The Great Human Odyssey - Handful of Films

World premiere of The Great Human Odyssey with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra at the Winspear Centre.
Filming dramatic recreations in Arctic Russia.
Our early human ancestors barely survived extinction during an African mega-drought 125,000 years ago.
When threatened by near extinction during a dry era in Africa, our ancestors found relief along the South African coasts.
The first humans reached Europe roughly 45,000 years ago, and there they met the indigenous inhabitants: Neanderthals.
Some early humans adapted to extreme cold, making possible the migrations across the Bering Land Bridge into the Americas.

A Big Sound for a Big Story

Anthropologist Niobe Thompson's epic journey back to our human journeys has been recognized as one of the finest recent achievements in science and nature documentary. Spectacular cinematography, nail-biting adventures, and a gorgeous musical score led to multiple Canadian Screen Awards, an Emmy nomination, and prime-time broadcasts in 54 countries.

World premiere of The Great Human Odyssey with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra at the Winspear Centre.
Filming dramatic recreations in Arctic Russia.
Our early human ancestors barely survived extinction during an African mega-drought 125,000 years ago.
When threatened by near extinction during a dry era in Africa, our ancestors found relief along the South African coasts.
The first humans reached Europe roughly 45,000 years ago, and there they met the indigenous inhabitants: Neanderthals.
Some early humans adapted to extreme cold, making possible the migrations across the Bering Land Bridge into the Americas.

We have now completely reimagined the series as a multimedia feature film event, tailor-made for live performance, launching with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, and the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra. The filmmaker and composer tour with a dedicated Technical Director, bringing a complete technical solution to any performance space.

"The visual backdrop to this odyssey is gorgeous flowing footage, shots of real-life bushmen and reindeer herders, along with ancient scenes re-created from early artifacts. But science is the backbone.”

Edmonton Journal / Calgary Herald

Don't Take Our Word For It

“A fabulous show of creativity, ingenuity, and a beautiful integration of film and music!”

Rhonda Breitkreuz
“Outstanding event … words cannot describe how beautiful and amazing. Never have I SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS. I left . . . in awe!”

Leslie Keith
“Thompson is more than a scientist and filmmaker; he’s a showman. His reading was absolutely brilliant. But the real revelation was the live orchestration. I’d heard the score and seen the film already, but it’s always stunning to be reminded of the power of a live orchestra and choir in an acoustically superb hall. The panorama of human evolution is a wonder in itself, and Thompson’s videography measures up to the emotions of such an enormous set of ideas. With the choir and orchestra, the experience was wonderfully moving.”

John Macnab The Anatomy Of Teaching
“An hour into the show…and it has felt like 5 minutes. Incredible music . . .I was riveted the whole time.”

Dayle Pett
“Mind blown! The Great Human Odyssey is absolutely breathtaking, SO interesting and full of adventure. And paired with . . . orchestra? Just too amazing for words”

Jenny Johnston
“So awesome! The storytelling of the capacity of Homo sapiens to survive was incredibly compelling and the music score? Mind blowing.”

Melba Szeto
“The sights and sounds were incredible and will stay with me forever. The music moved me to tears at times! Forever Grateful.”

Chooch Benton-Maenhout

Book A Performance

Available for booking for future program seasons in North America. By special arrangement, the program can travel outside North America.

Shows are available in versions of 80 minutes (55 & 23 min) and 60 minutes (no intermission); 60-minute parts are written with an inserted transition, to allow for one set of rehearsal for the two versions; 60-minute version also available as a family friendly version.

Our exclusive representative is The Arts Firm

Technical Rider Program Notes

A Big Sound for a Big Story

Don't Take Our Word For It

“A fabulous show of creativity, ingenuity, and a beautiful integration of film and music!”

“Outstanding event … words cannot describe how beautiful and amazing. Never have I SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS. I left . . . in awe!”

“An hour into the show…and it has felt like 5 minutes. Incredible music . . .I was riveted the whole time.”

“Mind blown! The Great Human Odyssey is absolutely breathtaking, SO interesting and full of adventure. And paired with . . . orchestra? Just too amazing for words”

“So awesome! The storytelling of the capacity of Homo sapiens to survive was incredibly compelling and the music score? Mind blowing.”

“The sights and sounds were incredible and will stay with me forever. The music moved me to tears at times! Forever Grateful.”

Book A Performance