April 11, 2019 at Burdock Music Hall
1184 Bloor St. West
Ahmed Moneka | spoken word artist
Musicians of Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra:
Marco Cera oboe
Julia Wedman violin
Patrick G. Jordan viola
Margaret Gay cello
Charlotte Nediger harpsichord
Lighting Design: Raha Javanfar
One Night Only
Ahmed Moneka
Toronto, March 25, 2018 … Haus Musik returns to Burdock Music Hall on Thursday April 11 at 8:30 PM with Strangers in Strange Lands, an evening exploring the baroque music and modern poetry of artists who settled far from home.Iraqi poet, theatre artist, and refugee Ahmed Moneka makes his Haus Musik debut performing his poetry and curating playlists that will bookend the evening’s live music segments.
The notion of travelling to seek inspiration isn’t new, and many composers in baroque Europe left the comfort of their homelands to discover new countries and sounds. The mingling of people from different cultures resulted in a flourish of new musical varieties, like the elegant, more direct galant style that followed baroque-era extravagance. Sonatas by Janitsch, J.C. Bach, Brescianello, Caldara, Galuppi, and Noferi take centre stage in Strangers in a Strange Lands.
Tafelmusik violist Patrick Jordan, a member of the creative team behind this edition of Haus Musik says, “We started talking about how narratives of being an outsider would be a well suited for this program of music by composers like Janitsch, Brescianello, and J.C. Bach. We invited Ahmed Moneka, a newcomer to Canada who is an actor, musician and poet, to join us. His strong convictions about human rights seemed the perfect fit for making the idea of Strangers in Strange Lands current for Canada today.”
Haus Musik Artistic Advisor Felix Deak expands upon the theme of the concert, saying “guest poet Ahmed Moneka will offer audiences a contemporary view of the realities of movement and migration of people across the planet.”
Tafelmusik’s Haus Musik series challenges the rules of the traditional classical music experience. Doors open at 7:30 pm with live music starting at 8:30 pm. Advance tickets are $20 and are available online at www.hausmusik.ca. Ticket-holders receive a 10% discount on food at Burdock Brewery next door.
Stay tuned for details about the final Haus Musik event of the season on May 23, 2019.
ABOUT AHMED MONEKA
Ahmed Moneka is artist in residence with Driftwood Theatre Group. An Iraqi theatre artist and refugee now making Toronto his home, Ahmed graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts at the University of Baghdad, where he began to focus on theatre exploring human rights and freedom. He was featured in The Society, the first Iraqi film about gay men, which screened at TIFF in 2015. He was subsequently unable to return home because of threats from militias in Baghdad. In his new home of Toronto, Ahmed continues his artistic pursuit to help build a society around love. Ahmed is currently creating a project with Jesse LaVercombe and Seth Bockley, The Epic of Gilgamesh. Selected other credits include Abduction from the Seraglio (Canadian Opera Company), IN Sundry Languages, (Toronto Laboratory Theatre), and Romeo & Juliet in Baghdad (Iraqi Theatre Company). Ahmed is drummer and vocalist with MOSKITO BAR, Moneka Arabic Jazz, and MonekaMonologue, and music and dance facilitator with Turtle House Art Play Centre.
ABOUT HAUS MUSIK
Launched in 2016, Haus Musik challenges the rules of the traditional classical music experience by taking audiences out of the concert hall and into an atmospheric, bar/club setting. Bring your friends, grab some drinks, and join Tafelmusik musicians and special guests for an intimate evening of music, imagery—and a surprise or two.
Listing Information:
Haus Musik: Strangers in Strange Lands
Thursday, April 11, 2019
Doors 7:30 pm | Live music at 8:30 pm
Limited seating. Bar open throughout.
Burdock Music Hall, 1184 Bloor St. West
Tickets: $20* Adv / $25 Door *HST included
www.hausmusik.ca | @hausmusikTO – visit us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
Haus Musik is generously supported by The McLean Foundation.
Media sponsor:
Media contact: Luisa Trisi, Big Picture Communications | luisatrisi.com | (416) 456-0499
427 Bloor Street West | ltrisi@sympatico.ca