AUDIOPOLLINATION CONCERT 1
FEATURING: DIANE ROBLIN (Keyboard) & YVONNE NG (Movement)
(prerecorded webcast | runtime 60 minutes)
NOVEMBER 12, 2021 @ 8PM ET
FREE
CURATED BY MICHAEL LYNN
Audiopollination is a monthly free improvisation series in association with Arraymusic featuring a smorgasbord of spontaneous/improvised/instantly composed music. The series has been running since December 2012 focusing on allowing a safe-space for artists to experiment and further their practice through improvisations in duos or trios.
Pre-Covid the series has been self-curated where artists sign up themselves to play–often with artists they had not performed with in an attempt to democratize the curation process. This season the series is focusing on presenting extended sets by improvisational artists across a variety of improvisational sensibilities in duets or trios.
ABOUT
DIANE ROBLIN
“She is a facile and deeply emotional keyboardist who establishes her musical territory with muscular performance and technical skill.” Leslie Mitchell-Clarke, The Whole Note
”This much anticipated recording proves once again Diane Roblin has something unique to offer jazz fans. Fascinating compositions with a virtuosic ensemble of Canadian hotshots.” Jaymz Bee, JazzFM 91.1
Chris Spector of midwestrecords.com reviews Life Force saying,“This all field hitter does a great job of delivering the goods again without repeating herself. A genuine wild ride you wish wouldn’t end.”
Pianist, composer Diane Roblin has led and played with many diverse groups from Rough Trade to renowned avant-garde improviser Charles Gayle. Diane’s studies were eclectic at York University: world music, electronics, jazz improvisation. Her time spent at the Ornette Coleman/Karl Berger workshop and the Dutch Improv Academy have also influenced her original compositions which explore various genres and encourage enthusiastic improvisation – exciting for both the musicians on the stand and the audience.
In November 2019, Diane released her new album LIFE FORCE at Hugh’s Room to a packed house. She was surrounded by her Sextet which is made up of some of Toronto’s most celebrated players: George Koller, Ben Riley, Kevin Turcotte, Jeff LaRochelle and Bruce Cassidy. Her diverse compositions were explored by these top notch musicians who were communicating across the ensemble, improvising with vigor and having fun – bringing much energy and joy to the near capacity audience.
Throughout the years, Diane has also performed with Bob Brough, Richard Underhill, Chris Wallace, Morgan Childs, John Pittman, Michael Stewart, Kieran Overs, Nick Fraser, Brodie West, Rob Clutton, Michael Snow, Scott Marshall, Russ Boswell, Alexis Baro to name a few.
Diane’s music has had airplay around the world. Her earlier album RECONNECT was on Jaymz Bee’s JazzFM 91.1 Top 3 list in 2014 and LIFE FORCE is currently on All About Jazz’s Top 10 for October 2019.
Diane has performed at the Kensington Market Jazz Festival, Hugh’s Room, Jazz Bistro, Lula Lounge, TDJazz, The Pilot Tavern, Alliance Francaise, Harbourfront, Array Space, La Revolution, Toronto 416 Improvisers Festival, Somewhere There Festival, Toronto Improvisers Orchestra, Goro’s Merida Mexico, Tennessee Plum Festival, Smalls NYC, Ronnie Scotts London UK, Amsterdam’s Bimhaus as well as clubs abroad in Cannes, Antibes/Juan les Pins.
YVONNE NG
Yvonne Ng, B.F.A, M.A. is a dancer, choreographer, presenter, producer, curator and arts educator. She is the Artistic Director and creative instigator behind tiger princess dance projects, which has been in operation since 1996. Yvonne founded the presentation series dance: made in canada / fait au canada Festival in 2001. Joined by festival co-directors Janelle Rainville and Jeff Morris, in 2011 Yvonne transitioned the series into a biennial festival that presents the work of contemporary choreographers from across Canada.
Of Peranakan Chinese descent, Yvonne was born and raised in Singapore and moved to Canada in the late ‘80’s where she completed her B.F.A. Honours (receiving the Dean’s Award for Excellence) at York University. Yvonne received her Masters in dance (York University) focusing on evaluating arts-based Intergenerational Practice programming. Ng began her training with Madam Goh Soo Khim at the Singapore Ballet Academy. Even before completing her BFA at York University, she had co-founded the dance company, Dance Allegro and was in demand in Toronto’s contemporary dance community. After a year in the Danny Grossman Dance Company and Northern Lights Dance Theatre, she left to work with choreographers such as Bill James (from 1992-2002), José Navas, Menaka Thakkar, Marie-Josée Chartier, Peter Chin, Dominique Dumais and Kevin O’Day (National Theatre Mannheim Ballett), Stephanie Skura, Deborah Hay and Tedd Robinson, to name a few.
Her commissioned choreography and performance have earned her fifteen Dora Mavor Moore nominations and taken her to Australia, Italy, Ireland, Singapore, across Canada and the USA. Writers describe her work as ravishing, paradoxical, immediate and hard-edged, like a painful memory. Yvonne is a certified Open Source Forms© (Stephanie Skura/U.S.A.), Dance for Dementia (NBS Baycrest Sharing Dance) Senior Fitness, C-I Training™ and Ashtanga Yoga teacher. She also has her certification in Partners for Youth Empowerment Creative Facilitator (Level 1 & 2) and has trained in Dance for PD® (Parkinson’s disease). She has taught in the Dance Departments of Ryerson and York University in Canada, the Theatre Department at Juniata College, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. as well as Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (college) and LaSalle College of the Arts in Singapore and at the department of Drama and Speech Communications at University of Waterloo.
Yvonne is a recipient of the 2017 Muriel Sherrin Award, the 2016 Jacqueline Lemieux Prize, Soulpepper Community Artist Award, K.M. Hunter Artist Award, the New Pioneers Arts Award and the Chalmers Arts Fellowship. A multiple nominee, in 2000 she was honoured with a Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding Performance. In 2007, Ng received the Ontario Premier’s Award for Excellence in the Arts – New Talent Award; she was selected by fellow recipient and Canadian dance legend Peggy Baker. Ng was the Artistic Director of Series 8:08 from 1994 – 2015.