Twenty-five years ago, long before intercultural dialogue had assumed the prominent place it holds today in the arts community, a visionary Montreal composer was already building the most extraordinary bridges between musical worlds. And the result is one of the most remarkable artistic institutions this city has ever produced.
Oktoecho, founded in 2001 by composer and artistic director Katia Makdissi-Warren, celebrates its 25th anniversary as a living, breathing testament to the transformative power of music to bring people together across cultures, traditions, and continents. The Montreal-based ensemble brings together artists from Middle Eastern, Western, First Nations, Inuit, and other musical traditions from around the world, creating something entirely and beautifully its own.
“When I founded Oktoecho, I dreamed of creating a space where musical traditions could meet while respecting their distinct identities, without ever erasing one another. Twenty-five years later, I am deeply moved to see that this dream has become a community of artists, partners, and audiences who share this vision: music has an immense power to bring people closer together, build bridges, and transform the way we see others and ourselves,” says Katia Makdissi-Warren, founder and artistic director.
Over the past quarter century, Oktoecho has presented hundreds of concerts across Canada and internationally, gracing stages as celebrated as Lincoln Center in New York, and reaching audiences in South Korea, Chile, Spain, Morocco, Lebanon, France, Nunavik, and countless communities across Canada. The ensemble has also developed major collaborations with some of the world’s most prestigious orchestras and ensembles, including a landmark creation bringing together thirteen Indigenous artists with the Orchestre symphonique de Québec, and projects with the Orchestre National de Bretagne, Les Violons du Roy, and I Musici.
The growth of Oktoecho’s Indigenous programming has been equally extraordinary, now co-led by Lydia Etok, an Inuit artist, and Nina Segalowitz, an artist of Dene and Inuvialuit heritage, who serve as Co-Artistic Directors. The ensemble has collaborated with artists from approximately fifteen Indigenous nations in Canada, and has extended this dialogue to Aboriginal artists from Australia, Māori artists from New Zealand, and Mapuche artists from Chile, building a truly global network of Indigenous artistic exchange.
For over fifteen years, Oktoecho’s youth programming has introduced more than 80,000 young people to Inuit throat singing and Middle Eastern music through workshops, residencies, participatory concerts, and mentorship programmes reaching communities from the Gaspésie region to Nunavik and beyond. And the next generation of professional musicians is supported through Okto-Relève, a programme dedicated to learning traditional music from around the world and creating new works inspired by these extraordinary traditions.
For Oktoecho, transmission is an integral part of creation. And for Montreal, Oktoecho is an irreplaceable part of what makes this city one of the most culturally rich and beautifully open in the world.
Twenty-five years of music. Twenty-five years of bridges. And a legacy that will resonate for generations to come.
Learn more about Oktoecho and their upcoming programming at oktoecho.com