SHIFT

Sept 25, 2021 · Peggy Corkum Music Room · Halifax, Nova Scotia

SHIFT marked Alkali Collective’s return to live performance and the final concert of its debut season, following the interruption of the COVID-19 pandemic. The program brought together works by Paige Halliwell, Cassie Wieland, inti figgis-vizueta, Brittany J. Green, Yaz Lancaster, Julia Mermelstein, and Bekah Simms, reflecting on a period defined by disruption, uncertainty, and adaptation.

The concert considered some of the shifts brought about by the pandemic: experiences of seclusion and uncertainty, the ways technology can both connect and distort, and the need to find new forms of collaboration. For Alkali Collective, the program also reflected the organization’s own experience. After only two performances, the ensemble shifted its thinking about how to safely continue to connect, collaborate, and create.

From the Artistic Directors

This evening’s concert of contemporary music reflects upon and processes the effects of the pandemic and the shifts we have experienced as a result. The works we have selected explore seclusion and uncertainty, the ways that technology connects yet filters and distorts, and the need to find new methods of collaboration as we address the many issues our society is currently facing.

When the pandemic struck, our ensemble was in its inaugural concert season. After just two performances, we were faced with an uncertain future and no means of continuing as originally planned. We, like so many others, have found ways of reimagining our work. This resiliency is the core of the arts community. Despite all uncertainty, we will continue to connect, collaborate, and create – we simply shift.

We sincerely thank you for joining us this evening and look forward to sharing these works with you.

– Megan Thibeault & Shauna DeGruchy