CAFKA.18 is just around the corner and in addition to the great installations, there is a long list of activities for everyone from performances to workshops to multi-lingual tours produced by CAFKA and by our curatorial and festival partners. No good reasons not to have the month filled with art and music. Check out the calendar or scroll through the events listings below for times, dates and locations.
Wednesday, May 30
7 PM- 9 PM, #Hatchtag: Celebrating 20 Years of Peter Hatch and Open Ears, Maureen Forrester Hall, WLU,75 University Ave W, Waterloo. Opening ceremonies featuring performances of Peter's works.Produced by Open Ears. Tickets: http://openears.ca/artist-line-up.
7 PM- 7:05 PM, Klang! Peter Hatch, All the churches in Waterloo Region ring their bells simultaneously. Produced by Open Ears. Tickets: Free.
Thursday, May 31
5 PM- 6 PM, Pre Concert Chat: Interview with Ben Grossman, Toshimaru Nakamura and guests, TWH Social,1 King St W, Kitchener. Produced by Open Ears. Admission: Free.
6 PM- 7 PM, broken by Portal Dance, Registry Theatre, 122 Frederick St.,Kitchener. Portal Dance’s latest creation, Broken is an intimate, raw, multimedia dance work featuring dance greats Katie Ewald, Robert Kingsbury, Lynette Segal, Kelly Steadman and Julia Garlisi, and Guelph music royalty Nathan Lawr (brain child of the Minotaurs), as well as Ed Video program director, Scott McGovern. Produced by Open Ears. Tickets: http://openears.ca/artist-line-up.
7 PM- 9 PM, Night at THEMUSEUM featuring Hard Wired, Octet of Penderecki SQ and TorQ Octet of Penderecki SQ and TorQ, THEMUSEUM, 10 King St. W, Kitchener. World premiere by Nicole LizèeProduced by Open Ears. Tickets: http://openears.ca/artist-line-up.
7 PM- 8 PM, Music box composition workshop, Jason Doell (Toronto), The Walper Hotel, Boardroom, 20 Queen St. S.,Kitchener. Learn the art of punch card composition with famed music box composer Jason Doell. Participants will receive a music box, puncher and punch cards. Limited to 15 spots so sign up early! Send an email to [email protected] to sign up for the workshop. Producedby Open Ears. Admission: Free.
8 PM- 9 PM, Hard Wired, Octetof Penderecki SQ and TorQ (Waterloo/Toronto),THEMUSEUM, 10 King St. W, Kitchener. World premiere by Nicole Lizèe. Produced by Open Ears. Tickets: http://openears.ca/artist-line-up
9:30 PM- 23:30, Guest Curator Series: Ben Grossman, BenGrossman(Guelph), Registry Theatre, 122 Frederick St., Kitchener. Features ensembles: Ballantyne/Harms Duo; Sound of the Mountain; Nakamura/Taxt Duo. Produced by Open Ears. Tickets: http://openears.ca/artist-line-up.
Friday, June 1
6 PM- 7 PM, How Is Your Pony?, Studio Dan (Vienna), Registry Theatre, 122 Frederick St., Kitchener. The music of Frank Zappa and his echoes. Produced by Open Ears. Tickets: http://openears.ca/artist-line-up.
7 PM- 8 PM, Music box composition workshop, JasonDoell (Toronto), The Walper Hotel, Boardroom, 20 Queen St. S., Kitchener. Learn the art of punch card composition with famed music box composer Jason Doell. Participants will receive a music box, puncher and punch cards. Limited to 15 spots so sign up early! Send an email to [email protected] to sign up for the workshop. Producedby Open Ears. Admission: Free.
7 PM- 8 PM, Artist Talk with Ashley Culver, Open Sesame, 220 King Street West, KitchenerCulver’s photographs and sculptures refer to Francis Ponge’s poetry and one’s interaction with an orange as material, as well as through recognition and language. Produced by Open Sesame. Admission: Free.
8 PM- 9 PM, Fragments Noirs, Stereoscope (Toronto), KWCMS, 57 Young St, Waterloo. Stereoscope is an emerging sax duo from Toronto. Produced by Open Ears. Tickets: http://openears.ca/artist-line-up.
