Meet the Artists
Vanessa Goodman and Caroline Shaw
“I remember my excitement when suddenlyLISTEN approached me about presenting “Graveyards and Gardens”. I knew dance and music lovers across the country were talking about the piece, and suddenlyLISTEN’s interest further piqued my curiosity. As I learned more about the work, I began to understand why there was such a buzz – the partnership between the work’s two creators is truly the stuff magic is made of.” Artistic Director – Liliona Quarmyne

Vanessa Goodman
Artistic Director
Vanessa Goodman lives, works, and creates on the ancestral and unceded territories of the Coast Salish peoples, including the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), Stó:lō, Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh), and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations. She holds a BFA from Simon Fraser University and is the artistic director of Action at a Distance. She is drawn to art that carries meaning beyond aesthetics, using choreography as a means to explore liminal expressions within the human condition. Her choreographic practice weaves together generative movement and sonic embodiment to create immersive performative environments. Awards and honours include The Chrystal Dance Prize (2019/2024), the Schultz Endowment from the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity (2019), The Isadora Award (2025) and participation in the “Space to Fail” program (2019/20) through Hyde Productions (NZ), Critical Path (AU), and The Dance Centre (CA). Her work has toured Canada, the United States, Europe, and South America.

Caroline Shaw
Musician
Caroline Shaw is a musician who moves among roles, genres, and mediums, trying to imagine a world of sound that has never been heard before but has always existed. She works often in collaboration with others, as producer, composer, violinist, and vocalist. Shaw is the recipient of the Pulitzer Prize in Music, an honorary doctorate from Yale, four Grammys, and a Thomas J. Watson Fellowship. She has written and produced for iconic artists and ensembles across the musical spectrum, including Rosalía, Renée Fleming, Yo-Yo Ma, Tiler Peck, Nas, Kanye West, the LA Phil, the NY Phil, and others. Recent tv/film/stage scoring projects include “Leonardo Da Vinci” (Ken Burns/PBS), “Julie Keeps Quiet (Leonardo Van Dijl), “Fleishman is in Trouble” (FX/Hulu), “The Sky Is Everywhere” (Josephine Decker/A24), vocal work with Rosalía (MOTOMAMI), “The Crucible” (Lyndsey Turner/National Theatre), “Partita” (Justin Peck/NYC Ballet), “Moby Dick” (Wu Tsang), and “LIFE” (Gandini Juggling/Merce Cunningham Trust).
