Larisa’s latest collection of paintings inspired by the poetry and music of Leonard Cohen. In collaboration with some of Edmonton’s best choreographers, dancers and dance students, Larisa has created a multi-media presentation capturing the emotional essence of Cohen and his works. The performance features animated versions of five paintings on-stage, set to music and dance, as well as 10 additional new paintings. Read the rest of this entry »

Live Cinema Audio-Visual Performance
Commissioned by the Leonard Cohen International Festival 2008
July 25 & 27, 2008
Rice Theatre
Tickets $15 General Seating

Clinker’s “On the Other Side…” explores Cohen’s continued romance within the light and dark inside our human experience. An audio-visual “deep listening” environment which will draw inspiration from the vast depths of emotion written into the poetry and music of Leonard Cohen.

The lush bass tones of Cohen’s voice provide a point of departure for our journey inside Clinker’s cinema of sound and light. Drawing from years of experience in creating and manipulating music and audio, Clinker will deconstruct and reassemble Cohen’s voice into surreal “bass-scapes” using his unique and sophisticated system of analogue and digital electronics.  Clinker’s creation will bathe the audience in an array of Cohen’s “golden” vocal chords augmented with a connection between sonic and visual details. A specially designed sub-sonic sound system will be in place to reinforce the experience of extreme sound-movement through the body.
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…a brazen and intoxicating blend of jazz, gypsy swing, Latin & East European influences! (The Age, 2005)

With a vibrant, contemporary edge, triple ARIA Award winning group Monsieur Camembert has been described as eclectic, virtuosic, theatrical and irreverent. Fusing the wild rhythms of Eastern Europe with tango and Latin music, swing, jazz, klezmer, tarantella and French Musette, Monsieur Camembert’s shows have become synonymous with an atmosphere of celebration and spontaneity. This is gutsy, emotive and irresistibly danceable music, played with originality, virtuosity, sensuality and flair.

The most successful world music band in Australian music history, the core group has been performing for more than seven years and has gained a wide audience at a range of events, including national and international music festivals, concert halls, various performing arts and jazz venues, including the Sydney Opera House, The Basement and the Art Gallery of NSW and celebrity weddings. In 2000, they were a featured act at the Paralympic Games Opening Ceremony and were broadcast on ABC Radio National’s live concert series: ‘Live On Stage’ three times.

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Vicky Hynes performance career is a spectrum of radio, television, theatre, film and music production. Her self-titled CD released in 2000 is a pallet of Newfoundland songwriting talent delivered by her smoky yet firey vocals. Hynes is creator and producer of the immensely popular A Feast of Cohen; an annual music event, and holiday tradition, featuring the songs of Leonard Cohen performed by a variety of Newfoundland artists. Producing the show’s Live CD that was launched in December 2007, Vicky also is developing its documentary with CBC Television & Rink Rat Productions.

A Feast of Cohen is annual sell-out concert of Leonard Cohen songs presented by a diverse group of Newfoundland artists. A Feast of Cohen is staged at the LSPU Hall, the Resource Centre for the Arts in downtown St. John’s, Newfoundland beginning December 27 every year since 2000!

Ted Bishop

Ted Bishop has authored books and articles on Virginia Woolf, James Joyce, and modernist publishing. His literary non-fiction has appeared in Cycle Canada, Enroute, Prairie Fire, Rider, and Word Carving: The Craft of Literary Journalism. Riding with Rilke was a finalist for the Governor General’s Literary Award for Non-Fiction, it was nominated for the Drainie-Taylor Biography Prize, and it won the Motorcycle Awards of Excellence. Ted Bishop lives in Edmonton and teaches at the University of Alberta.

A professor of English literature and film studies at the University of Alberta, his first non-academic publication was Riding with Rilke: Reflections on Motorcycles and Books, a memoir which was a Canadian bestseller in 2005 and a finalist for the 2005 Governor General’s Award for English non-fiction.

Todd Babiak

Todd Babiak grew up in Leduc. He moved to Edmonton to attend the University of Alberta. In 1995 he was thrilled to graduate with a BA in Political Science. There was much rejoicing when he learned he would move to Montreal to do a Master’s Degree in English literature at Concordia University.  Read the rest of this entry »

Karla Anderson burst on to the world music stage in 2005 when her song “What Else Can I Do? was featured in the hit television series “Joan of Arcadia”. The show used two of Karla’s songs but it was “the blanket song” (as her fans call it) that generated overwhelming response from around the world. She followed up that exposure with her debut release “The Embassy Sessions” in August of 2005, and the wheels were set in motion. Since that time Karla’s music has been ingraining itself into the hearts of audiences wherever she appears and wherever the music is played. Her disc has topped the charts on many stations including America’s pre-eminent folk music station WUMB in Boston. Her appearance on the CBC Television Special “Alberta Bound – A Centennial Celebration” brought another legion of new fans. This special featured artists and icons including k.d. lang, Ian Tyson, Jann Arden and Nickleback, while featuring Corb Lund and Karla Anderson as the future of Alberta’s rich musical legacy. In December of 2005, Karla won the “Best New Artist” award at the Canadian Folk Music Awards. Read the rest of this entry »