The Pollination Ceremony

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About

The Pollination Ceremony is theatrical spectacle in celebration of the Bee. Part parade, part fertility rite, part nature documentary opera, it is a celebration of bees and all the work they do supporting our society and food security. Developed over the last 8 years by Jesse Krause and the Riel Gentlemen's Choir, various iterations have appeared at Brandon Folk Festival, Harvest Moon Folk Festival, and Nuit Blanche Winnipeg. The current version features a 20ft Queen bee sculpture/puppet as well as several smaller bees and a variety of flowers, all lit with LEDs. Last seen in 2019, it was scored for soloist, double choir, percussion and horns, and was performed with the aid of soprano Sara Klefstad and the Winnipeg Chapter of the Resistance Revival Chorus. This year's production will mark the end of our pandemic hiatus, and will take place at The Forks.

Links

• Jesse Krause Website jessekrausemusic.com

Organizer

Jesse Krause and Riel Gentlemens Choir

A gentleman is defined as a man who exhibits chivalrous, courteous, and honorable qualities. And yet, while pretending to gentlemanliness, we live in a world that is in fact barbarous, cruel, and underhanded. Through resounding verse and rousing chorus, we as the Riel Gentlemen’s Choir hope to give voice to another, truer reality of gentlemanliness, evoking forth the chivalry, courtesy, and honour that, though at the heart of our true nature, slumber, nearly forgotten, in our roguish times. In the face of listless conformity; where connections with others are marked by fear, suspicion and superficiality; and where fraternity expresses itself through rigidity and exclusion, we practice full throated dissent, unabashed camaraderie, and joy at the gift of difference. Let the choir be the choir. Let the choir sing!