8 PM- 9 PM, Open Sesame Reception with Ashley Culver and St. Marie & Walker, Open Sesame, 220 King Street West, Kitchener. Produced by Open Sesame. Admission: Free.
10 PM– 2 AM, Blue Dot, Ian Newton (Kitchener), Location to be announced, Kitchener. Experimental DJ experience. Produced by Open Ears. Tickets: http://openears.ca/artist-line-up.
Saturday, June 2
9 AM- 1 PM, CAFKA Family Days: Printmaking Maps, The Kitchener Market, 300 King St E, Kitchener. Block print your own map of the exhibition with printmaker Michelle Purchase. Then go on a scavenger hunt finding the art treasures around town. Produced by CAFKA. Tickets: $5/PWYC.
11 AM- 12 noon, Emerging Composer Piece: Katerina Gimon, Victoria Park, Kitchener. World premiere of winner from competition. Produced by Open Ears. Tickets: http://openears.ca/artist-line-up.
1 PM- 2 PM, No Hay Banda, (Montreal), Registry Theatre, 122 Frederick St., Kitchener. Hailing from Montreal, this avant-guarde ensemble showcases two extended-length works for quartet comprised of violin, saxophone, piano/synths, and percussion, with both featuring heavy amplification and various forms of integrated electronics. Anthony Tan’s slow and reflective work combines dense held instrumental tones with field recordings from various spaces and environments. Mauricio Pauly works with expressive amplification and electronics as an integrated element of performance, intertwining live-mixing and processing with the sound and physicality of instrumental performance. Produced by Open Ears. Tickets: http://openears.ca/artist-line-up.
2 PM- 4 PM, Walking Tour of CAFKA, Kitchener City Hall, 200 King St W, Kitchener. Join us for an inaugural walking tour of CAFKA.18 in Downtown Kitchener. Produced by CAFKA. Tickets: Admission Free.
3 PM- 4 PM, Tony Conrad Documentary: Completely in the Present,Princess Cinema, 6 Princess St. W., Waterloo. Sometimes referred to as the Bill Murray of the Avant Garde, Conrad’s films and musical compositions have been the stuff of legend. Conrad was an early member of the Velvet Underground; he toured with Sonic Youth in the ’90s; collaborated with contemporary artists such as Tony Oursler and Mike Kelley; and has spent decades re-wiring generations of young minds as a professor and media personality in Buffalo, New York. His vast conceptual multimedia repertoire has challenged the very foundations of art, film and music and questioned entire belief systems. Produced by Open Ears. Tickets: http://openears.ca/artist-line-up.
5 PM- 6 PM, "…amid the cannon’s roar," Jason Doell (Toronto), The Registry Theatre, 122 Frederick St., Kitchener. Produced by Open Ears. Tickets: http://openears.ca/artist-line-up.
7 PM- 9 PM, CAFKA Opening Reception, Kitchener City Hall, 200 King St W, Kitchener. Produced by CAFKA. Admission: Free.
7 PM- 8 PM, Composer talk: Nico Muhly, Zion Church, 32 Weber St W, Kitchener. Nico Muhly, hailed as "the planet’s hottest composer" is equally comfortable in sacred choral music, orchestra, chamber and opera. Muhly will hit the stage with acclaimed violist Nadia Sirota in an evening of indie classical music. Producedby Open Ears. Admission: Free.
8 PM- 10:30, ARENA: Seagram Synth Ensemble, 8 PM, Kitchener City Hall, 200 King St W, Kitchener. The Kitchener-Waterloo-based moog synthesizer trio will perform at the CAFKA.18 opening reception. Produced by CAFKA. Admission: Free.
8 PM- 9 PM, Nico Muhly and Nadia Sirota, Nico Muhly and Nadia Sirota (New York), Zion Church, 32 Weber St W, Kitchener. New music gurus from NYC. Produced by Open Ears. Tickets: http://openears.ca/artist-line-up.
9 PM– 2 AM, CAFKA Artist Party, Critical Media, 44 Gaukel, Kitchener. Produced by CAFKA. Tickets: $20/PWYC.
Sunday, June 3
11 AM- 12 noon, Emerging Composer Contest, Victoria Park, Kitchener. World premiere of emerging composer contest. Produced by Open Ears. Tickets: http://openears.ca/artist-line-up.
