Can an audience expecting the unexpected still be surprised?
If history and the calibre of talent involved are any judge, the upcoming Of Sound Minds production called Time for Gertrude Stein will answer with a resounding “yes.” Expressing their own art through the lens of Gertrude Stein’s poetry and presence, many of Salt Spring’s finest composers and performers have collaborated to deliver islanders a love letter to eclecticism –– and a celebration, 150 years after her birth, of a cultural revolutionary.
“The collection is probably one of if not the weirdest projects I’ve been in,” said Salt Spring musician Brandon Bronson. “It’s not a type of music that there’s much opportunity to play; it’s brought a lot of excitement for me.”
Bronson joins something of a who’s-who of Salt Spring performers, assembled for an evening organizers are calling “genre-defying.” Keen readers will recognize names from both the music and theatre scenes on the bill –– Kathryn Cernauskas, Don Conley, Leslie Corry, Gwenyth Dobie, Michelle Footz, Cicela Månsson, Christina Penhale, Mary Pickering, John Whitelaw and Tracie Whitelaw.
Composers include Eve Beglarian, John Cage, Joi Freed-Garrod, Erik Satie, Virgil Thomson and Peter Hatch; Hatch credited Salt Spring’s “willingness to embrace the unexpected” as the driving force to help assemble such a fusion program.
The evening will evoke the vibrant energy of Stein’s renowned salons, where she brought together cultural luminaries like Picasso, Braque, Hemingway and Sinclair Lewis. Cutting-edge works by 20th- and 21st-century composers combine elements like tabletop percussion, flute and electronics. Imagine Satie’s music for piano, mashed up with Stein’s poems.
“It’s a very weird project, but this island’s full of weird projects,” said Hatch. “And you can do it here. Luckily the Salt Spring Island Foundation helped make it go, and everyone’s been super keen, enthusiastic and on board; people will have their expectations blown away.”
Time for Gertrude Stein will run for a single night at ArtSpring –– 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 5. For tickets visit artspring.ca or the box office.