Spotlight: Five Inspiring Female Creators Shaping the Performing Arts

Long overshadowed by male artists, female creators are increasingly making their mark in the performing arts. In honour of International Women’s Day, here are a few who continue to inspire by forging their own path.

Julia Mirzoev: A Rising Star of the Violin

With her warm and powerful tone, this Toronto-born soloist and chamber musician was listed as one of CBC’s “Top 30 Classical Musicians Under 30.” The violinist has garnered numerous accolades both at home and abroad, performing on stages across North America, Europe, and New Zealand. Julie Mirzoev also shares her knowledge with the next generation at the Royal Conservatory of Music’s Taylor Academy and, locally, with the Orchestre des Jeunes du Mont-Royal. On March 11, she will be appearing in Salle Claude-Léveillée at Place des Arts, accompanied on piano by Felix Hong. The duo will showcase the Romantic repertoire as part of Les Mélodînes.

Marie-Claude D’Aoust: Building Bridges and Breaking Down Taboos

Through her autobiographical play, Fille de trans, actress and playwright Marie-Claude D’Aoust is hoping to demystify her unconventional family reality. Also busy as the Artistic Director and Executive Producer of the Gatineau Hot Air Balloon Festival, she speaks with humour and unease, depth and light, about her father Sophia’s transition at the turn of the millennium. The work, already published as a book, will soon be adapted for the big screen, compassionately and tenderly addressing the complexities of human and family relationships under societal scrutiny. The play, which is being performed at the Cinquième Salle on March 14, aims to foster healing through dialogue.

Laura Laune: Dark-edged Comedy Where Nothing is Off Limits

Back in 2017, this Belgian comedian shocked and pleasantly surprised the audience and judges on La France a un incroyable talent with her angelic, fairy-like demeanor, telling trashy stories to children. Crowned the winner of the show’s 12th season, she has continued to push the boundaries of comedy ever since. On April 4th in Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier, she returns to the city with Glory

Alleluia, in which she tackles taboo subjects head-on with her signature off-beat wit. She also deconstructs clichés, opening up about her autism spectrum disorder. With her dark comedy, she firmly believes that anything is fair game.

Vanesa Garcia-Ribala Montoya: Dancing to Be All That She Can Be For 

Les Grands Ballets Canadiens’ principal dancer, “each day is a new opportunity to achieve your dreams.” Trained in Madrid before heading to France, and then to Canada, the ballerina of Spanish and Guinean descent is presenting From the Sun to the Moon, for which she also created the choreography. A fusion of inspirations drawn from contemporary dance, acrobatics, African dance, and martial arts, the piece offers a vibrant journey in which history, imagination, and spirituality intertwine. Her piece will follow that of Anne Plamondon during five performances of The Blue Hour, from April 23 to 26 at Théâtre Maisonneuve.

Ichiko Aoba: Less is More

This singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist typically just uses a classical guitar or synthesizer to create the initial sketches of her songs, showcasing both her virtuosity and her vulnerability. With seven albums to her credit, she continues to move audiences worldwide, after having founded her own independent label, Hermine. On April 28th at Théâtre Maisonneuve, she is making an understated return to the stage, accompanied only by her guitar, to captivate the audience with the contemporary folk of her albums Windswept Adan and Luminescent Creatures. An intimate concert showcasing a sensitivity that needs no embellishment to resonate with listeners.