1 PM- 2 PM, Awaken, BarbaraCroall (Milton), The Walper Hotel, Oak Room, 20 Queen St. S., Kitchener. Chamber and solo music of Ojibwe composer Barbara Croall, featuring Nü Ears Ensemble. Produced by Open Ears. Tickets: http://openears.ca/artist-line-up.
3 PM- 4 PM, Indie-Classical Choir, Mark Vuorinen (Kitchener), Zion Church, 32 Weber St W, Kitchener Choir music of Nico Muhly, Caleb Burhans, Caroline Shaw and others Produced byOpen Ears. Tickets: http://openears.ca/artist-line-up.
6 PM- 7 PM, Illimaq, BenReimer (Montreal), Zion Church, 32 Weber St W, Kitchener. Performing Ilimac for drumset and digital delay. Produced by Open Ears. Tickets: http://openears.ca/artist-line-up.
Tuesday, June 5
12 noon- 5 PM, Golboo Amani (Toronto), Arts Quad, 200 University Ave W,Waterloo. Produced by UWAG/UWFA. Admission: Free.
12 noon- 5 PM, Johanna Householder (Toronto), Arts Quad, 200 University Ave W, Waterloo. Produced by UWAG/UWFA. Admission: Free.
Wednesday, June 6, 2018
12 noon- 1 PM, ARENA: Polly Beats, Kitchener City Hall, 200 King St W, Kitchener. Andrea Mauro performs Polly Beats with ARENA. Produced by CAFKA. Admission: Free.
12 noon- 5 PM, Lisa Myers (Toronto), Arts Quad, 200 University Ave W, Waterloo. Produced by UWAG/UWFA. Admission: Free.
Thursday, June 7
12 noon- 5 PM PM, Abedar Kamgari (Hamilton/Toronto), Arts Quad, 200 University Ave W, Waterloo. Produced by UWAG/UWFA. Admission: Free.
6 PM- 10 PM, CAFKA Pub Crawl with Steve Lavigne, Kitchener City Hall, 200 King St W, Kitchener. Pre-register online or register at Kitchener City Hall at the start of the Crawl. Cost includes 3 drink tickets and snacks. Receive a guided tour of CAFKA installations through Downtown Kitchener. While you're out, enjoy drinks and discussions, and share your creative side at art stations set up at participating bars. Produced by CAFKA. Tickets: $25.
Friday, June 8, 2018
7 PM- 10 PM, ARENA: Spoken Word with Janice Jo Lee, Kitchener City Hall, 200 King St W, Kitchener. Janice Jo Lee curates an evening of spoken word. Produced by CAFKA. Admission: Free.
7 PM- 8 PM PM, Artist Talk with Dawn Matheson, Open Sesame, 220 King Street West, Kitchener. Guelph artist Dawn Matheson will be speaking about her collaboration with deaf and hard of hearing youth, and the making of her video [i carry your heart with me (i carry it in], performed by 9-year-old Guelph resident, Nora Stasinkiewicz. The video will be be projected on the top of the Kitchener City Hall as well as running as a trailer at the Princess and at the Apollo movie theatres during CAFKA.18. Produced by Open Sesame. Admission: Free.
Saturday, June 9
9 AM- 1 PM, CAFKA Family Days: Self Portrait Agamographs, The Kitchener Market, 300 King St E, Kitchener. Make your own personalized Agamograph with Mindful Makers! We'll help you take a self portrait, and turn it into a colouring book picture to create a 2-sided piece of art. Your images will be visible when viewed from opposite angles. Produced by CAFKA. Tickets: $5/PWYC.
9 AM- 5 PM, Symposium: State of Emergency, UWAG, 263 Phillip St, Waterloo. Produced by UWAG/UWFA. Admission: Free.
7 PM- 11 PM, Ensemble by At The Reception: Kiersten Holden-Ada, Michael McCormack, and Zak Miller-Ada (Halifax), Goudies Lane, 16 Goudies Lane, Kitchener. At The Reception is the collective title of the collaboration of Kiersten Holden-Ada, Michael McCormack, and Zak Miller-Ada. ENSEMBLE is a son et lumièreevent that uses broadcast media technology to project the sounds of a traditional pit orchestra within the setting of a drive-in movie theatre. Producedby CAFKA. Admission: Free.
