Gesù welcomes residences of creation, which offer to the artists a support in the various stages of their process of creation. In spring, 2012, it is with pleasure that Gesù will welcome the group SURKALÉN in its walls! The realization of the project " Essence of light "joins in the continuity of the creative work of the group.
— The implementation of this program is possible to an agreement of partnership of three years enter the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, the Conseil des Arts du Canada, the Conférence régionale des élus de Montréal, the ministry of Immigration et des Communautés culturelles, the Fondation du Grand Montréal, the ministry of Culture, des Communications et de la Condition féminine, the Forum jeunesse de l'Île de Montréal, the Fondation du maire de Montréal pour la jeunesse and the Conseil des arts de Montréal. —
Three Chileans and a Russian. 3 cuatro and a violin. Besides the cajon, the charango, guitar, darbuka, tabla, percussion and voice, magnificent, Sandra Ulloa, welcome to the world of Surkalén. Report: Anne-Marie Yvon
Nuit Blanche au GESÙ, dans le cadre de MONTRÉAL EN LUMIÈRE 2012.
Salle Gesù,1200 rue de Bleury Est, Montréal
Prestation Salle GESÙ
1200, De Bleury, Montréal, Qc
Prestation pour AMEIPH
Grand hall de l’Hôtel de Ville de Montréal
Concert bénéfice pour le Centre du Cancer Segal de l'Hôpital Général Juif de Montréal.
Organisation de l'Aviation Civile Internationale (999, University, Montréal)
Entrée sur réservation. Veuillez contacter info@surkalen.ca
« Surkalén en Concert »
Club Balattou, Productions Nuits D'Afrique.
4372 boulevard Saint-Laurent,Montréal, QC H2W 1Z5
(514) 845-5447
Spectacle au Pharaon Lounge
139, rue Saint-Paul Ouest
Montréal (Québec) H2Y 1Z5
(station de métro Place d'Armes)
Tél. : 514 843-7432
Daniel Viglietti en Concert à Montréal ,invité spécial Surkalén
Collège André-Grasset
1001, boul. Crémazie Est
Montréal (métro Crémazie)
Informations : 514 303-3341
Festival des Traditions du Monde de Sherbrooke
Scène Bistro SAQ
Au parc Quintal (Central) de l'arrondissement Fleurimont
1671, chemin Duplessis
Sherbrooke (Québec) J1H 0C2
Tél. : 819 821-7433
Festival International de Percussions de Longueuil
Scène Desjardins
875, rue Verchères, Longueuil (Québec) J4K 2Y8
Tél : 450-463-2692
Fête nationale du Canada
Parc Aimé-Leonard
4975,boulevard Gouin Est
Montréal Nord
Tournage pour « La Revista » de LatinArte
Club Les Bobards
4328, boul. Saint-Laurent
Montréal (Québec) H2W 1Z3
514 987-1174
Spectacle au Pharaon Lounge
139, rue Saint-Paul Ouest
Montréal (Québec) H2Y 1Z5
(station de métro Place d'Armes)
Tél. : 514 843-7432
Participation au Syli d’Or 2011 de la Musique du Monde
Club Balattou, Productions Nuits D'Afrique
Concert
Série de spectacles « Cordes à Cordes » pour Les Productions Nuits d’Afrique Club Balattou, Montréal
Spectacle bénéfice « Pour la Liberté du Peuple Mapuche »
Club « Al Sur Tango », Montréal
« Surkalén en concert »
Télévision ontarienne TFO, Ontario
Entrevue « Spécial Surkalén »
Télévision Nuevo Mundo, Montréal
Concerts On Demand: Surkalen at Festival Nuits d'Afrique
CBC radio 2 de Radio-Canada, Montréal
Concert
24e édition du Festival Nuits d’Afrique
Club Balattou, Montréal
Concert
3e édition du Festival desArts de Montréal-Nord
Maison culturelle et communautaire de Montréal-Nord, Montréal
Participation à la demi-finale
Syli d’Or 2010 de la Musique du Monde
Spectacle bénéfice pour le Chili
Théâtre Plaza, Montréal
Spectacle bénéfice pour le Chili
Théâtre Telus, Montréal
Concert
Club Balattou, Montréal
Hommage à Mercedes Sosa
Centre culturel Simon Bolivar, Montréal
Spectacle
Dans le cadre Le Monocle Rouge, espace culturel
Club « Al Sur Tango », Montréal
Spectacle
Vernissage de « LatinArte »
Centre culturel Simon Bolivar, Montréal
Spectacle
Festival musique du bout du monde
Place des Retrouvailles, Gaspé
Spectacle
« Volver » café culturel, Montréal
Spectacle
« Volver » café culturel, Montréal
Spectacle
« Volver » café culturel, Montréal
Spectacle Concert sous la pergola
18e édition du Festival Musique Multi-Montréal, Montréal
Spectacle
À l’Alizé, Montréal
↓ Listen to excerpts of the concert “Essence de Lumière”
Characterized by rich colors and mysticism, this musical ensemble draws its inspiration from multiple styles of world music. It is highly influenced by South American, European, Arab and Asian rhythms and melodies, and explores fascinating contemporary rhythms and jazz variations.
