ILLUMINARE: Wings of Silence (Sidney)

Event Description

With the Emily Carr String Quartet, Josh Layne (harp), and Malcolm Armstrong (double bass)
Featuring the BC Premiere of The Lost Birds By Christopher Tin – a magnificent choral work that serves as both an elegy for vanished species and a powerful plea for the earth’s fragile future.

Wings of Silence centres on Christopher Tin’s striking cinematic oratorio The Lost Birds — a soaring tribute to the beauty of flight and a poignant lament for species lost to time. This immersive performance invites audiences to reflect deeply on humanity’s relationship with the natural world and the urgent need for conservation.

Presented by Capriccio Vocal Ensemble, the concert is enriched by a collaboration of images provided by Rocky Point Bird Observatory (RPBO). A special 20-minute pre-concert guest presentation (7:00pm) will be given by Dr. Tracy Underwood, W̱SÁNEĆ Matriarch and Professor at the University of Victoria, offering an insightful Indigenous perspective on stewardship, knowledge, and connection to the land. Audience members are also invited to explore information tables hosted by local nature and conservation groups before and after the performance.

As the inaugural event in the 2026 Gaia Celebration Series, sponsored by the Gail O’Riordan Climate and the Arts Legacy Fund, Wings of Silence offers a moving artistic experience grounded in environmental awareness — a call to listen, reflect, and act before the voices of the earth fall silent.