Ross Daly's This Tale of Ours Ensemble

This Tale of Ours is a collective comprised of Ross Daly, composer and multi-instrumentalist of Irish origin who resided in Greece for many decades; Kelly Thoma, composer and renowned exponent of the Cretan lyra from Greece; Sadaf Amini, Iranian Santour virtuoso and soloist based in Kingston, Ontario; Michael K. Harrist, New York based musician, educator, and bassist; and Araz Salek, Iranian tar player. The music which they play, although primarily original compositions, draws heavily on the various regional modal traditions that each of the members has studied over the years. This lends to the ensemble a unique sound which stretches across (what are usually perceived to be) borders, and which opens up new avenues of interaction between these various traditions. This approach aims to highlight the multitude of meeting points between them which have always been present, but which are frequently ignored by the more ethno-centric approach which in recent decades has become more prevalent. For the members of This Tale of Ours, tradition is not something static reflecting a past which is to simply be repeated in the present; rather, it is a collective body of knowledge deriving from the past which serves as source material for today’s creative activity and which, in turn, is an offering to the future. It is this approach which we believe can potentially afford a timeless and ever-fresh continuation of tradition using its own material and on its own terms.

Presented by Labyrinth Ontario in partnership with the Music Gallery.