“Essence de Lumière” combines an elegant voice with a number of traditional instruments from South America (e.g., cuatro, charango, cajón, kultrun, caxixi), Europe ( violin, guitar, base-guitar), Asia ( tablâ, Tibetan bowl, cymbal, tanpura) and Africa (chekeré, darbouka, udu, djembé ). Bass and Latin percussion compliment this instrumental fusion, which opens the window for the exploration of new music and the creation of magical sounds. “Essence de Lumière” is an experimentation with no limits, a style called ethno-fusion.
↓ Listen to excerpts of Concerts On Demand
Recorded: July 13th, 2010
Place: Balatou club, Montreal, QC
Genre: World music
It’s a rainy summer evening. The air is thick and heavy. The sun set a long time ago, but the sounds of drums are still resounding in the Club Balattou on Boulevard St-Laurent. It is the 24th edition of the International African Nights Festival. Tonight Surkalen is on stage.
SURKALÉN defines itself as an ethno-fusion band. They combine traditional folkloric South American music with Africanand Middle Eastern traditions and American jazz. Guitar, bass, violin and a beautiful female voice constitute the basis of the music of Surkalen Charango, cuatro, flute as well as drums and percussion compliment these instruments to create a rich sound.
From the opening crash of "Horizonte al Sur" to the clapalong closer "La Dicha," it's a set full of fiery ballads, galloping instrumentals and rousing dance numbers.
Producer: Frank Opolko
Producing assistant: Graham Lessard
Sound Engineer: Guy Charbonneau
↓ Listen to excerpts of the album Viaje
The main idea explored in “Viaje” originated in Valparaíso, Chile. The album was finalized and independently released in 2008 in Montreal, Quebec. This album reflects our personal vision of Chile and the world. It is a portraitof our identity.
“Viaje”, which signifies travel in Spanish, will take the listener on a wonderful musical trip across South America, Quebec and the worldwith its mesmerizing melodies, ancestral rhythms and modern sounds.
In the album “Viaje”, Surkalén Trio engages in the evocative ethno-fusion music. Its folk roots are coloured with modernity, originality and a jazzy touch.
The album is available for purchase at Archambault, Ste-Catherine Est street, in the World Music section or contact us by email: .
May 2011
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
TFO Television
September 2010
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Syli d’Or de la Musique du Monde
April 2010
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
2009-2010
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
/ Excerpts
Denise-Pelletier Theater
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
september, 25th 2010
This live recording is presented by TFO musical series “En Concert”.
Producer: Michel Préfontaine, Cinéma 3180 B.E. inc.
Director: Jean- Jacques Sheytoyan
Distributor: TFO (Télévision francophone en Ontario)
3rd edition of Festival des Arts de Montréal-Nord
Maison culturelle et communautaire de Montréal-Nord
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
June 2010
The musical meeting of Sandra Ulloa, Claudio Rojas Dávila and Rony is made in 1995 in Valparaíso in Chile, of which they are native. Separated, they travel someyears in Europe to meet in 2006 in Montreal, Canada. In 2008, they formed the group "SURKALÉN TRIO". It is thenthey happen officially in Montreal. In 2009, the Russian-Canadian violinist, Maria Demacheva, joins the trio to form the current quartet. The group was renamed "SURKALÉN".
