Multicultural multimedia concert an exotic delight.

The second evening of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra’s New Music Festival presented a mélange of new music representing the land.

A willing and anticipatory audience was particularly taken with two performances.

The first was by the youth choir Prairie Voices. This group of 18-25 year-old singers, directed by Kristel Peters, gave vivacious readings of two Cuban rumbas, El Guayaboso and Que Rico E by Guido Lopez Gavilan. His Camerata en guaguanco delighted audiences at the 2006 festival.

Prairie Voices brought all the heat and exotic sounds of Cuba to the hall, complete with great energy and genuine smiles. Moving to the music, they exuded a liveliness and sense of fun that was infectious. Strong and accurate singing, highly punctuated notes traveling through the sections, humming, stamping feet, slapping legs and sultry solo lines were all highlights of this performance. They gave it their all and did so with humour and joy.

The audience erupted after this performance and gave them a standing ovation.

The other standout of the evening was Wa Wa Tey Wak (Northern Lights), an oratorio based on an aboriginal theme by Manitoba composer Andrew Balfour. He directed his own choral group, Camerata Nova, in this work, that also featured the soulful viola of Elise Lavallée, Michael Thompson on didgeridoo and throat singing by Madeleine Allakariallak and daughter Natasha.

Throughout the work, images were projected onto a screen behind the singers, further enhancing the mood and theme, examining aboriginal roots and how the culture has changed over time. Video artist Bryan Besant provided a rich collage of nature scenes and moving portraits of native elders, young children and Winnipeg cityscapes.

Nature sounds, the rumbling of the didgeridoo, and the sad strains of the viola, set the mood before the singers even began. The singing itself was demanding – not always harmonious, but effective in its rhythmic variety and aboriginal flavour. Allakariallak’s powerfully impassioned solo reached into listeners’ souls.

Distinguished guest composer Christos Hatzis’ Ah Kalleli, from his multimedia work Constantinople, was, for some reason, sung in two instalments. Egyptian-Canadian singer, Maryem Toller lent her unique talent to this piece, which is based on a Sufi song, and was accompanied by a pre-recorded, computer-manipulated version of her own voice. This "sonic environment" had an esoteric echoing effect that was quite arresting. The very brief Part Two was performed after two other works, making it so disjointed and out of context that it lost much of its impact and meaning.

The Winnipeg Singers showed that they can indeed sing anything and everything, offering up their considerable skills to T. Pat Carrabre’s imaginative Promised Land, complete with chattering words from the journal of a Hudson Bay explorer.