Special event will feature acclaimed throat singing performers and the debut of Tagaq’s immersive film
TORONTO, October 17, 2023 - Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) is pleased to present its 16th annual Eva Holtby Program on Contemporary Culture on November 14, 2023, featuring internationally renowned Inuk throat singer, songwriter, author, and visual artist, Tanya Tagaq.
The evening's program will commence with an intimate and engaging moderated discussion between Tagaq and multimedia artist Omar Rivera, who produces art under the name Driftnote. The two will discuss the inspiration that gave rise to their new immersive film, Ajagutaq/Parhelion, which will make its North American debut as part of the program. This discussion will be moderated by the City of Toronto Photo Laureate, Nadya Kwandibens.
Tagaq will then introduce Ajagutaq/Parhelion – a cinematic journey inspired by a dream and an excerpt of the artist’s novel Split Tooth, that will transport viewers to the breathtaking landscapes of Nunavut, where Arctic beings and spirits become one. The evening will conclude with a one-time only throat singing performance by Tagaq, where she will be joined on stage by esteemed Inuit performers Nancy Mike, Varna Marianne Nielsen Apaloo, and Charlotte Qamainq. This performance will be accompanied by drummer Jean Martin and cellist Jeffrey Zeigler.
Following this presentation, guests will be invited to a reception with refreshments. As space is limited, advance registration is required. For further information about the program and to reserve tickets, please visit our website here.
About Tanya Tagaq (she/her)
From Nunavut, Tanya Tagaq is an improvisational singer, avant-garde composer and author. A member of the Order of Canada, Polaris Music Prize and JUNO Award winner and recipient of multiple honorary doctorates, Tagaq is an original disruptor, a world-changing figure at the forefront of seismic social, political and environmental change.
About the Eva Holtby Program
The annual Eva Holtby Program on Contemporary Culture brings powerful voices to ROM to discuss provocative and engaging contemporary ideas. Since its launch in 2006 with Adam Gopnik as the inaugural lecturer, the Eva Holtby Program has featured Kwame Anthony Appiah, Glenn D. Lowry, Lewis H. Lapham, Henry Louis Gates Jr., Carlos Fuentes, Ingrid Betancourt, Anthony Gormley, Bob Colacello, Sheika Hoor al-Qasimi, Jameel Jaffer, Timothy Snyder, Jesse Wente, Laurie Anderson, and most recently, Kent Monkman.
The Eva Holtby Program is generously supported by the Holtby and Schury Families.
ROM Speaks is generously supported by The Schmidt Family.
Image credits: Tanya Tagaq, Courtesy the artist.
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Opened in 1914, ROM (Royal Ontario Museum) showcases art, culture, and nature from around the world and across the ages. Today, ROM houses more than 13 million objects, from Egyptian mummies to contemporary sculpture, from meteorites to dinosaurs. ROM is the most visited museum in Canada and one of the top ten museums in North America. It is also the country’s preeminent field research institute, with a diverse range of experts who help us understand the past, make sense of the present, and shape a shared future. Just as impressive is ROM’s facility—a striking combination of heritage architecture and the cutting-edge Michael Lee-Chin Crystal, which marks the Museum as an iconic landmark and global cultural destination.
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