Artist Residencies are programs that provide guest artists with a period of reflection, research, collaboration, presentation and/or production. Around the world, a wide variety of Artist In-Residence programs are sponsored by universities, museums, galleries, theatres, government agencies and festivals, where artists, curators, and all manner of creative individuals are invited to spend a period time away from their usual environment and obligations.

Carleton University’s School for Studies in Art and Culture (SSAC) is pleased to announce that genre-defying multi-instrumentalist Christine Duncan will be the artist-in-residence in Carleton’s music program for the Winter 2022 semester.

Image of Christine Duncan
A musical chameleon, Christine Duncan uses her voice as an instrument, in a wide range of diverse musical styles. She is involved in everything from jazz, R&B, gospel, improvised music, sound poetry, to new music, opera, and musique actuelle. She performs with many musical groups and projects, notably with Hugh Fraser’s VEJI (Vancouver Ensemble of Jazz Improvisation) since the mid 1990’s, and Barnyard Drama with drummer/electronic artist Jean Martin, since 2002. She is also part of the Barnyard Records family, the label run by Martin.

Christine Sinclair created and directs the Element Choir, an improvising choir in Toronto, active since 2007. Christine and the Element Choir have been performing with inuit throat singer/experimental vocalist Tanya Tagaq since 2014, and she performs with Tagaq on voice and theremin as well.

For the last few years, as a community engagement outreach, Christine has been touring, putting together and training volunteer, improvising choirs to perform in concerts, with Tagaq and her band, and with other musical ensembles, both in Canada, and internationally. Duncan and Tagaq have also been performing their piece Qiksaaktuq, (by Martin, Duncan and Tagaq) for the last couple of years, with Symphony Orchestras, in Canada and internationally. An active educator, Duncan has been teaching in the jazz programs at Humber College and the University of Toronto since 2003.