blanche

see u this summer 🌞 link in bio for slow readers

me and gordon working at @rosscreek residency last week. guess who is working harder @crocs #ad just kidding

freshly back from an 8-day residency in time for @hfxjazzfest lineup announcement day. mark your calendar bring your blanket we are going to get INTO some things july 10.

how can you not fall in love with the halifax music scene all over again when you get to bear your soul to 60 ppl absolutely sardined into the sweltering @allangoodfun attic b2b with @richaucoin on the first day of spring yenno?

Blessings, lullabies and nursery rhymes. My grandmother always complained about her voice, but she sang anyway, and we all loved her songs, collected from her specific eclectic mix of languages and cultures (Argentina, Peru, Morocco, Spain, Canada) over her long life. Sultana aka Mamie Nana left us on January 22, 2026 after over 105 years earthside. Today I sang her one of these lullabies at her final resting place. I told my little girl Sultanita that Mamie Nana died. She asked, how do we die? I said, remember before you were born, you weren't here yet? And then you were. We are all born, and we have some time here together, and then we go. And Mamie Nana had a very long time, and she got to meet you and know you. Aren't we lucky. It is not always tragic when someone goes, even if it is very sad. But there is something about such a long life lived so well that makes you ponder how you are living yours, and what you want to become. Duérmete, Mamie Nana, con la paz de D*os.

Our beautiful Mamie Nana, Sultana Israël (née Bendayan), died at home on Thursday at the age of 105. Here she is a while back talking about dying and making us all cackle with her signature humour. (She lived another 9 years.) She was dignified, attentive and sharp. I named my daughter after her and the two got to know each other well. Our bond deepened even in her final year. I am so grateful to have had her in our lives all these years, I selfishly could have used a couple more, but I am happy for her that she finally gets to rest and go be with my grandfather, "un mari en or", who died 39 years ago. I truly cherish this woman.

rahhel lastimosa // a wedding song in haketía. it is meant to be celebratory but kinda sounds like a threat. (full set at the link in my bio)

i didn't know what to do anymore. and then time stopped, and life itself began. my whole @toledano.music set from Open Waters Festival is now up on youtube - link in bio.

Terah's wife was pregnant And each day he would ask her "Why do you look so pale?" She alone knew the blessing that she had. After nine months she was in pain and ready for it to end. She walked through fields and vineyards, telling the father nothing. She crawled into a cave and gave birth. Live set at Open Waters Festival January 7, 2026

Last night, four incredible cellists came together to guide us through the Cello Labyrinth. Thank you @cris_derksen @blancheis @india.yeshe & @laleandragold for sharing your music at OWF for our partnered event between @upstreammusicassociation x @everyseeker x @scotiafestival The winter just got warmer. Don’t miss the incredible talents being showcased this week and into the weekend by @upstreammusicassociation #halifaxnoise #halifaxns #halifax

Hanging out with three extremely cool cellists @cris_derksen , @india.yeshe , and @laleandragold . We have a rare and wonderful show for you January 7. Each of us will do a solo cello set, and then we will all come together for a 4tet written by Cris. TONIGHT wednesday january 7 at Strug Hall in Halifax as part of OPEN WATERS FESTIVAL @upstreammusicassociation @everyseeker This will only happen tonight! Don't miss it.

A year ago, I came back to work after the holidays and immediately got fired. I had spent my break licking my wounds from months of harassment by the small consortium of women (yes, women) who seem hellbent on gatekeeping music on the East Coast. The corrosive experience of withstanding the bullying had worn me down. My nerves were shot. So my first feeling that morning last January was a wave of immense relief. Then came the second feeling: shame. That one stuck around a while. I had spent so many years studying and pondering and thinking about leadership and systems, thinking if I ever got a turn in the driver seat, I would do things with integrity, have the tough conversations and keep the big picture in mind. And I did, and the car crashed. It would eventually become obvious to me that this was not really about me or even about one organization. The recorded music industry is being gutted by grifters. I cannot believe what I encountered in the course of attempting to contribute to bringing more responsiveness, fairness, and sustainability to the industry. The cowardly, self-serviant, twisted logic I was met with baffles me to this day. After months of shellshock and inertia and quiet recovery, I reemerged last fall, said my piece about the whole situation, and moved on. Making music pulled me through the fire. I have my solo project @toledano.music to show for it. It was born from a need to examine and affirm who I am in the face of adversity, and it continues to bring me a lot of catharsis and courage. A year on, I can finally find gratitude. Good things came from the seeds planted back then. Creation, abundance, time, friendship. Career connections, opportunities to collaborate and hear and share music. I met so many of you because of that role. I met my love @leavinglaurel through that role. His last album of loss and grief arrested me in my tracks when I first heard it while listening through the nominee list. And now, later this week, Gordon is releasing his next album: a love letter to our new little unit. I received hundreds (thousands?) of messages of support through it all. I hope you all know how much that helped. xoxo B