Click Here for More Past Performances
Grip Radio: The Camp X Files
opens Deep Wireless at the Drake Hotel Reserve your tickets by calling 416-910-7231
May 1, 2007, 8:00 pm
The Drake Hotel Underground 1150 Queen Street W., Toronto
Tickets $10, Students $8, (free for conference registrants)
opens Deep Wireless at the Drake Hotel Reserve your tickets by calling 416-910-7231
May 1, 2007, 8:00 pm
The Drake Hotel Underground 1150 Queen Street W., Toronto
Tickets $10, Students $8, (free for conference registrants)
Stephen Lategan, Stacey Depass, Craig Lauzon and Scott Yaphe take the 50s convention of live radio comedy to new heights. Set in 1944 at Camp X, Canada's infamous wartime spy training ground where every spy must learn how to undergo an effective, convincing transformation through lies and deceit in order to accomplish a mission - with much hilarity along the way.
Trans-local Performance
Reserve your tickets by calling 416-910-7231
May 10, 2007, 7:00 pm
inter/access ~ 9 Ossington Ave., Toronto Gallery 1313 ~ 1313A Queen Street West, Toronto
Tickets $ 5, gets you into both performances (they are a short walk from each other)
Reserve your tickets by calling 416-910-7231
May 10, 2007, 7:00 pm
inter/access ~ 9 Ossington Ave., Toronto Gallery 1313 ~ 1313A Queen Street West, Toronto
Tickets $ 5, gets you into both performances (they are a short walk from each other)
Gallery 1313 and inter/access will host simultaneous radio art performances by Stephen Kelly, Eleanor King, Anna Friz and Michelle Irving. Also included will be performances by Tetsuo Kogawa and company from Japan via internet. Audience members are invited to visit both locations and to bring a portable radio and cellphone to listen and participate.
Radio in Ambience - The Ambient Ping
May 22, 2007, 8:00 pm
The Drake Hotel Underground 1150 Queen Street W., Toronto
Admission by donation, (suggested $5)
May 22, 2007, 8:00 pm
The Drake Hotel Underground 1150 Queen Street W., Toronto
Admission by donation, (suggested $5)
The Ambient Ping presents Radio in Ambience once again. Listen to Toronto/Berlin sound artists Robert Hoare and Steven Sauvé along with the Halifax duo Stephen Kelly and Eleanor King as they coax the radio ether into an outer-worldly electro ambient chill.
Radio _Kontakte_ Concert
May 24, 2007, 8:00 pm
the Ryerson Student Campus Centre (Alumni Room)
Tickets $15, Students $10, (free for conference registrants)
May 24, 2007, 8:00 pm
the Ryerson Student Campus Centre (Alumni Room)
Tickets $15, Students $10, (free for conference registrants)
Karlheinz Stockhausen's classic work _Kontakte_ will be presented by Kevin Austin (Montreal) in its original 4-channel version, a rare treat, alongside _Figures de la Nuit / Faces of the Night_ by Francis Dhomont and other works included on the newly released Deep Wireless 4 radio art compilation CD. _Kontakte_ predates many trends in electronic music by decades and was produced at the famous WDR studios in Koln, Germany in 1959.
Francis Dhomont's lush bilingual radiophonic work _Figures de la Nuit / Faces of the Night_ was commissioned by CKLN, Toronto in 1991 for the radio program Transfigured Night hosted by David Olds. This concert will be spatialized by NAISA artistic director Darren Copeland. Free CD with admission.
Francis Dhomont's lush bilingual radiophonic work _Figures de la Nuit / Faces of the Night_ was commissioned by CKLN, Toronto in 1991 for the radio program Transfigured Night hosted by David Olds. This concert will be spatialized by NAISA artistic director Darren Copeland. Free CD with admission.
Radio Theatre 1 (with It is to Laugh)
May 25, 2007, 8:00 pm
doors open 7:30pm show start 8pm
Ryerson Student Centre, Alumni Room 55 Gould Street, Toronto
Tickets $15, Students $10, (free for conference registrants)
May 25, 2007, 8:00 pm
doors open 7:30pm show start 8pm
Ryerson Student Centre, Alumni Room 55 Gould Street, Toronto
Tickets $15, Students $10, (free for conference registrants)
The It is to Laugh radio comedy series creators Dan Bernard & Michael Townsend from Portland, Maine team up with Toronto actors/performers Mark Ellis, Stacey Depass and Stephen Lategan Mark Ellis for a trans-comedy extravaganza. Also featuring Toronto sound artist and actor Richard Lee and including two works commissioned for CBC Outfront by Steve Wadhams and Sarah Boothroyd.
