(Posted March 11, 2018)

Courtesy: Tanya Tagaq

Courtesy: Tanya Tagaq

Huntingdon, Pa. – On March 30 at 7:30 p.m., Juniata College will host Inuit singer Tanya Tagaq along with the music stylings of Jean Martin, a percussionist, and Jesse Zubot, a violinist. They will be performing a commentary with the film, Nanook of the North. The event, brought to the College by Juniata Presents, will take place in the Rosenberger Auditorium, Halbritter Center for the Performing Arts.

Tanya Tagaq is an acclaimed singer who has won The Juno Awards Best Aboriginal Recording of the Year, Canadian Folk Music Pushing the Boundaries Award and the Polaris Music Prize.

Tagaq’s presentation, Nanook of the North, was commissioned by the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) where it premiered to critical claim in 2012. Tanya Tagaq in concert with Nanook of the North was commissioned by TIFF Bell Lightbox as part of its film retrospective First Peoples Cinema: 1500 Nations, One Tradition.  The original feature Nanook of the North was a 1922 silent film depicting daily life in an early 20th-century Inuit community in North Quebec. That film, Nanook of the North, is used courtesy of the Flaherty.  Tagaq’s performance is informed by her childhood on the Victoria Island in Nunavut.

Tagaq takes traditional culture and art and makes it contemporary. According to Kathryn Blake, the director of the Juniata College Museum of Art, “we can all benefit from hearing life experiences that may be very different from ours.”

“Shows like this bring together people of a variety of backgrounds and offer unique opportunities to see things you wouldn’t otherwise see,” says Blake.

Tagaq’s performance is part of the Juniata Presents series. With performances throughout the year, the series aims to expand cultural education and artistic viewpoints for both campus and local community audiences. It supports and brings attention to performance as a celebrated art form. 

For tickets or to learn more about Juniata Presents events, visit: www.juniatapresents.com, or call (814) 641-JTIX (5849). General admissions tickets for single performances are $20, except where otherwise noted. Single-show tickets for seniors over age 65 and children age 18 and under are $12. Juniata College students are admitted free with a student ID.

 

--Written by Isabella Bennett ’20 

 

Contact April Feagley at feaglea@juniata.edu or (814) 641-3131 for more information.