The 2023 tour of 我们 "Us"  continues in Basel/Arlesheim, Switzerland!

All donations go to a charity chosen by the municipality of Arlesheim to support refugees from Ukraine.

我们 “Us" 

Love, kindness, humility. A celebration of our shared humanity. Featuring compositions by Reena Esmail, Delong Wang, Larysa Kuzmenko, Fazil Say, and Martin Scherzinger.

Our diverse musical cultures reveal our diverse humanity. Now more than ever, we need to wield the power of music to understand and connect with one another, to imagine a better future, and to find common hope. 我们“Us” celebrates heritages and stories from across China, India, Turkey, Ukraine, and Africa. There are moments of great sadness, tragedy, and pain, but equally, if not more, there is hope, empowerment, joy, and even … cuteness (!) Whether directly or indirectly, we each hold the power to create a brighter collective future. The more we open ourselves to each other’s backgrounds, the more sensitive we can be, the better we can respect the symbols, gestures, and how to being kind, generous, and sincere in our humble efforts to be together, to be - 我们(Wǒ-mén), “Us”.

Program

Reena Esmail - Crystal Preludes (2020)

I. Oscillating Figures

II. Mishra Vibhas Melody

III. Vachaspati/Bhup

Delong Wang - Portrait of the Astor Chinese Garden Court (2022) 

I. Gazebo 亭

II. Rocks 石 

III. Bamboo 竹

IV. Stream 溪 

Martin Scherzinger - Etudes (2021)

I. The Horse is Not Mine, a Hobby Horse

II. Verso il capo 

III. Kinderreim 

IV. Chopi-Chopin 

Larysa Kuzmenko - In Memoriam to the Victims of Chernobyl (2008) 

Fazil Say - Gezi Park Sonata, Op. 52 (2016) 

I. Nights of Resistance on the Streets of Istanbul 

II. The Silence of the Gas Cloud 

III. On the Killing of the Innocent Child Berkin Elvan 

IV. Hope is Always in Our Hearts

Second Album “我们Us (Live)” Trailer

Tong Wang is a Canadian artist leading innovative initiatives across areas of performance, research, and community engagement. Her projects explore the role of art in relation to identity, culture, and current social-political issues. As a soloist and chamber musician, Tong has performed with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, Red Deer Symphony Orchestra, and various ensembles across North America and Europe. As a multidisciplinary artist, she has written the libretto of a new opera funded by the Canada Council, FRQSC, and SSHRC, “Labyrinth of Tears”, and published an award-winning photo-essay in Carte Blanche. Among her other projects are the creative performances “Song of Praise”, “Ghiblilane”, “Once Upon a Pumpkin”, “Phantasiai and Mnemosyne”, research on the aesthetic of “cuteness” in Kawaii Metal, Lo-fi, animation and classical music, and the interactive sound novel “The [blank] Journal”. Tong recently toured her recital on multiculturalism, “我们Us” in Lunenburg, Montreal, Verbier and presented the interactive concerts “We’re Not Really Strangers” and “My Neighbors Totoro and Claude!” at the Verbier Festival. In October 2022, Tong launched the pilot season of the Windwood Music Festival in Airdrie, Alberta to engage with and support rural farming communities through classical chamber music. Using diverse mediums, Tong aims to share the power of art to reach across time, languages, borders, and cultures to connect people and kindle a shared understanding.