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FYI

Countermeasure Shows In Japan & Lincoln Center–All 13 Of Them

The Canadian a cappella ensemble has proven to be a force to reckon, and the sheer size of the vocal group seems to matter not when it comes to finding its voice on the global stage.

Countermeasure Shows In Japan & Lincoln Center–All 13 Of Them

By FYI Staff

Canadian a cappella group, Countermeasure, has Japan and the U.S. in its sights for noteworthy festivals dates.


Formed in 2010 and led by award-winning composer/arranger Aaron Jensen, the 13-strong Toronto vocal ensemble performs original compositions and re-imagined standards that highlight the breadth and capabilities of the human voice.

The Japan tour launched on April 30 in Osaka on a bill with popstar Chikuzen Sato from the band Sing Like Talking, at his annual showcase event Cross Your Fingers, in its 20th year, at Osaka Festival Hall.

Countermeasure goes on to perform multiple concerts in Takatsuki City at the “Takatsuki Jazz Street Festival”, one of the most attended free music shows in Japan that is a highlight of the Golden Week holiday. The festival features over 300 acts, and as many as 3,000 artists performing in 40 different locations in-and-around the central business district of Takatsuki City. On May 5, they appeared at a live-to-air concert on FM Cocolo Radio.

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A featured Canadian artist in the Serenade! Choral Festival in Washington, DC, Countermeasure will give a concert at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on June 29.

In between international travel, the ensemble will perform two concerts at SING! The Toronto Vocal Arts Festival, Canada’s premier a cappella festival: May 30 as part of Art Battle @ SING! Toronto at the Opera House, and June 2 as special guests on SoundCrowd and Friends at Jane Mallett Theatre.

Their two music videos have an aggregate of nearly half a million views. “Life is Fine”, from their latest album release, Made to Measure, is based on a text by Harlem Renaissance poet Langston Hughes. The second, "Fox in the Field," is adapted from Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s “The Little Prince."

Website: Countermeasuremusic.com

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Music News Digest: CRTC Aims To Fill a Gap for Indigenous Radio in Toronto and Ottawa
Photo by Will Francis on Unsplash
FYI

Music News Digest: CRTC Aims To Fill a Gap for Indigenous Radio in Toronto and Ottawa

Also this week: Sled Island reveals initial lineup curated by clipping., Truro hosts Nova Scotia Music Week and more.

The CRTC recently launched a call for applications for FM radio stations to serve Indigenous communities in Toronto and Ottawa. Broadcast Dialogue reports "the call follows the demise of First Peoples Radio’s ELMNT FM stations, which went off the air on Sept. 1 last year. Launched in the fall of 2018, the stations had a goal to 'fill the gap' for urban Indigenous listeners under-represented in the radio landscape. They carried an 'Indigenous-variety' format, featuring both English and Indigenous-language spoken-word and musical programming, with 25% of the playlist dedicated to Indigenous talent.

In its call, the commission says in its view, "there is a need and a demand for radio stations to serve the needs and interests of those communities."

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