VIA SALZBURG returns to
GLENN GOULD STUDIO

With Mozart And More

An Innovative Evening Of Dance And Music

Toronto, ON — Dancer and choreographer Naoko Murakoshi will collaborate with the Via Salzburg String Quartet in Mozart and More, a high-energy evening of dance and chamber music to delight the senses on December 8 and 9, 2005, at 8 p.m. at Glenn Gould Studio, Canadian Broadcasting Centre, 250 Front Street West, Toronto. The second concert in Via Salzburg’s five-concert series, Mozart and More will feature the Via Salzburg String Quartet performing Ravel’s String Quartet. The Via Salzburg String Quartet will be joined by members of the Via Salzburg Chamber Orchestra for Mozart’s Divertimento in D major for strings and two horns KV334, the first of several pieces this season that celebrates the composer’s 250th birthday. The highlight of the evening will be a special collaboration with choreographer Naoko Murakoshi in a contemporary first work with live musicians and dancers set to Penderecki’s String Quartet No. 1. Bill Coleman, winner of the Canada Council for the Arts Jacqueline Lemieux Prize, also appears with Murakoshi.

"Live chamber music introduces a unique element into the world of dance," says Mayumi Seiler. "The ‘live’ aspects of the performance—the breathing, the attentiveness, the spontaneity—sets it apart and makes it special. The dancers and musicians draw energy from each other, bringing the performance to life and making the audience part of something that is created at that particular moment in time."

"I was drawn to the challenge of choreographing a new dance work to a short and relatively abstract piece of music, and performed in a minimalist setting." says Naoko Murakoshi, choreographer. "With these parameters, the impact has to be immediate and carried solely by the dance itself. This piece is an allegory for artistic creation, how it occurs not in an orderly manner, but in relative chaos. The dancers represent the visible composer/creator pursuing an elusive unwritten note."

Naoko Murakoshi has been performing in Canada and abroad over 20 years. She was a member of Toronto Dance Theatre for eight consecutive seasons, and toured across Canada and internationally. As an independent artist, she has worked with many talented Canadian and Japanese choreographers. Since 1994, Naoko has been co-producing SELENE: A Feast for the Senses, a full moon night concert with strong emphasis on blending different art disciplines. Her choreography has been presented at SELENE, Seven for Seven productions, fFIDA, Salon de Gold in Tokyo, Dance Meeting in Nagoya and other venues. In summer of 2004, her new work "Camellia" premiered at the New National Theatre in Tokyo. Naoko has been devoting time to renewing her ties with Japan, holding workshops and choreographing for young dancers there. She has been a part-time faculty member at York University Department of Dance since 2000.

Bill Coleman is originally from Nova Scotia but currently resides in Montreal. As a winner of the Canada Council for the Arts Jacqueline Lemieux Prize (2002), he is one of Canada’s major dance talents and exemplifies excellence in the arts. Since starting his professional career in 1979, he has created over 50 works and performed with Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane & Co., Tere O’Connor Dance, Wiesbaden Ballet, Toronto Dance Theatre, The Martha Graham Dance Company, William Douglas Dance, Laurence Lemieux, Jean-Pierre Perreault and others. In 1988, Mr. Coleman received the Jerome Foundation’s First Light Award for Baryshnikov: The Other Story. His works include: Zorro (nominated for a Dora Mavor Moore Award); Shane; The Iowa Sheep Buggery Trials; Glory Days; Monsters Midway; and Heartland, a solo which inspired the filmmaker Laura Taler to create an award-winning documentary on Coleman’s work and life.
 

ABOUT VIA SALZBURG STRING QUARTET

Led by Artistic Director Mayumi Seiler, the Via Salzburg String Quartet features violinist Benjamin Bowman, Montreal-based cellist Brian Manker, and special guest Naomi Seiler on viola.
 

ABOUT VIA SALZBURG CHAMBER ORCHESTRA

Tickets: $50 (Adults), $45 (Seniors), $25 (Students)

To Order Call: (416) 205-5555

All concerts begin at 8 p.m. at Glenn Gould Studio,
Canadian Broadcasting Centre, 250 Front Street West