Nordic Bridges’ highlights throughout Canada

The year-long exchange of art, culture and ideas between Nordic and Canadian artists – led by Harbourfront Centre in Toronto and supported by the Nordic Council of Ministers, – presents performances, premieres and events across Canada, – involving artists from all the Nordic countries. 

“As we cross the halfway point of Nordic Bridges, our twenty-two national arts partners have collectively featured more than 195 Nordic artists and groups on their stages and screens and in their gallery spaces. It is not an understatement to say that this is a critical time for the arts worldwide, and we know that the rich artistic partnerships between Canadian and Nordic artists this year will mean incredible new work to be experienced across the country and around the world for years to come,” says Iris Nemani, Chief Programming Officer at Harbourfront Centre & Executive Producer, Nordic Bridges.

The National Arts Centre in Ottawa, the Toronto International Festival of Authors, BreakOutWest in Calgary and other cultural institutions and festivals are presenting an impressive number of musical acts, theatre, dance and art performances involving Nordic artists across Canada the following months. Here’s a selection of Nordic highlights taking place in July, August and September:

• The TOHU Montréal Complètement Cirque Festival presents contemporary circus performers from around the world, including Norway’s Dansateliers and Sweden’s Portmanteau.
• The world premiere of I Forgive You, a new play from Artistic Fraud of Newfoundland, features the music of Icelandic band Sigur Rós.
• The Faroese Nordic Council Music Prize winner singer-songwriter Eivør is not only involved in Harbourfront Centre’s Summer Music Concerts but is also performing at the Natina Arts Centre in Ottawa.
• Renowned musicians and emerging stars at festivals across the country including GusGus and Vök from Iceland, leoblu from Åland in her North American debut, Nive and the Deer Children from Greenland, Grammy-nominated artist Sara Ajnnak, and The Magnettes from Sweden, and the musical duo VILDÁ from Sámi/Finland.
• Harbourfront Centre in Toronto will also premiere new work from Danish composer Jakob Kullberg, and “Songs of the Ice” by Finnish composer Outi Tarkiainen is part of the concert “Become Ocean” at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa.
• A series of short films from the Nordic countries will put the creativity of dance-film artists in the spotlight and will be presented at the Nordic Dance Short Film Festival, at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa.
• The indigenous-led international touring visual art exhibition Arctic Highways, is presented at the Yukon Arts Centre (Whitehorse)
• Several Nordic authors will also be featured at Canada’s largest literary festival, the 43rd Edition of the Toronto International Festival of Authors.
• Monthly Nordic Talks, free to attend at Harbourfront Centre, and much more.

Nordic Bridges-supported music, theatre, film, dance and more will also feature at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa over the next few months. The programme features the award-winning singer-songwriter Eivør, the Swedish band Kolonien and the Grammy-nominated artist Sara Ajnnak –to mention just a few highlights.

“The National Arts Centre is honoured to be showcasing extraordinary Nordic and Canadian performing artists through Nordic Bridges, and we share its values of creativity, innovation, inclusivity, resilience and sustainability,” says Christopher Deacon, President and CEO at National Arts Centre in Ottawa.
 

The list of events, artists and acts will be regularly updated throughout 2022. Keep up to date by following #NordicBridges on social media.  

The year-long cultural venture initiated by the Nordic ministers for culture and led by Harbourfront Centre in Toronto – one of Canada’s leading arts and culture institutions – will engage artists and cultural stakeholders from all the Nordic countries. The key programming pillars of Nordic Bridges are artistic innovation, accessibility and inclusion, indigenous perspectives, resilience and sustainability. 
This international venture, which seeks to raise awareness about Nordic art and culture in Canada throughout 2022, is the most comprehensive ever. 

Nordic Bridges also presents add-on programme like the Nordic-Canadian Fellowship in Environmental Journalism and a special Nordic Talk series.