X Avant XXI: Night 3
Ancient Circuitry
Gathering two artist’s projects in concert form, Ancient Circuitry combines Mani Mazinani’s Solar Organ and Alexis Nanibush-Pamajewong’s For The Youth: Reilluminated, connecting with ancestral knowledge today.
Solar Organ Ensemble moves between improvised and composed music using traditional and invented pentatonic scales covering a spectrum of approaches to pentatonic sound generation. Solar Organ, an electronic pentatonic instrument created by Mani Mazinani, connects neurobiology with the geographic and historic ubiquity of pentatonic practice, a universal human phenomenon.
For The Youth: Reilluminated by Alexis Nanibush-Pamajewong, is a re-creation of a light and sound installation with local Indigenous youth performances — to honour the life, kinship, and the spirit of generations past, present, and future.
Curated by Mani Mazinani
In partnership with Connected Minds
INSTALLATION
Outside of performances, attendees can interact with sound sculptures from Night 2 artist Stephanie Orlando.
Inspired by everyday sounds from her time working as a bike mechanic, Stephanie Orlando’s Sonic Bikes installation invites attendees to interact with the spectrum of noises and musical textures of recycled bike parts.
ABOUT FOR THE YOUTH: REILLUMINATED
Alexis Nanibush-Pamajewong
Alexis Nanibush-Pamajewong (she/they) is a 2S Anishinaabe artist and curator from Shawanaga First Nation. Alexis completed their BFA (Honours) in Tsi’ Tkaronto, for the Indigenous Visual Culture from OCADU (2024 Medal Winner recipient.) Alexis attended the Beal Art Program. Alexis works in performance, installation, photography, video, and birch bark biting. Focusing on Anishinaabe knowledge, love, and the land.
Alexis’s emerging presence in Toronto includes: FOR THE YOUTH at Toronto’s Nuit Blanche 2025, Artist Project in C Magazine’s Issue 158: Almanac (2024), Ascension of Abundance, Xpace Cultural Centre. Alexis works at Evergreen Brick Works as the Coordinator, Indigenous Public Arts Programming.
ABOUT SOLAR ORGAN ENSEMBLE
Mani Mazinani
Mani Mazinani (b.1984, Tehran) is a Toronto-based artist making installation, video, film, sculpture, photographs, multiples, sound and music. His practice evolved from an early interest in sound recording, now working with the process of translating thoughts into recordings in various media. His visual work thinks about scale and perception, often combining subject matter and medium. Mazinani has been researching origins of ancient thought, perceptual limitations of humans, and improvisation. He developed the Solar Organ in the Connected Minds artist residency at York University. Exhibition and performance history includes Evergreen Brick Works (2024), MOCA Toronto (2024), Tate Modern (2019), The Bentway, Toronto (2018), Tehran International Electronic Music Festival (2017), SIP Culture Centre, Suzhou (2016).
Solar Organ is a polyphonic sound generation machine, designed to produce tuned sound fields and playable as a pentatonic musical instrument by anyone regardless of training. Its inventor, Mani Mazinani is joined by Amahl Arulanandam (cello), Mehrnaz Rohbakhsh (accordion), Brandon Valdivia (percussion), Marilyn Yogarajah (trumpet) to form the Solar Organ Ensemble.
Solar Organ Ensemble performs music built on pentatonic music ideas, using traditional and invented scales, moving through composed and improvised forms. Pentatonic music practice is a universal phenomenon in human experience, globally ubiquitous geographically and historically. Solar Organ collects research that connects music to our biology, to engage in what is universal between us all.accompanied by a photo of his late grandparents in Mecca as the cover. Upon it’s release in 2024, the album took a new meaning as an urgent outcry for mobilization- asking audiences to interrogate their own inaction in a time of forever wars and genocide.
Brandon Valdivia
Brandon Miguel Valdivia is a drummer, percussionist, composer and producer living in London, Ontario. Known for performing and recording with Lido Pimienta, improvisatory work with Not the Wind Not the Flag, and recording with artists such as U.S.Girls, The Halluci Nation, Jeremy Dutcher, Bomba Estereo and composing for theatre and dance. He has amassed numerous Polaris Prize Shortlist nominations, a DORA Nomination, Two Polaris Prizes, one Juno Award and two Latin and American Grammys nominations during his diverse and eclectic musical career.
Marilyn Yogarajah
marilyn yogarajah is a toronto poet and musician, curates audiopollination and spectrum soundbath, plays in multiple bands in the city, and has a background in teaching music.
Amahl Arulanandam
With interests from baroque to metal, Juno-nominated cellist Amahl Arulanandam is known for his musical versatility and ability to adapt to many genres. At home in studios, clubs, and halls, Amahl hopes to convey that musical expression is beyond labels. Amahl has wholly embraced the bizarre sounds the cello has to offer and takes special pleasure in playing on areas of the instrument other than the strings.
Mehrnaz Rohbakhsh
Mehrnaz Rohbakhsh is based in Tkaronto, whose creative practice spans drawing, sound, installation, and performance.
REFUND, NO-SHOW, LATE & RUSH LIST POLICY
Sometimes our shows sell out, and that can be a bummer for folks who didn’t get a ticket. We’ve developed a new ticketing policy that applies to advance ticket holders and those wanting tickets to ensure a fair, transparent process for releasing additional tickets to a sold-out show. Please read our full policy here.
TICKETING & ACCESSIBILITY INFO
TICKETING
Our new ticket type invites you to Pay What You Can Afford (PWYCA) which means that you can choose an appropriate level and where possible, help to offset community members attending at a discounted rate. Levels are decided by you based upon your income and financial flexibility and are not verified at the door.
ACCESSIBILITY
Music Gallery’s general accessibility policies are available here. Masking and social distancing is strongly recommended for attendees who are able to and audience members are encouraged to arrive scent-free to the performance.
VENUE
First Unitarian is an accessible venue, with ramp and automatic sliding door access at the entrance on Oakwood. The event space is on the second floor, accessible by elevator and stairs on the right side of the entrance hallway.
There are individual gender neutral washroom stalls adjacent to the event space on the second floor.
TRANSIT
You can reach First Unitarian by taking the 90 Bus from St. Clair West Station (Line 1), the 63A Bus North from Ossington Station (Line 2) or 63A South from Oakwood Station (Line 5).
PARKING
Some street parking is available along Oakwood Avenue.
COVID POLICY
We strongly encourage masking at all times. For our full policy, click here.
SAFER SPACE
We expect all attendees and community members to respect one another, and to respect the work that was created for you to explore. We will not tolerate harm or harmful behaviour of any kind. View our policy here.
