Avant Joik Trio Makes Their Us Debut from the Walker’s McGuire Theater This March
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Avant Joik Trio Makes Their Us Debut from the Walker’s McGuire Theater This March

 “Ratkje’s radical vocal experiments were matched with Barruk’s joik—a traditional Sami song form—and the results were captivating, accompanied by one the best visual displays I’ve ever witnessed.” —Fact

Combining traditional Sami extended vocal technique with experimental electronic soundscapes, the remarkable trio of Nordic artists makes their US debut at the Walker. Music from Indigenous Sami singer Katrina Barruk (vocals/joik) and veteran experimentalist Maja Ratkje (vocals/electronic) are paired with live visuals by Sami artist Matti Aikio to create a transporting experience that evokes contemplative atmospheres of the North and the untamed, forceful nature that lurks beneath.

Presented in association with the American Swedish Insitute.

Avant Joik: Katarina Barruk, Maja Solveig Kjelstrup Ratkje, and Matti Aikio
Saturday, March 16, 8 pm
Tickets start at $15. No additional fees.
McGuire Theater

 

ABOUT AVANT JOIK
Avant Joik is a captivating musical ensemble that seamlessly blends the ancient art of Sami joik with contemporary music elements. Originating from the indigenous Sami culture of northern Scandinavia, joiking is a traditional form of vocal expression that connects individuals with nature, animals, and ancestral spirits.

Avant Joik takes this timeless tradition and infuses it with modern, electronic sounds and innovative arrangements, creating a unique and mesmerizing auditory experience. Their performances are not only a celebration of cultural heritage but also a journey through soundscapes that bridge the gap between tradition and contemporary culture.

 

ABOUT KATARINA BARRUK
Katarina Barruk is known as one of Sábmie’s most talented live artists. She was raised in Lusspie (Storuman) and Gajhrege (Gardfjäll) and is currently based in Ubmeje (Umeå). Barruk’s unique, distinctive voice, in combination with a steadfast presence on stage creates a space of vulnerability and strength that is unlike anything else. She delivers a fierce, yet deeply down-to-earth mix of pop music, traditional yoik, and improvisational elements.

Her powerful and unmistakably clear voice has built a captive audience over the years. The last decade Barok has toured through Europe, giving highly appreciated concerts. In 2020 she received one of the most eligible writer and composer prizes in Sweden, “SKAPs Kulturbärarpris.”

 

ABOUT MAJA SOLVEIG KJELSTRUP RATKJE
The performing composer Maja S. K. Ratkje is at the forefront of the musical avant-garde. Despite its boldness and originality, her music is meant for sharing. At its heart lies Ratkje’s own voice, an open door to her individual musicianship and a constant tool for realigning her work with natural expressions and human truths.

In 2002, she released the album Voice, a catalogue of previously unexplored vocal production techniques fused with electronics that was awarded the Prix Ars Electronica. Ratkje’s exploration of the voice as an instrument came to maturity in Concerto for Voice (2004), commissioned by Radio France. Her music has links her to Norwegian identity and politics (Ro-Uro, 2014), to her beloved Japanese culture (gagaku variations, 2002), to children under the age of three (Høyt oppe i fjellet, 2011), and to instruments as varied as the viol consort (River Mouth Echoes, 2008) and the world’s largest mobile horn speaker system (Desibel, 2009).

Ratkje’s work Waves IIb was awarded Norway’s coveted Edvard Prize and was further honored by UNESCO and the International Rostrum of Composers in Paris. Ratkje was the inaugural winner of the Arne Nordheim Prize and was nominated for the Nordic Council Music Prize in 2013. She has been composer-in-residence at numerous institutions and festivals, has contributed to more than 100 albums and has written music for dance, radio plays, and gallery installations. She is a member of the Akademie der Künste in Berlin.

 

ABOUT MATTI AIKIO
Matti Aikio is a Sámi visual artist and activist rooted in Finnish Sápmi. His work intricately explores the aftermath of colonial contact zones between Danish-Norwegian, Swedish, and Norwegian settlers and the Sámi people. Drawing from his background in Sámi reindeer herding culture, Aikio delves into pressing issues exploring the history of land rights, skillfully blending moving images, sound, text, and still imagery in his installations. Aikio’s art becomes a powerful lens that illuminates the complexities of Sámi heritage and global indigenous challenges, inviting viewers into a world where culture, history, and activism intersect.

His work has been presented in multiple venues including Helsinki Biennial, Botkyrka Konsthall, Cairo Off Biennale, and the National Museum of Finland. In 2022, he was named a Fellow at the TBA-21 Ocean Space, Venice, Italy, and in 2023 a Fellow at Vera List Center for Art and Politics, New York, USA.

Aikio’s work is featured in the American Swedish Institute’s exhibition Arctic Highways: Unbounded Indigenous People.

 

TICKETS
Ordering tickets is easy: visit walkerart.org/tickets or call 612.375.7600. Prices include all applicable fees. The box office is open Wednesday–Sunday and one hour before the performances.

MEMBERS SAVE 20%
Become a member and enjoy a 20% discount on performance tickets, unlimited free gallery admission, special events, and more. Join at walkerart.org/membership or call 612.375.7655.

STUDENTS COME EARLY
Arrive an hour before showtime for $10 in-person rush tickets. One ticket per person with valid student ID.

BUY MORE AND SAVE
Groups of 10 or more save 15% on tickets. Purchase group tickets online, over the phone, or in person. Discount automatically applied at checkout on orders of 10 or more tickets to the same performance.

ACCESSIBILITY
Assistive-listening devices are available at the box office. For more information about accessibility or to request additional accommodations for this performance, call 612.375.7564 or email access@walkerart.org.

For more information about accessibility at the Walker, visit our Access page.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The Walker Art Center’s Performing Arts programs are made possible by generous support from the Doris Duke Foundation through the Doris Duke Performing Arts Fund, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

PRODUCERS COUNCIL
Performing Arts programs and commissions at the Walker are generously supported by members of the Producers’ Council; Christina Evans and Weston Hoard; Nor Hall and Roger Hale; King’s Fountain/Barbara Watson Pillsbury; Sarah Lutman and Rob Rudolph; Emily Maltz; Leni and David Moore, Jr./The David and Leni Moore Family Foundation; Jon Oulman; Therese Sexe and David Hage; and Mike and Elizabeth Sweeney.

Media Partner:
Logo: Minnesota Public Radio

 

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