Maada’ookii Songlines, was a massive choral gathering which culminated Luminato Festival 2019. Set against Toronto’s breathtaking waterfront, Maada’ookii Songlines featured 200 vocalists, 11 community choirs, 4 soloists on rooftops, and a fusion Indigenous musical ensemble. Composed by cris derksen with direction by Tim Albery & Michael Mori and lighting design by Andrew Pye.
Maada'ookii is a genderless Ojibway word meaning “they distribute something; they gift something; they share something with others”. Songlines, in cross-Indigenous tradition, are songs that help to find the way. Maada'ookii Songlines is a reminder that whatever our backgrounds may be, we all come from the stars.
As the sun descends, the city will be enveloped in sound coming from the land, water and from above. A soundtrack for the city, the performance comes with a powerful history and a promise:
as long as the sun shines
as long as the waters flow downhill
and as long as the grass is green.
“Toronto” comes from the Mohawk word Tkaronto, which translates to ‘where there are trees standing in the water’. Triga was inspired by this meaning to create a scenographic space composed of natural elements that emerges from the water.
As the sun sets the Maada’ooki Songlines choirs will weave their voices together for a finale composed by cris derksen. In the growing darkness a procession of fire flies carried by the youngest members of the choirs will seem to lead the way toward the sound. Through the twilight, tall grasses and fluttering lights we invited audiences to discover a renewed perspective on our urban landscape.
Triga’s design of the Maada’ooki performance space is based on the simple beauty of tall grasses. We prioritized planning for our materials to have more than one life cycle. Once the performance ended our grasses were be returned to Connon Nurseries so that they can continue to grow.