NEWS RELEASE
INNERCHAMBER ENSEMBLE
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Who: Actor Deborah Hay (Narrator) and The INNERchamber Ensemble: Laura Chambers (flute), Andrew Chung (violin and viola), Julia Seager-Scott (harp), and Graham Hargrove (percussion).
What: Tokyo Digs A Garden is the fourth concert of INNERchamber’s Season 15.
Tokyo Digs a Garden is the creation of author Jon-Erik Lappano and visual artist Kellen Hatanaka, both Stratford residents, which has been adapted for this new concert presentation, with an original score composed by Ben Bolt-Martin.
A thoughtful and inspiring fable of environmentalism and imagination, Tokyo Digs a Garden tells the story of Tokyo, who lives in a small house between giant buildings with his family and his cat, Kevin.
For years, highways and skyscrapers have been built up around the family’s house where once there were hills and trees. One day, an old woman offers Tokyo seeds, telling him they will grow into whatever he wishes. Overnight, the seeds grow into a forest so lush that it takes over the entire city. Soon the whole city has gone wild, with animals roaming where cars once drove. Is this a problem to be surmounted, or a new way of living to be embraced?
Full Concert Program:
Ben Bolt-Martin, Music for Tokyo Digs a Garden
Donald Davis, ‘Till Human Voices Wake Us
Kenyon Duncan, Circadian
Graham Hargrove, A New Composition
Daniel Inzani, Caligo
Turlough O’Carolan, A Celtic Suite
Maurice Ravel, Selections from Mother Goose Suite
Where: Factory163, 163 King St., Stratford, our venue partner for Season 15. Dine in and enjoy the concert starting at 5:30 p.m. Our catering partner for this concert is Boutique Catering.
When: Sunday, March 23, 2025. Concert begins at 7 p.m. A light dinner is served from 5:45 p.m.
Why: Celebrating its 15th anniversary season, INNERchamber is excited to be performing at Factory163.
"With spring just around the corner, spending time with this beautiful book has opened my eyes to how separated daily life has become from the very real living things of this world." - Composer Ben Bolt-Martin
"Tokyo Digs a Garden brings to the concert space a well-loved and award winning children's story by two Stratford based creators, Jon-Erik Lappano and Kellen Hatanaka. This book won the Governor General's Literary Award for Young People's Literature in 2016. My children read the book as youngsters, and we loved the environmental message, the way it got all of us thinking about how nature and human urbanism need to co-exist in a thoughtful way. Ben Bolt-Martin has written original music for INNERchamber on many occasions and with his deep interest in creating music for children, we are delighted that he is writing an original score for Tokyo Digs a Garden. Well known Stratford actor Deborah Hay will be making her debut with INNERchamber, we are looking forward to working with her as well. With all of these elements brought together to tell the story Tokyo Digs a Garden, it gives us a lot of space and opportunity using our wonderful musicians of the INNERchamber Ensemble to explore other music that also ties into the themes of nature's rhythms and childhood. With flute, violin, viola, harp, marimba and percussion, there is a wide range of colours and music that we can bring to this concert.” - INNERchamber Artistic Director Andrew Chung
Tickets are now on sale at www.innerchamber.ca. $50 in person (includes dinner before the concert) | student and arts worker discounts are available. Tickets purchased by 5:00 pm on Friday, March 21 will include dinner. Tickets purchased after this cut-off time may be available at the same price, but will not include dinner.
INNERchamber is a concert and dinner series held in Stratford, Ontario, celebrating the wonderful music written for smaller groups of instruments. Fine music, delicious food, unexpected twists. www.innerchamber.ca
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