8 PM– 1 AM, Summer Lights, Summer Lights is a one night festival of art, tech, games, music, theatre, dance. Produced by Summer Lights Festival. Admission: Free.
Sunday, June 10
1 - 3 PM, CAFKA Coffee Crawl with Michelle Purchase with ASL, Café Pyrus, 16 Charles St W, Kitchener. Meet at Café Pyrus and take a guided tour to the Downtown Kitchener CAFKA.16 locations. Produced by CAFKA. Tickets: $5/PWYC. (Please note: This time is incorrectly listed in the printed Exhibition Guide.)
1 - 3 PM, Guided tour of CAFKA in Mandarin with Cheng Zhong, Kitchener City Hall, 200 King St W, Kitchener. CAFKA.18 的中文普通话游览指南，将于5月29日上午11点，免费在奇基纳的市政圆形大厅中进行. Produced by CAFKA. Tickets: $5/PWYC.
Wednesday, June 13
12 noon- 1 PM, ARENA: Polly Beats, Kitchener City Hall, 200 King St W, Kitchener. Andrea Mauro's performs Polly Beats with the ARENA PA. Produced by CAFKA. Admission: Free.
Thursday, June 14
6 PM- 10 PM, CAFKA Pub Crawl with Allie Brenner, Kitchener City Hall, 200 King St W, Kitchener. Join the CAFKA Pub Crawl with Allie Brenner. Register at Kitchener City Hall at the start of the Crawl. Cost includes 3 drink tickets and snacks. Receive a guided tour of CAFKA installations through Downtown Kitchener. While you're out, enjoy drinks and discussions, and share your creative side at art stations set up at participating bars. Produced by CAFKA. Tickets: $25.
Friday, June 15
7 PM- 10 PM, ARENA: Open Mic, Kitchener City Hall, 200 King St W,Kitchener. Bring a mic or and electrical instrument and and perform in front of a 300 speaker PA. Produced by CAFKA. Admission: Free.
Saturday, June 16
3:30 PM- 5 PM, CAFKA Alley Cat Rally, Victoria Park Gazebo, Roos Island, Kitchener, Produced by CAFKA. Not just a cycle tour, the CAFKA Alley Cat is an urban scavenger hunt using bikes or any human-powered transportation. The fastest and funnest way to see CAFKA.18.
Compete by yourself or with a team. Register at the Gazebo between 3 and 3:30 PM to receive a map and instructions. Follow the map to multiple locations, gather clues, answer questions and complete a variety of tasks while discovering CAFKA.18 and downtown Kitchener. Helmets and costumes strongly encouraged. Tickets: $20 includes a burger, fries, and beer at Jack Burger ($15 for minors).
9 AM- 1 PM, CAFKA Family Days: Thought Buttons, The Kitchener Market, 300 King St E, Kitchener. Put a button on it. Join the artists Denise St Marie and Timothy Walker at the Kitchener Market for a drop-in workshop where you can leave with your own unique button. Produced by CAFKA. Tickets: $5/PWYC.
2 PM- 4 PM, ARENA: Open Mic, Kitchener City Hall, 200 King St W, Kitchener. Bring a mic or and electrical instrument and and perform in front of a 300 speaker PA. Produced by CAFKA. Admission: Free.
Sunday, June 17
10 AM- 12 noon, CAFKA Coffee Crawl, The Yeti Café, 14 Eby St N, Kitchener. Meet Aaron Francis at the Yeti Café and take a guided tour to the Dowtown Kitchener CAFKA.18 locations.Produced by CAFKA. Tickets: $5/PWYC.
1 PM- 3 PM, Une visite guidée de CAFKA.18, Kitchener City Hall, 200 King St W, Kitchener. Rejoignez-nous pour une visite guidée de CAFKA.18 en français avec Émily Traichel. Produced by CAFKA. Tickets: Admission gratuite.
1 PM- 3 PM, Community Thoughts Tour, Library of Things, 91 Moore Ave, Kitchener. Denise St Marie and Timothy Walker of St Marie and Walker will give a tour of their Midtown KW neighbourhood inspired project Community Thoughts. Produced by CAFKA. Admission: Free.
Wednesday, June 20
12 noon- 1 PM, ARENA: Polly Beats, Kitchener City Hall, 200 King St W, Kitchener. Andrea Mauro's performs Polly Beats with the ARENA PA. Produced by CAFKA. Admission: Free.
