Sound Symposium XXII Daytime Events

by Michelle Lacour / Uncategorized
July 3, 2026

HADIS FARD: MODES OF LISTENING: A FEMINIST EAR

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Modes of Listening: A Feminist Ear, developed around the anthology Bodies of Sound: Becoming a Feminist Ear, edited by Irene Revell and Sarah Shin (Silver Press, 2024).

The workshop takes place outdoors, moving through downtown St. John’s and the Harbour. The harbour is a threshold space, a place where sound crosses what sight cannot: water, distance, language, borders. Working from the book, participants are invited to practice listening as a critical and compassionate act, tuning into what is present but unseen, what travels without permission, what the body receives before the mind names it. The question at the centre is not just who is heard, but what we are willing to hear.

The when, where: 
  • Thursday, July 16th, 2026 @ 3:30pm
  • Beginning at Harbourside Park
  • No musical experience required
  • Wear comfortable clothes and bring a notebook, pens in variety colors, any objects that makes sound and you can carry it (no instruments)

NAISHI WANG: TAKING BREATH 

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Naishi Wang is a Chinese-born, Toronto-based dance artist whose work explores communication, translation, and the body as a living language. Trained at Jilin College of Art in China and The School of Toronto Dance Theatre, Wang danced with Toronto Dance Theatre for nine years before beginning his independent career in 2015. His choreography blends Chinese classical forms, qigong, martial arts, ballet, and contemporary dance within a conceptual and somatic framework, infused with the fluid precision of his childhood calligraphy training.

An award-winning artist, Wang investigates how emotion, culture, and identity are embodied, often asking the question: “How do we continue?” His works — Taking Breath (solo), Face To Face (with Lukas Malkowski), and Deciphers (with UK-based dance artist Jean Abreu) — have toured across Canada, UK and Europe, examining the poetics of understanding and misunderstanding in human connection.

Through his company, Naishi Dance, Wang continues to forge a distinctive voice within Canada’s dance landscape, balancing tradition and innovation through movement.

The when & where: 

JACINTE ARMSTRONG: ROCK EXOSKELETONS – SOUND & MOVEMENT WALK REGISTRATION 

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Beginning at the Terry Fox Mile Zero Memorial Park on Water St. East and climbing up the hill to Cabot Tower, audience members will join dancer Jacinte Armstrong and several other artists as they ascend the hill in sculptural “rock exoskeletons” – architectural forms that draw connections between geological formations and contemporary materiality. 
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Please wear comfortable shoes and weather-appropriate clothing. All ages are welcome to join. Please note that we will be walking uphill. If you are unable to walk long distances, feel free to meet us at the end of the route (Cabot Tower on Signal Hill) around 10:45am.
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The when, where and sign-up: 

AFTERNOON CONCERT: MUSIC @ HARBOURSIDE 

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Sonic Playgrounds is an electroacoustic improv duo consisting of saxophonist Matthew Roome and electronic artist Andrew Gosse.
The when & where: 

ISAAC ANDREWS POWER: IMPROV X IMPROV: ULTIMATE SMACKDOWN

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Isaac Andrews Power is a musician and improviser based in St. John’s, NL. They have embarked on a quest to discover the secrets of life through a variety of artistic stylings, focusing primarily on violin performance. Through their Improv X Improv Ultimate Smackdown they seek to fuse the world of short form improvised comedy and live noise music, with a little help from some friends of course.

The when & where: 

AN AFTERNOON IN THE PARK WITH THE ASSOCIATION FOR NEW CANADIANS

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With a wide variety of newcomer artists!

The when & where:

OCTATONIC DECADENCE ENSEMBLE: “TAKE A CHANCE ON CHANTS” OPENING CONCERT

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OCTATONIC DECADENCE ENSEMBLE is locally assembled by David Buley, and the group’s membership fluctuates as required according to the voices needed for the wide array of music the group performs. O.D.E.’s repertoire spans thirteen centuries and represents exquisite examples of music for multiple voices by an eclectic array of composers such as R. Murray Schafer, Arvo Pärt, John Tavener, Reena Esmail, William Byrd, Thomas Tallis, Cristóbal Morales, Christine Donkin, Kathleen Allan, Herbert Howells, and Corrinne Pilippon. The group strives for a clear, blended sound with nuance of expression and beauty.

The when & where: