Water Surrounds Us – Ventus Machina
March 25, 2022
Ax Music Series: Water Surrounds Us – Ventus Machina with special guest Hubert Francis
March 25, 2022 at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets: $25
Location: AX Gallery
Doors open at 7:00 p.m., concert starts 7:30 p.m.
Purchase tickets online or in person at AX.
Water Surrounds Us is a brand new program created by woodwind quintet Ventus Machina. Along with guest Hubert Francis, the group will be premiering a composition by Jean-François Mallet, How the Petitcodiac River became Muddy, in the original Mi’kmaq language with English and French subtitles and beautiful, projected illustrations. The 65-minute program promises to be family-friendly and fascinating.
About Ventus Machina
On the cusp of celebrating ten years as an ensemble, Ventus Machina has become an institution on the New Brunswick music scene and has established a strong digital presence with both national and international audiences. While staying true to their classical roots, Ventus Machina continues to challenge traditional genre boundaries through joyful excursions into jazz, Latin, pop, rock, and even bluegrass. Frequent collaborations with local artists and personalities – musical and non-musical – have led to excellent relationships within both the Anglophone and Francophone communities in the region. The group has truly honed their unique artistic voice, both through the frequent commissioning of new works for traditional or extended instrumentation and through the performance of stunning original arrangements/re-compositions by the group’s clarinetist, James Kalyn.
The members of Ventus Machina are:
- Karin Aurell, flute – originally from Sweden, she brings a wealth of orchestral and chamber music experience;
- Christie Goodwin, oboe – hailing from Alberta, this Prairie girl has played with orchestras and chamber music groups across the country;
- James Kalyn, clarinet and saxophone—renowned woodwind doubler and a professor at Mount Allison University;
- Jon Fisher, horn – a BC native, Jon has played his way ever-eastward, studying in Calgary and Toronto before accepting a position in Saint John, NB, where he has made his mark as a teacher, performer and band director;
- Patrick Bolduc, bassoon – with a little Quebecois ‘joie de vivre’, a lot of humour, and wide-ranging performing experience, Patrick brings boundless energy to the quintet.
About Hubert Francis
Hubert Francis is from the Elsipogtog First Nation in New Brunswick. He is an international recording artist with his aboriginal rock band Eagle Feather, whose last CD recording “Message From A Drum” received two JUNO Award nominations, an East Coast Music Award nomination, and a Native American Music Award nomination. Hubert is a cast member of, ‘DRUM!”, a Brookes Diamond Production based out of Halifax, Nova Scotia, and is also a member of Alan Syliboy’s group, “Thundermakers”.
He was born and raised in Elsipogtog. Hubert is sometimes described as a Goodwill Ambassador and has been educating and informing the general public about his culture through his aboriginal rock style music, fusing native chants with contemporary rock sounds! Hubert was recently awarded the 2019 Dr. Helen Creighton Lifetime Achievement Award by the ECMAs.
This project is funded in part by the Government of Canada. / Ce projet est financé en partie par le gouvernement du Canada. Thank you to the New Brunswick Department of Tourism, Heritage and Culture for their support of this show.