The Canadian Music Centre will host Hanging By a Thread, the inaugural virtual production by Toronto new vocal music concert series, Slow Rise Music. Slow Rise Music was founded by musicians McKenzie Warriner and Tristan Zaba in 2021 to break new ground in classical performance and, by showcasing the human voice in contexts different and arguably more relevant than traditional operatic or choral presentations, improve access and give new life to the art form.
Hanging by a Thread features works from three composers: Isaac Zee, a Vancouver-based composer/violinist from Hong Kong; Anika France Forget, a UK-based Franco-Ontarian composer/vocalist; and Tristan Zaba, a composer/vocalist/rock musician originally from Alberta. Each piece explores the theme of “survival,” on commissioned texts by Canadian poets Pamela Galloway, Aude A. Saint-Laurent, and Tristan Zaba.
In keeping with the Slow Rise mission, Hanging By a Thread explores multi-instrumentalism—the concept of players singing and playing instruments simultaneously, which is common in popular music but unusual in classical presentations. All pieces will be performed by co-founders McKenzie Warriner on soprano voice and piano, and Tristan Zaba on bass voice and electric guitar. Hanging by a Thread will take place live on YouTube. There is no charge to view aside from an optional donation to Slow Rise Music’s gofundme campaign.
Programme
À vol d’oiseau | Anika-France Forget (composer), Aude A. Saint-Laurent (poet)
Cardinal | Isaac Zee (composer), Pamela Galloway (poet)
Elsewhere There Was Daylight | Tristan Zaba (composer, poet)
Hanging By a Thread’s program is made possible through the generous support of the Canada Council for the Arts as well as private donors