SURKALÉN merges the musical inheritance of the South American culture with African, Asian, European and Middle Eastern music. Such a musical mixture gives rise to a unique and eloquent music that we call ethno-fusion.
The name of the group was not randomly choosen; “Sur” stands for the South American roots of three of the members of the band and “Kalén” means "different" in the selknam language. (Selknams are the ancient habitants of Tierra del Fuego, a small Native American community, which disappeared in the middle of the 20th century).
Most of the band’s music is strongly influenced by different kinds of world music. South American rhythms are very present in their creations. By combining ancestral and modern rhythms, SURKALÉN offers poetic music that is recognizable in many cultures.
In 2009-2010, the band gave performances at several festivals: Festival du Bout du Monde in Gaspé, the Musique-Multi-Montréal Festival, Latin American Folk Festival of Laval, the International Nights Festival of Africa of Montreal and the Festival des Arts de Montréal-Nord. SURKALÉN also gave numerous performances on different stages throughout the province of Quebec. In August 2010 Radio CBC2 featured SURKALÉN’s “Live Concert” and in September 2010 SURKALÉN appeared on the French channel of Ontarian Television (TFO) as “Surkalén in concert”.
Two years after its formation, the band released their first album – “Viaje”. Meaning “travel” in Spanish, “Viaje” presents soft and mesmerizing music. This album represents a mixture of traditional and modern melodies that are sometimes fused with jazz.
For Sandra, Claudio, Rony and Maria, every day is a ride into new musical adventures. Their work opens a window to the exploration of consciousness.
Sandra Ulloa: voice, cuatro, cajón, darbouka, tablâ and percussion.
Claudio Rojas: guitar, charango, cuatro, flutes, bass, voices and percussion.
Rony Dávila: bass, guitar, cuatro, flutes, voices and percussion.
Maria Demacheva: violin, voices and percussion.
Sandra Ulloa was born inValparaíso, Chile. Not only is Sandra the vocalist of the band, she is the author and the composer of many of Surkalen’s songs. Sandra also plays the Venezuelan cuatro, the Indian tablâ, the Peruvian cajón, the flute and the African darbouka. Her creative mind leads her to different explorations of musical universes. She composes contemporary and harmonious melodies and her poetry reflects the spirit of SURKALÉN with its inspirational lyrics. Her powerful and divine voice easily affects hearts. Her spiritual quest revolves around the essence of her life: finding a way to get to the internal source of inspiration that allows an alliance to form between divine energy and spirituality. She combines different music styles in a very unique way which brings joy and light and expresses a profound spirituality.
Claudio Rojas was born in Valparaíso ,Chile. Claudio is an excellent charanguiste. He is also a composer of contemporary South American folklore. His art is influenced by a variety of musical styles including traditional music, jazz, rock and music fusion. The innovations that Claudio brings to charango playing techniques allow him to liberate himself from traditions and to open the doors for creativity. His own technique is inspired by African rhythms, Asian spirituality, the evolution of European music, jazz improvisations and South American folklore. Claudio is a proficient guitarist, flutist and percussionist, and is essential to creating SURKALÉN’s unique tone. His spiritual quest allows for the fusion between the east and the west and contributes to a universal approach to music.
Rony Dávila was born in Valparaíso, Chile. Rony plays bass guitar, guitar, flute and is an excellent percussionist. Rony grew up in a musical and artistic environment. The son of recognized Chilean folk musicians, he is distinguished by his open-mindedness and passion for the music of the world, constantly searching for new rhythms and sounds. His imagination and musicianship skills help to create the unique sound in the music of SURKALÉN.
Maria Demacheva was born in Moscow, Russia. Maria is a violinist who received her formal education in classical music. Prize-winner of competitions including the National Competition of Canada and the Festival of music of Montreal, she also received grants from several international music festivals such as Banff Arts Center, Bowdoin International Music Festival and Orford Arts Centre. Maria completed her Master's degree in performance at the University of Montreal. She loves to explore various musical styles and brings an original touch to the music of SURKALÉN by adding a wide range of colours on the violin. She puts all her heart and soul in the sounds of her violin which is reflected in each of her performances. Her talent and generosity reverberate in the sounds of her violin and our souls.
