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Pulling Out All The Stops  - A Pipe Dream

 

Connecting two cultures in real time using a pipe organ over 35,000km away is no small feat, even with the help of technology.

 

On March 4, 2023 at 10am PST, Master Musicians from three continents will give the first of its kind, cross continental Pipe Organ performance and education workshops in Africa.

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As part of a collaborative effort to bring the pipe organ to places the instrument does not exist, pipe organist (Michael Dirk, vice president of Vancouver RCCO) will perform at Vancouver St-John's Shaughnessy (3700 pipes) an arrangement of a Rwandan traditional song (Humura Rwanda) written by Vancouver composer Denis Bédard. This performance will be broadcasted through live streaming to Rwanda providing the accompaniment to a Rwandan choir singing an arrangement of a traditional song called Humura Rwanda.

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Where this project gets bold is where a Rwandan music student will be performing specific parts of the song on a digital keyboard to activate and be heard back on the Vancouver pipe organ.

 

“I cant wait to see the look on their faces when they play the real thing for the first time!” exclaimed Gilles Parenteau, project coordinator and retired Selkirk College music instructor, Nelson BC.

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Since there are no pipe organs in Rwanda and considering the sheer size of the instrument, this world premiere will give the opportunity for young Rwandan musicians to experience the pipe organ’s magnitude and play in real time (across continents) our cherished patrimonial instrument.

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Under the direction of Matt Bray (PhD student Edith Cowan University, Perth, Australia) the long distance performance will be transmitted via a musical technology called telemidi (musical instrument digital interface) traveling near the earth circumference through over 35,000km of internet links.

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Kindly funded by the Canada Arts Council, the performance will be live and available to watch live on two Youtube channels. (links and information can be found at virtualsymphony.org/rwanda). Six other African countries will also be invited to view the performance, with promotion made by SAGE Colleges & Institutes Canada, office located in St-Lucia, Caribbean.

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Parenteau and Dominique Soutif (former Juno awarded CBC producer, Ottawa, Ont) are coordinating and producing this new music merging the organ with traditional and original songs from Rwanda. Jacques Murigande (artist name Popo and former Canadian Juno recipient) is the director of the School of Creative Art and Music in Rwanda.

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Funding for this project kindly provided by the Canada Arts Council.

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