TANYA TAGAQ
SEPTEMBER 18 2024, 7PM
A fearless innovator with a visceral stage presence and dizzyingly complex music, Tanya Tagaq is a Canadian cultural icon. The Inuk throat singer has spent her entire life championing her people, land and culture while calling out oppressive systems and structures. With an extraordinary musical aesthetic, Tanya mines an artistic tradition dating back tens of thousands of years with a fierce power and contemporary sensibility.
Tagaq’s performance will include qiasaaqtuq, featuring the Victoria Symphony, a moderated discussion and sivunitinni, accompanied by Emily Carr String Quartet.
CROW’S THEATRE-THE LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT or AS YOU LIKE IT by Cliff Cardinal
OCTOBER 10, 11 at 7pm, OCTOBER 12 2pm & 7pm (all shows at The Metro Studio, 1411 Quadra St)
A devastating yet laugh-out-loud examination of land acknowledgements as cultural and political practice.
Cultural provocateur Cliff Cardinal revisits Shakespeare’s timeless tale of mistaken identities, gentle ruses and banishment in this show that exults in difficult subject matter.
SHANE KOCYZAN, SPOKEN WORD ARTIST
FEBRUARY 26, 7PM
There are some artists who happen to be in the right place at the right time… that moment when the door is still slightly open and there’s just enough space to sneak through.
Then there are those artists who find themselves standing in front of a closed door, but instead of waiting for it to open they kick it in to go through. In the rise of Spoken Word’s popularity, that open door cannot be discussed without saying the name Shane Koyczan.
ANDA UNION
MARCH 15 2025, 7PM
Anda Union all trained in traditional Mongolian music from a young age, many coming from musical families. They are part of a musical movement that is finding inspiration in old and forgotten songs. As a group they hold on to the essence of Mongolian music whilst creating a form of music that is new. Anda Union combine different traditions and styles of Mongolian music, developing an innovation previously unheard of.
SECHILE SEDARE
APRIL 25 2025, 7PM
A contemporary roots duo featuring sibling songwriters Leela Gilday and Jay Gilday. Sechile Sedare (pronounced ‘seh-chee-leh’ ‘seh-dahr-eh’) means ‘my younger brother, my older sister’ in the Dene language. This musical collaboration sees Jay and Leela co-write and co-create new repertoire together, harnessing their talents as deeply insightful and genuine storytellers. Their voices blend in perfect harmony, hitting notes of nostalgia, hope, humour and reflection. The songs, created during lockdown in 2021 and during a residency at the Banff Centre, share stories about their family history, their connection to the land and water, and the twists and turns of fate.
V’NI DANSI
JUNE 17 2025, 7PM
Through an international collaboration that highlighted the similarities of Indigenous peoples across the orders of Canada and the United States, this exciting dance production explores intergenerational teachings that are passed from Elders to adults to youth.
Territory acknowledgement
We acknowledge and respect the lək̓ʷəŋən peoples on whose traditional territory the university stands and the Songhees, Esquimalt and WSÁNEĆ peoples whose historical relationships with the land continue to this day.
VITALY-DECEMBER 7, 7PM
World-class illusionist Vitaly has lit up Times Square and mystified fans from all over the world, including Las Vegas superstars Penn & Teller whom he has successfully fooled in their hit TV show, Fool Us, not once but twice, becoming one of the few in the world to do so. From bringing photographs and paintings to life to making audience members disappear from their own driver’s licenses, even the most jaded illusionists have declared Vitaly’s An Evening of Wonders as containing some of the most incredible and impossible magic ever witnessed.
INTERNATIONAL GUITAR NIGHT-JANUARY 29, 7PM
Join us for the 25th Annual North American Tour of International Guitar Night, a celebration of the world’s most innovative and diverse guitar talents. Brian Gore has curated a stellar lineup featuring Lulo Reinhardt (Germany), Alexandra Whittingham (Britain), Niwel Tsumbu (Democratic Republic of The Congo) and Sönke Meinen (Germany), promising a night of breathtaking performances that span the global spectrum of guitar artistry.
Voices in Circle:
Amplifying Indigenous Cultural Voices
The University of Victoria and the Farquhar at UVic are proud to present Voices in Circle: Amplifying Indigenous Cultural Voices; an engagement series featuring established and emerging Indigenous artists.
Guided and curated by a Programming Circle of Indigenous artists, arts administrators, academics and leaders; the series will present diverse artistic expressions including music, dance, theatre, burlesque, drag, comedy mixed media, lectures and visual arts with a regional, provincial and national scope.
“This initiative is taking the first steps in true decolonization of institutionalized artistic spaces,” says Programming Circle member, carver and musician Tejas Collison.
“It’s a new way of doing things,” says Ian Case, Director for the Farquhar at UVic. “UVic is committed to walking the path towards Truth and Reconciliation and Canada’s arts and cultural sector is changing. We’re committed to changing with it. We’re reconsidering our traditional role as a cultural gatekeeper and making space for a new approach.”
Community engagement activities will complement performances with talk-back sessions, workshops, artistic collaborations, knowledge sharing, mentorships, residencies and engagement with local Indigenous artists, Elders, communities, audiences and the public.
