Based mostly in Toronto, íchos Collective is a bunch of women-identifying music and humanities producers who intention to curate and current a live performance collection that may carry collectively artists and works of many alternative genres. The collection kicked off in February 2025, and continues on March 30 at Hope United Church within the metropolis’s east finish.
Each native and worldwide artists will probably be featured within the various music collection, with a purpose of supporting girls within the arts.
We spoke to musicians Carla Perrotta-Pyrgos and Jaye Marsh of íchos Collective concerning the group and their plans.
íchos Collective: The Interview
The origins of the íchos Collective come again to a selected occasion.
“It goes again to […] when the KW Symphony introduced they had been folding,” explains Perrotta-Pyrgos.
A dialog started among the many musicians of the KWS about what was attainable going ahead. “It’s very obvious that to have a profession as a freelancer, it’s a must to forge your personal path,” she says.
A girl-based ensemble was an concept that Perrotta-Pyrgos, Marsh, and others had been toying with for some time. The sudden void left by the collapse of the KWS was the catalyst to place their concepts into motion.
Jaye recollects connecting in conversations with different girls within the arts, and the way isolating it might really feel at occasions to shoulder the tasks of motherhood and concurrently try and hold a inventive profession alive.
“Carla and I had been chatting simply after KW introduced its troubles,” Marsh recollects.
These smaller conversations started to grow to be bigger and extra frequent, and a choice was made to create the Collective as a method of mutual help. It may be particularly troublesome to garner the eye of producers and presenters within the classical music world. “It’s exhausting to seek out help should you’re not already necessary,” Marsh says.
She describes how overwhelmingly relieved she felt after their first mission got here collectively again in 2024. “I didn’t notice how alone I felt.”
Right this moment, after a properly obtained first live performance, there may be extra cause for cautious optimism.
“I believe additionally, the tide appears to be considerably turning on this economic system,” Carla says. Nonetheless, persons are cautious with their cash, and spending extra strategically, as she notes. “It’s a need to supply not only a live performance, however an expertise that folks will take pleasure in.”
With so many alternate options and different live performance experiences vying for viewers {dollars}, a contemporary strategy is required to herald new audiences. “It’s the brand new classical means,” Perrotta-Pyrgos says. “You possibly can’t hold doing the identical factor time and again anticipating a unique end result.”
“Place” is a spoken phrase piece commissioned by íchos Collective, music by íchos Collective. Introduced in the course of the Freestyle Symphony workshop collection, June 2024:
In the case of the live performance collection, they’re making an attempt out some new concepts and mixtures. Viewers reactions will probably be key to future instructions.
Jaye explains, “One of many driving issues [is] connecting folks, connecting with our audiences.” As she factors out, orchestral musicians are historically considerably distant from the viewers. “There are such a lot of layers between us and the viewers.”
Making a extra casual and immersive ambiance has confirmed standard. “We’re discovering that lots of people are responding to our need to attach.” On the February 2025 live performance, for instance, viewers members got hand drums, a five-minute discuss with drummer Rikki LaCoste, after which invited to take part in one of many items.
“He introduced somewhat little bit of that magic,” Marsh says. Viewers members had been desperate to know: will this occur for each live performance?
“The truth that we’re girls led and neighborhood minded has been a robust dialog starter wherever we [are],” she says.
It’s that reference to the viewers that creates a very immersive expertise.
As Perrotta-Pyrgos notes, the thought isn’t to interchange the standard live performance corridor, however to supply another.
“Perhaps they don’t wish to hear a Mahler symphony,” Carla says, “they’re searching for some kind of intimate expertise that they are going to have enjoyable with, and depart pleased.”
Being nearer to the viewers creates a unique expertise for musicians too.
“As a musician, I actually take pleasure in listening to how the music is affecting folks,” says Marsh. When it comes to ambiance, it’s extra the cheering, talkative vibe of a pops live performance than the standard silent solemnity of the live performance corridor. “It’s a completely completely different vibe,” she says. “It’s the power that fuels me as a musician. I actually loved that suggestions.”
The viewers for the primary live performance within the collection was smallish however enthusiastic. One of many items carried out was in workshop stage, and Marsh talked to the viewers about its growth.
“Folks actually appreciated that actual, behind the scenes look,” Jaye says. “It was actually enjoyable to discover that means of enjoying.”
It’s opposite to the standard live performance corridor decorum, which dictates that each one the works offered be absolutely ready and perfected. As a musician, she explains, it’s necessary to have the ability to transfer away from that notion of absolute perfection. The viewers appeared to take pleasure in it.
“I believe it was an entire expertise.”
The Live shows
Live shows happen on Sundays with doorways open at 2:30 p.m. at Hope United Church (2550 Danforth Avenue), a part of the HOPE Live shows collection.
The Sunday afternoon live shows are free, however donations are welcomed. Future dates embrace:
- March 30: Ona Ensemble
- April 27: Pet Sounds Reinvented: the Seashore Boys traditional, Baroque-style
- Might 25: Greg Harrison
- June 22: íchos Ensemble
The venue is one in all few that supply reside classical music in Toronto’s east finish. Hope United Church’s music-friendly and community-minded congregation provided a spot that was appropriate with íchos’ personal objectives.
Future live shows provide a wide range of sounds. The Ona Ensemble’s tackle acoustic Brazilian music is gaining in reputation.
“On the threat of sound cliche, they’re so scorching proper now,” says Perrotta-Pyrgos.
Members of the Collective share duties, inviting musical associates to their programming. “All of us lastly get an opportunity to be gamers in addition to presenters,” Carla says. “We’re already planning for subsequent 12 months.”
Pet Sounds is a Baroque tackle Brian Wilson and the Seashore Boys. “It’s a largely Baroque ensemble doing a Baroque-inspired recreation of this album,” explains Jaye. Greg Harrison, who performs in Might, lives not removed from Marsh within the east finish. “He’s a composer percussionist. He makes use of electronics to control his sound.” The New Brunswick native will workshop new items and speak about his course of in addition to performing. “He’s a tremendous pedagogue, and in addition a pacesetter in improvisation and constructing creativity,” she says.
The íchos Ensemble closes out the live performance collection in June. One component the ensemble has been exploring is improvisation. “It’s not likely taught anymore,” she says of classical music training. “We’re pushing our personal envelopes in enjoying.”
Marsh calls what they’ll be doing structured improvisation facilitated by know-how. “I’m placing my flute by results pedals and loopers and issues like that,” she says. “It’s tapping into that creativity I believe we overlook we’ve as classical musicians.”
It’s definitely true that the world of classical music tends to encourage an strategy that emphasizes the composer’s authentic intentions over the person inventive voice of the performer, all whereas equipping mentioned performers with the technical expertise to go far past.
“We’ve got a variety of instruments already.”
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Anya Wassenberg is a Toronto Metropolis Editor at Ludwig Van. She is an skilled freelance author, blogger and writing teacher.
