The performance (web link), which is free to attend, will be performed by Kingston-based musicians, including the suite's composer, ARUNA, the vocal ensemble the Caledonias, and on upright bass, Michael Broadhead. Last fall, on October 17, 2023, the Kingston City Council joined other municipalities in the province in declaring intimate partner violence an epidemic, in a motion proposed by Councillor Wendy Stephen and seconded by Mayor Bryan Paterson. That same week, a recording of selections from the "Have You Seen My Sister?" song cycle was nominated Single of the Year for the Canadian Folk Music Awards. The song cycle had its debut at Nuit Blanche Toronto in 2017 and has since been performed in a variety of settings including music festivals, universities, and Toronto's Heliconian Hall, Canada's oldest arts and letters club for women.

The March 4/24 program includes the five-song suite, “Have You Seen My Sister?”, and two additional pieces, Including a première of a song by ARUNA about Métis artist Jaime Black, whose REDress project has been raising awareness about the disproportionate representation of Indigenous and Métis women on Canada's lists of murdered and missing woman. The third piece, "Behind the Wall", composed by American musician Tracy Chapman, is a song about intimate partner violence and will be performed in an arrangement for upright bass and voice. The program lasts under an hour and begins at 7:30pm, with doors open at 7:00pm.

Listen to the award nominated recording from this song cycle: Have You Seen My Sister? Aruna & the Sirens and guests: web link

About the Artists

Aruna Antonella Handa, (composer, vocalist) writes about the human condition in the Anthropocene in idioms of art song, folk, theatre, and jazz. She has performed at clubs and festivals in Canada and the US, including Women from Space, Nuit Blanche Toronto, and Canadian Music Week. Her Future Food Salon has toured Toronto, NYC, Austin, and Montreal, with the upcoming series exploring fungi in "Voyage to Anthropocene". A recording in response to the global surge in gender based violence and drawn from her song suite "Have You Seen My Sister?", earned a Canadian Folk Music Awards nomination for Single of the Year (2024). Aruna & the Sirens will release a full length album, "Of Bones & Addicts" this spring. Aruna studied music at McGill University, and in master classes with musicians including Jane Siberry, Sheila Jordan, and Yehudi Menuhin. Aruna's radio columns on future food are syndicated across the country on CBC Radio One.

Michael Broadhead (upright bass) began studying his instrument with Doug Rooks at age 13, performing in orchestras, pit bands, and rock bands while still a teenager. Membership in Kingston, Ontario's 12CAT Arts Collective revealed his interests in booking shows and in organizing within the music community. For three years, he studied jazz at Toronto's Humber College under Neil Swainson and Mike Downes before returning to Kingston where he plays with Dave Barton and Chantal Thompson, and artists including Savannah Shea, Piner, Princess Towers, and Funeral Lakes. The youngest executive of the Musicians union Local 518, Broadhead focusses on musician labour rights.

The Caledonias are the only all-upper register a cappella group on Queen’s campus, established in 2002. The group consists of 15 female singers who have come together to share their passion for music and connect with other groups on campus and across Ontario. The Caledonias perform at a variety of events throughout the year including performances for charity, Downtown Kingston events, the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, and a cappella concerts and competitions in association with Queen's university. Posted: Mar 2, 2024