At the Chan Centre, multimedia concert Echo gives voice to silenced memories, May 31
Gryphon Trio and Marion Newman lead a powerful performance that confronts historical trauma through poetry, music, and film

Echo: Memories of the World. Photo by Shayne Gray
Chan Centre for the Performing Arts presents Echo: Gryphon Trio & Marion Newman Nege’ga at Chan Shun Concert Hall on May 31 at 7:30 pm
THE PAST ECHOES into the present and future through images and sound. Echo: Memories of the World is a multimedia concert that weaves film, storytelling, and centuries of vocal and instrumental music into a futuristic vision grounded in memory.
A Gryphon Trio production in partnership with Chamber Factory, the project honours resistance to oppression—from the persecution of Indigenous peoples to genocides—through a powerful tapestry of sound and story.
Innovation lies at the heart of Gryphon Trio’s artistic vision. Defining chamber music in the 21st century, this three-time Juno Award–winning ensemble works within European classicism and multimedia. The Echo program places works by classical composers such as J.S. Bach and Beethoven alongside those of living composers like Andrew Balfour, Reena Esmail, and Arvo Pärt, fostering a conversation that transcends time and space.
Mezzo-soprano Marion Newman—whose traditional name is Nege’ga—and narrator Cheri Maracle will share the stage with the trio, giving voice to silenced stories. They will sing and recite poetic texts by Emily Dickinson and Margaret Atwood.
Newman, who is of Kwagiulth, Stó:lō, English, Irish, and Scottish heritage, is a driving force for truth and reconciliation within the context of classical music. Maracle is of Mohawk and Irish ancestry, and her roles on stage and screen help bring Indigenous history to life. Behind the scenes of Echo is an equally diverse team of Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists, whose contributions—images, films, and research—complete fragmented histories to create unity onstage.
At an upcoming Chan Centre for the Performing Arts presentation on May 31, audience members will sit close to the musicians in the intimate Chan Shun Concert Hall. Through captured landscapes, libraries, and archives, Echo unearths suppressed memories, amplifies marginalized voices, and imagines a resilient future.
Helen (Yichun) Wu is a classical musician and music critic with an interest in the performing arts at large. Before moving to Canada to pursue a Master of Journalism at UBC, she received her degrees in piano for solo and chamber music, and comparative literature in the United States.
Related Articles
Taiko artists Noriko Kobayashi and E. Kage reflect on punk-rock roots and gender expression
Early Music Vancouver Summer Festival’s artist-in-residence interprets Bach, Schubert, and Mozart—and hosts a panel on how to bring environmentally sound practices to performing arts
Offerings include a Christmas concert with emerging artists, a climate change–centred program, and the triennial Tapestry International Festival
Early Music Vancouver Summer Festival concert coincides with the release of a new CD
Among the other highlights are the annual Christmas With the Bach Choir, Behind the Keys, and SpringSong
Tio Chorinho and Flávia Nascimento’s vibrant Brazilian rhythms, Shpilkis’s brass-driven klezmer, Julian Taylor’s soulful voice, and more
From an indie garage-pop concert by Twin River to a plant pot–decorating workshop, here are just a few of the free offerings in store
Vancouver-based Drew Tarves takes his music out of the bedroom and across the country
Ontario-based aficionados of vintage gear and saucy slang bring Prohibition-era daring to this year’s event
Ahead of her Vancouver Folk Music Festival sets, the award-winning singer-songwriter reflects on the power of performing in her Nation’s language and representing her community
Headlining at this year’s Vancouver Folk Music Festival, the electrifying Marrakesh-born outfit plugs in traditional instruments and rocks out
Free events will take place in seven Vancouver parks from August 6 to 16
Event’s artistic director recommends under-the-radar discoveries, from Tanzanian polyphony to a smashing trad Irish trio
Performances take place Thursdays at 5 pm, featuring co-presentations with Indian Summer Festival, Vancouver Folk Music Festival, and more
The premiere of a Dorothy Chang composition and a guest appearance by harpist Rita Costanzi are among the highlights
At this year’s Indian Summer Festival, the sarod virtuoso draws on generations of musical mastery to create improvisations that reflect everything from audience response to the time of day
Bassist-vocalist will be joined by a special group of musicians to play tracks off her past albums and forthcoming project
Music director Jacques Lacombe leads the Vancouver Opera Orchestra in an evening of Italian arias and duets
Audience members will hear tracks off her latest album Odyssey, which honours her reignited love for composing
Performance of the legendary work features the Pacific Baroque Orchestra, Vancouver Cantata Singers, and four vocal soloists
Marking 400 years since the death of Ōmori Sōkun, shakuhachi master Alcvin Ryūzen Ramos leads a series of programs about an instrument making a quiet return