Burlesque, bannock, and BIPOC chamber music as Imaginarium concert series hits IndieFest, November 18 to 23

Curators Stephanie Wong, Raven Grenier, Rich Coburn, and Kelsey Wavey stage form-pushing performance projects

re:Naissance Opera presents Imaginarium on November 18, 19, 20, and 23 as part of IndieFest

AS PART OF THIS year’s fully live IndieFest—an event aimed at tearing down boundaries between art forms and sparking radical inclusion—organizers have invited four BIPOC curators to stage events for the new Imaginarium Creative Series.

The happenings kick off at Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Gardens with Imaginarium I: The Liminal, curated by Stephanie Wong, a multidisciplinary artist who’s also a grad of Studiob 58’s acting program and associate artistic director of re:Naissance Opera. It pulls together music, art, and “nostalgic food”.

The following evening, multidisciplinary artist and Tataskweyak Cree Nation member Kelsey Wavey gathers queer talent for GROOVE at the Fox Cabaret. Think indie pop beats, burlesque, and house music.

Gitxsan and Cree dancer, singer, and song composer Raven Grenier curates Imaginarium III: Indigenous Music and Salmon & Bannock, on the afternoon of November 20 at The Annex. The event is free to self-identified BIPOC & 2SLGBTQ+ Peoples; catering is by Salmo and Bannock.

And November 23, classical pianist, opera repetiteur, organist, pop music director, arranger, composer, and sound designer Rich Coburn puts together “a musical sampling platter of vocal chamber music by nine exciting BIPOC composers”.

You can find info and tickets here.

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