Cooo
- Created and performed by Xin Wang with Michael Murphy
- A musical performance for infants and toddlers (6 – 24 months)
- A WeeFestival Commission
Acclaimed vocalist Xin Wang and percussionist Michael Murphy capture the hearts of their very young audiences with this playful and dynamic performance.
Performed in an intimate and cozy setting, Xin and Michael will offer a rich musical journey that the young ears can lean into.
Cooo offers an array of percussion and vocal sounds recalling the bells of a monastery, a street call from southern China, rhythmic repetitions, and “I love you” sung in multiple languages. An utterly unique musical experience for very young audiences that will linger long after it ends.
Cooo is a WeeFestival Commission
Performed by Xin Wang (Voice) and Michael Murphy (Percussion)
With excerpts from Love Songs (Doves) by Ana Sokolović
Direction and Dramaturgy by Lynda Hill
Design – Carolin Lindner
Movement Design – Michelle Silagy
Lighting by Sarah Mansikka
Arts For All is delighted to have presented the premiere of Cooo as part of Kinderfest 2025! The performance provided all the elements we look for when selecting the programming for our festival – designed for early years audiences and fostering gentle curiosity and open exploration with a stay and play. The babies and toddlers in the audience were truly captivated as the performance held their attention for the entire length. The experience was a calming, musical sensory experience for the adults in the audience as well as the little ones. Arts for All, Hamilton
Recommended Age
Infants and toddlers (6 – 24 months)
Duration:
30 – 40 minutes from entry to exit
Audience Capacity :
Maximum 12 babies and their caregivers (to a maximum of 50 persons)
Minimim Space Requirement:
15’ x ’15
Requested access
- Archival video link
- Downloadable pictures
- Technical rider
Wonderful! My two mom friends and I came with our toddlers and everyone sincerely enjoyed the show. What I loved most was the originality of it — I am so grateful that there are artists like Ms Wang who are not afraid to experiment and offer a unique experience to such a young audience. I also enjoyed how intimate and close-up the performance was — an opportunity to connect with the artists in addition to the art. THANK YOU EVERYONE INVOLVED.
Pictures Credit : Dahlia Katz
Meet the Artists
Xin Wang was born in Yunnan, a South western province of China. She arrived alone in Canada at the age of 18 to study singing. Her path took her from Winnipeg to Toronto where she settled and built her home of three beautifully loud children and a charismatic husband with many saxophones. Xin is most interested in the mechanism of the singing body and is most stimulated by the learning of intricate music. This has led her to the world of contemporary repertoire. The learning of complex contemporary repertoire has been a gift. These musical puzzles push her towards her threshold while build her up from within, a similar experience as motherhood.
Michael Murphy
Hailed as “excellent” (New York Times, 2022) and “captivating” (Myanmar Times, 2018), Chinese-Canadian percussionist Michael Murphy has toured North America, Scandinavia, Europe, and Asia as a chamber and solo musician. Though having performed in groups such as the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and the Philharmonisches Orchester Freiburg, his focus is in contemporary music and performance of new works. In Canada, this involves him in groups such as New Music Concerts, Array Music, Soundstreams, and the Esprit Orchestra, and with festivals such as Nuit Blanche, the New Creations Festival, 21C Festival at Koerner, and the Luminato Festival. Internationally, this has brought him on multiple occasions to the 2D2D Festival in the Ukraine and the Darmstadt Ferienkurse für neue Musik in Germany, among others.