Memories: Voices from the Trojan Horse

Memories: Voices from the Trojan Horse reunites musicians and writers from the famous Danforth coffeehouse, the Trojan Horse.

This presentation features amazing talents from a time of cultural hybridity as Greek musicians in Toronto embraced the Chileans in exile to form the legendary musical group, Compañeros. This performance will evoke a sense of the magical period of poetry and protest, a time when the voices of Nobel prize winning poet Pablo Neruda and Greece’s great composer Mikis Theodorakis joined together in a call for global change. In Toronto during the 70s into the mid 80s, the place to find community was at the Trojan Horse, a space founded by Governor General award winning poet Gwendolyn McEwen and Greek Musician Nikos Tsingos.

Under the Musical Direction of Marcelo Puente, the Chilean-Canadian singer of Compañeros the show features musicians Fotis Tubanos (singer, guitar) Ken Kakoulis (bouzouki) Dino Carambelas (drums) Marcelo Puente (singer, guitar, charango, harmonica) Nano Valverde (Andean flutes) Heather Chetwynd (singer) Oriana Barbato (bass). They are joined by producer Cynthia Grant (Founding Artistic Director of Nightwood Theatre) and writer Rosemary Sullivan (Governor General award winner for her book Shadow Makers, a biography of Trojan Horse co-founder Gwendolyn McEwen). The stage will recreate the magical sounds of poetry and politics which resonate with the stories of exile.