika Kenney & Eyvind Kang is a duo based in Los Angeles, United States interested in geomusicalities. Kenney is a vocalist, composer, and sound artist who works at the intersection of haptic and aural sensibilities. Kang is a violist and composer whose cross-genre work is influenced by spiritual jazz, North Indian “classical” music, and the sonic possibilities of geology and collective memory. Together, their compositions are informed by their study of land and place, temporal forms, sonic resonances, and transcultural conversations.
Accessibility
The Grand Luxe Hall is located on the second floor of Western Front, which is accessed by a flight of 26 stairs. While plans for a full building upgrade to facilitate access for wheelchair and scooter users are still underway, events in the Grand Luxe Hall are made available virtually via high-quality livestream (see link above). Further details about accessibility at Western Front can be found here.
Acknowledgements
Presented with support from the Government of Canada and SOCAN Foundation. With special thanks to East India Carpets.
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.