Thursday, June 21
2 PM- 4 PM, Cambridge Sculpture Garden Reception: Laura Marotta's Garden Shelter, Cambridge Sculpture Garden, 53 Grand Ave S, Cambridge. Produced by Cambridge Sculpture Garden. Admission: Free.
Friday, June 22
7 PM- 10 PM, Curator's Talk and Reception with Lisa Myers on the exhibition Post Script: Rebecca Belmore, Susan Blight, Luke Parnell, Melissa General, Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery, 101 Queen St N,Kitchener. Lisa Myers is an independent curator and artist with a keen interest in interdisciplinary collaboration. Her curatorial practice considers different kinds of value placed on elements such as time, sound, memory and knowledge. In addition to curatorial projects based in Toronto, her projects include three touring exhibitions, wnoondwaamin | we hear them (2016); Recast (2014); and Reading the Talk (2014). Myers has an MFA in Criticism and Curatorial practice from OCAD University. In addition to many exhibition publications, her writing has been published in Senses and Society, Public, C Magazine and FUSE Magazine. Myers is based in Toronto and Port Severn, Ontario and is a member of Beausoleil First Nation. She is currently an Assistant Lecturer in the Faculty of Environmental Studies at York University.Produced by KWAG. Admission: Free.
Saturday, June 23
9 AM- 1 PM, CAFKA Family Days: Optical Illusion Art, The Kitchener Market, 300 King St E, Kitchener. Create your own piece of optical illusion art with Artshine and find out how to make your images pop off the page. Producedby CAFKA. Tickets: $5/PWYC.
7 PM- 9 PM, ARENA: Ramsay Almighty, Kitchener City Hall, 200 King St W, Kitchener KW Hip Hop artist Ramsay Almighty fuses his early education in piano and guitar with a ‘90s era hip hop.Produced by CAFKA. Tickets: $5/PWYC.
Sunday, June 24
11 AM- 2:30 PM, CAFKA Cycle: Cycle to rare Charitable Conservation Reserve, Carl Zehr Square from Kitchener City Hall, 200 King St W, Kitchener. Meet at Carl Zehr Square at Kitchener City Hall for a bicycle tour of to rare Charitable Reserve in Cambridge to see Don Russell's Stone Clay Fire. Produced by CAFKA. Admission: Free.
1 PM- 3 PM, Visita guiada de CAFKA en español with Paulina Cisnernos. Produced by CAFKA. Admission: Free.
Thursday, June 28
7 PM- 9 PM, Big Ideas: Susan Blight, Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery, 101 Queen St N, Kitchener. Produced by CAFKA/Musagetes/KWAG. Admission: Free. Susan Blight (Anishinaabe, Couchiching First Nation) is an interdisciplinary artist working with public art, site-specific intervention, photography, film, and social practice. She is co-founder of the Ogimaa Miikana Project, an artist/activist collective working to reclaim and rename the roads, streets, and landmarks of Toronto with Anishinaabemowin. Her work is featured in CAFKA.18 and in the exhibition Post Script at the Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery. Big Ideas in Art and Culture is a co-production of CAFKA and Musagetes.
8 PM- 11 PM, ARENA: Full Moon Boogie, Kitchener City Hall, 200 King St W, Kitchener. Produced by CAFKA. Admission: Free. Jessica and Kirstie decided to throw a dance party for all their friends on a cold night in March, 2017. Having danced to the bouncy, bright vibes of DJ DaddyDisko a few times before and they knew he'd be the best fit for their tribe. After that epic House Party, DaddyDisko (aka Travis Kell) expressed a strong interest in creating more of this magic! So they rolled with the inclusive, supportive, celebratory, for-all-humans energy they felt in the dance, and have been sharing the music and the dance around KW since then.
Saturday, June 30
9 AM- 1 PM, CAFKA Family Days: Flag-Making Workshop with SAIL,The Kitchener Market, 300 King St E, Kitchener. Have your say in the wind. This hands-on workshop provides all the materials to make your own flag—attach it to your bike, stick it in your garden, or just wave it in your very own personal parade. SAIL (Student Art Innovation Lab) is an outreach arts-based initiative brought to you by fine arts students from the University of Waterloo. Produced by CAFKA. Tickets: $5/PWYC.