Inuit throat-singing duo PIQSIQ has put their own twist on the traditional form of music.
The sisters, Inuksuk Mackay and Tiffany Ayalik, have been singing together since they were young girls growing up in Yellowknife, N.W.T., and now they perform as PIQSIQ. With their voices and a looping machine, the sisters filled a room at Okanagan College’s Penticton campus on Friday, Nov. 4.
“A lot of Canadians have maybe heard it once or twice or seen it on T.V. but I don’t think they’ve had it explained or understand a lot about the practice,” said Mackay.
“We perform improvisationally, so we hope that folks take whatever it is that resonates with them home. I think it lands differently for different people, so we just leave it open to interpretation and then invite folks to have their own experience with it.”
An improvised show means that every concert is different.
The concert is one of many shows being put on as part of the Route 97 Culture Road Trips Series that is bringing top talent through the valley.
“We formed Route 97 Culture in 2020. The idea is to build a stronger touring corridor for nationally known and emerging artists from Canada through the Okanagan Thompson and Shuswap,” said Mark Greenhalgh, project co-creator.
The concert series is far from over. There are three more musicians stepping on stage at the Cleland Community Theatre in Penticton. Begonia will perform on Nov. 21, William Prince is in the spotlight Dec. 2 and Andrew Allen takes the stage Dec. 16. For more information, visit www.route97culture.com
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