Canadian Space Agency Astronaut and musician Chris Hadfield and Barenaked Ladies’ Ed Robertson are co-writing the song for Music Monday 2013; officially titled I.S.S. (Is Somebody Singing). The song is being commissioned by CBCMusic.ca and The Coalition for Music Education to celebrate music education in schools across Canada. The song will be premiered on CBCMusic.ca in March 2013, with Hadfield performing on the International Space Station and Robertson and the Barenaked Ladies on earth with a high school choir.
Hadfield, a veteran of two space shuttle missions, is scheduled to go into space on December 19th, 2012. He will take part in a six-month mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS), during that time he will become the commander of the spacecraft - a first for any Canadian. In honour of his career, CBC TV the National will air a special documentary on December 17th, 2012, allowing viewers an inside look into Hadfield’s life and the rigorous training he has to go through before blasting off into space.
Click here to watch a clip of Hadfield talking to CBC News Net about the mission and the special music project.
Throughout his time in space Hadfield will collaborate with multiple Juno Award winner Robertson to write and perform I.S.S. (Is Somebody Singing) on CBCMusic.ca. “I want to communicate the incredible experience of being in space - what it’s like to launch on a rocket and live on the International Space Station,” says Hadfield. “But Ed and I think that the real satisfaction will come from performing this song with thousands of young people across Canada for Music Monday, connecting the Space Station to Earth through music.”
Click here to see a clip of Hadfield and Robertson in studio at CBC going through I.S.S. (Is Somebody Singing) and rehearsing it together.
The performance of the song - from Space to Earth - will be posted on CBCMusic.ca .ca in March to allow students across Canada to learn the song in time for Music Monday on May 6, 2013. Music Monday occurs on the first Monday in May each year, with hundreds of thousands of students and teachers across the country taking their music programs outdoors and into their communities, performing the same song at the same time, uniting Canada in song and this year helping to Fill the Skies with Music. Various musical arrangements and translations will be available for download through the Coalition for Music Education’s Music Monday website.
To support this unique collaboration CBCMusic.ca is dedicated to producing a series of videos, interviews, blog posts and posting photos from both parties to engage the public throughout this exciting process. CBC will have the exclusive premiere for the finished song and it will be supported on all platforms (Radio One, Radio Two, Radio Three, CBC TV and CBCMusic.ca ). Full information about the collaboration and about Music Monday 2013 is available here: www.cbcmusic.ca/space or MusicMonday.ca.
To follow Chris Hadfield’s training and mission, including updated images and videos from space, please visit:
• http://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/fra/missions/expedition34-35/default.asp (FRENCH RELEASE)
• http://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/missions/expedition34-35/default.asp (ENGLISH RELEASE)
About CBCMusic.ca: CBCMusic.ca is Canada’s free digital music service. For the casual listener to the hardcore fan, connect with the very best Canadian and International music, concerts, features and other music fans. Simple and easy to navigate, CBC Music gives Canadians access to more than 40 web radio stations, distinct genre-based music communities, plus CBC Radio 2 and CBC Radio 3, content from the most knowledgeable music personalities and programmers from across the country, hundreds of concerts, playlists and more.
Experience CBC Music online at cbcmusic.ca
For Apple product users, the CBC Music App is also available for free from the App Store on iPad, iPhone and iPod touch or at itunes.ca/appstore.
The CBC Music Android App is available free from cbcmusic.ca/android.
Follow CBC Music on Facebook at facebook.com/cbcmusic or on Twitter @cbc_music
About the Coalition for Music Education:
The Coalition for Music Education works to raise the awareness and understanding of the role that music education plays in Canadian Culture, and to promote the benefits that music education brings to young people. We envision Canada as a country where the lives of all children are enriched by quality school music programs, and where their active participation in music is valued and supported in our communities. For more information about the Coalition, please visit MusicMakesUs.
To follow the Coalition’s Music Monday mission, please visit the MusicMonday website.
Follow us on MusicMonday Facebook or on Twitter @musicmakesus_ca
About the Canadian Space Agency (CSA): Established in March 1989, the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) coordinates all civil, space-related policies and programs on behalf of the Government of Canada and is committed to leading the development and application of space knowledge for the benefit of Canadians. On December 19th, 2012, Canadian Astronaut Chris Hadfield will launch aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft to reach the International Space Station where he will live and work for six months as part of the crew of Expedition 34/35. For more information on the Canadian Space agency, please visit: www.asc-csa.gc.ca
For further information please contact:
Dayna Shiskos
Dayna.Shiskos@cbc.ca
(o) (416) 205-7973
(c) (416) 420-5241
Spencer Phillips, Communications and Outreach Coordinator
Coalition for Music Education
Spencer@musicmakesus.ca
(c) (416) 837-2634
