Vocal Improvisation – Music from the Body with Karen Porkka – free
Sunday, October 22, 2023, 2 PM. Harcourt House 3rd Floor (10215 – 112 Street NW)
NME is launching our 2023-24 Outreach events with a special 2 hour session of Vocal Improvisation. Join Karen Porkka for this friendly and fun session where we will strengthen the building blocks of music through playful exploration; connecting our voices and bodies to reveal the intuitive knowing which they hold that will allow us to create spontaneous music together. Please wear comfortable clothes to move in and an open and curious heart to dive into the world of vocal improvisation. No experience necessary! Ages: 14 and up.
This event is free, but space is limited and registration is encouraged. Donations are welcome to help support our programming!
Accessibility
Harcourt House: Wheelchair access from the building’s underpass via the basement art studios can be arranged with Harcourt’s staff at tel. 780-426-4180. Gender single stall washrooms with handrails. Seating in the art galleries to be arranged with Harcourt’s staff upon request.
The Artist
Karen Porkka is a musician, vocalist, composer, improviser, and music educator. She is the creator and co-creator of several musical projects; d’Cana, The Parkers, Whirldish and PorkkaLoops. She is the founder of the Vocal Improvisation Network of Edmonton (V.I.N.E.) and a non-auditioned community choir the Soul Song Circle Singers. During her artistic career, Karen and her groups have collaborated with artists from other disciplines including dance, theatre, film and visual arts. She has studied and worked internationally as a vocal improviser presenting at conferences in Portugal, Hawaii and was a guest conductor at Oakland’s Sing For Your Life yearly Circlesing event in 2019. She has just returned from Montreal working vocal improvisation master Rhiannon and dancer/choreographer Margie Gillis and 28 singers from around the world in the Murmeration Project exploring leaderless improvised movement and voice. Karen specializes in live and improvised music weaving melodies, soundscapes and stories through voice, keyboard, saxophones with the aid of looping and electronic devices.
