In Xin Wang’s experience as a mother and a singer, infants are “not afraid of complexity. They are not afraid of emotions. They are expressive and honest.” Of all audiences, she believes that these youngest are the most open.
This fearless receptivity inspired Cooo, Wang’s immersive new work for voice and percussion, which she created in collaboration with percussionist Michael Murphy for the 2025 WeeFestival of Arts and Culture for Early Years. Running from June 6–8 at the WeeFestival Nest (Tarragon Near Studio), with performances daily at 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m., Cooo invites babies and toddlers into a complex musical world that listens . . . and responds.
Performed by Wang and Murphy in an intimate setting, Cooo draws young listeners into a soundscape of vocal textures and percussive colours – such as the quiet bells of a monastery, a street call from southern China, various rhythmic loops and lullabies, and “I love you” sung in multiple languages. With music by Canadian composer Ana Sokolović, the piece grew out of a larger vocal work called LoveSongs, and evolved through test performances under the title Aria at the 2024 WeeFestival. Cooo was specifically created with the sensibilities of babies in mind: “I think sound discovery-based works are excellent choices for new ears,” explains Wang. “Babies are the best group of openminded humans. As long as we discover together, they are ready for it.”
Cooo also draws deeply on Wang’s dual experience as an artist and a mother. Born in Yunnan, China, she moved to Canada at 18 to study classical voice, and eventually made Toronto her home. Over the years, she has built a life centred around contemporary vocal performance and her three children. “Motherhood is a constant process of becoming through mundane activities that seem so insignificant”, she reflects, noting the “profound parallel to the life of a practising musician.” Both forms of existence “feel like laying bricks one at a time”, and “some aspects of both need a bit of help from luck”: for instance, “being given the chance to mother, or being given the chance to make music.”
“I am so fortunate that I have been given the chance to do both,” she notes. “The rest is just keeping at it, no matter what”. In the end, two things are true of both motherhood and music: the long-term end “result is magnificent, but the journey of one nap at a time or one interval at a time is tangible and calming.” This deep groundedness manifests in the piece’s quietest moments. “The work Cooo is taken from a larger work called LoveSongs”, explains Wang. “In this larger work, there are four pieces names Doves 1,2,3 and 4. They are the most organic, in terms of the relationship between breath and sound. I love whenever the sound changes, and the little ears perk up, and the little eyes all brighten.” And, she smiles, this “continues….throughout the piece”.
Much of Cooo’s distinctive tone is shaped by Wang’s collaboration with percussionist Michael Murphy, who is known for his global approach to percussion and his extensive work in contemporary classical music, “Michael is resourceful, open minded and responsive,” says Wang. “He, too, excels in contemporary classical music. But being a percussionist, he is also versed in instruments form around the world that are not necessarily orchestral percussive instruments.” The happy result? “This adds colour and possibilities to our partnership.” In fact, she marvels, “The moment I say I want a certain sound, I just need to describe the sound, and he comes up with an instrument that makes that sound. I remember showing up in his home and read through Cooo last spring. He had already built a little house from which the instruments hung. This house became a signature of our production: stabling our staging and spacing of the rest of the work.”
With direction and dramaturgy by Lynda Hill and a creative team that is deeply experienced in theatre for the very young, Cooo blends inspiration and expertise to deliver not just a show, but a space for listening, responding, and simply being together. Here, as Wang’s practice reveals, even the most intricate musical textures will feel simple . . . so long as they are approached with patience and openness.
No problem! Our babies already understand this.
Cooo runs from June 6–8, 2023 at the WeeFestival Nest (Tarragon Near Studio), with 45-minute performances daily at 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. Reserve tickets on weefestival.ca.
© Arpita Ghosal, Sesaya Arts Magazine 2025
