Breathings

Breathings is a celebration of our intimate relationship with nature, a concert that places the breath at the centre of the musical act. The pulsing of a heartbeat and the human voice in all its forms are breath-related phenomena that will serve to guide Constantinople’s musicians and their guests from indigenous communities from both here and abroad in this new creation.

One of the foremost representatives of Tuvan throat singing (khöömei), Mongun-ool Ondar will use his singular vocal technique to evoke the souls of the steppes and nomadic peoples. Heir to a living indigenous tradition that finds its source in the sounds of nature, Darlene Gijuminag will perform Mi’kmaq vocalizations and prayers. Their voices will be joined by the Persian melismatic stylings and songs of Kiya Tabassian, completing this meeting between three bearers of ancestral traditions, who invite the audience to take part in their dialogue about past, present and future.

Contributing to the discussion will be the ney (end-blown flute), the most ancient and emblematic instrument of Sufi music and Persian song, along with frame drums, the spirited sounds of the setar and kanun, and a double bass, creating a sonic environment from which will spring the beauty and complexity of our world.

Breathings, a musical experience that reminds us of our fragile relationship to the universe and the fundamental elements of life…