Radio Theatre 2 (with It is to Laugh)
May 26, 2007, 8:00 pm
doors open 7:30pm show start 8pm
Ryerson Student Centre, Alumni Room 55 Gould Street, Toronto
Tickets $15, Students $10, (free for conference registrants)
May 26, 2007, 8:00 pm
doors open 7:30pm show start 8pm
Ryerson Student Centre, Alumni Room 55 Gould Street, Toronto
Tickets $15, Students $10, (free for conference registrants)
Same zany group as on May 25th performing a very different show of It is to Laugh radio trans-comedy. Also featuring Toronto sound artist and actor Richard Lee and including two works commissioned for CBC Outfront by Robert Hoare and Thelon Oeming.
"Toronto Island Sound Map"
By Don Sinclair with sounds collected by Darren Copeland and Diego Phillips-Shea
July 1, 2007
Toronto Islands
By Don Sinclair with sounds collected by Darren Copeland and Diego Phillips-Shea
July 1, 2007
Toronto Islands
Created by Don Sinclair with sounds collected by Darren Copeland and a participant of the "Hear here" youth workshop at the Power Plant. "Toronto Island Sound Map" is both an on-line and a gallery installation that uses a map of Toronto Island as an organizational tool and visual interface for visitors to trigger, mix together and compare different Toronto Island sounds. The "Hear here" workshop was taught in June 2004 by New Adventures in Sound Art's artistic director Darren Copeland and co-produced with Charles Street Video, and the Power Plant gallery. Toronto Island Sound Map provides an understanding of Toronto Island's sonic geography by drawing attention to the physical location of important Toronto Island soundmarks, keynote sounds, and other more unusual sounds that go unnoticed by many visitors to the island.
"The Listening Gallery"
July 1, 2007
Toronto Islands
July 1, 2007
Toronto Islands
The Listening Gallery will give visitors an opportunity to listen to past performances presented during the annual Sound Travels performances on Toronto Island. The works assembled for the listening gallery provide a very comprehensive cross-section of activity in experimental sound art and electroacoustic music.
SOUNDwalk @ 1pm THEREMINS with AIM @ 2pm
July 22, 2007, 1:00 pm
St. Andrew by-the-Lake church
Tickets $15, $15 (includes ferry pass if bought in advance)/$10
July 22, 2007, 1:00 pm
St. Andrew by-the-Lake church
Tickets $15, $15 (includes ferry pass if bought in advance)/$10
Meet us at the clock tower on Centre Island near the ferry dock at 1pm for a SOUNDwalk followed by an AIM collaboration with performers Christine Duncan, James Bailey and Rob Piilonen using theremins, voice and electronics.
SOUNDwalk @ 7pm BARRY TRUAX in CONCERT @ 8pm
August 10, 2007, 7:00 pm
St. Andrew by-the-Lake church
Tickets $15, $15 (includes ferry pass if bought in advance)/$10
August 10, 2007, 7:00 pm
St. Andrew by-the-Lake church
Tickets $15, $15 (includes ferry pass if bought in advance)/$10
Meet at the clock tower on Centre Island near the ferry dock at 7pm for SOUNDwalk and a site-visit to Synthecycletron.
Note: this evening includes artist commentary and a CD launch
Barry Truax performs a set of solo and collaborative works with multi-instrumentalist Randy Raine-Reusch combining Asian instruments and electroacoustics (includes world premiere of WAY OF THE SPIRIT by Truax & Raine-Reusch). Also included are world premières of works by Hector Centeno and Tony Leung created under the mentorship of Barry and Trevor Wishart through the Sound Travels emerging artists residency. This concert will also include a CD launch of Barry Truax's latest CD - release just in time for the concert.
Note: this evening includes artist commentary and a CD launch
Barry Truax performs a set of solo and collaborative works with multi-instrumentalist Randy Raine-Reusch combining Asian instruments and electroacoustics (includes world premiere of WAY OF THE SPIRIT by Truax & Raine-Reusch). Also included are world premières of works by Hector Centeno and Tony Leung created under the mentorship of Barry and Trevor Wishart through the Sound Travels emerging artists residency. This concert will also include a CD launch of Barry Truax's latest CD - release just in time for the concert.
Program:
I. "What is It?" by Hector Centeno
This piece is based on semi-binaural soundscape recordings done at different locations in Toronto which were later selected and processed using spectral processing instruments programmed with Csound. What is it? What is it that makes you and sound one and the same? There is a Zen question (koan) that says: If everything returns to the one, what does the one return to? What is it?... What is it?... "A single goose utters it's call at the river shore under the thundering highway."
This piece is based on semi-binaural soundscape recordings done at different locations in Toronto which were later selected and processed using spectral processing instruments programmed with Csound. What is it? What is it that makes you and sound one and the same? There is a Zen question (koan) that says: If everything returns to the one, what does the one return to? What is it?... What is it?... "A single goose utters it's call at the river shore under the thundering highway."
II. "Eight Phases of the Moon" by Tony Leung
The revolution of the Moon around the Earth makes the Moon appear as if it is changing shape in the sky. This is caused by the different angles from which we see the bright part of the Moon's surface. These are called "phases" of the Moon. The Moon does not generate any light itself; it just reflects the light of the Sun. In Eight phases of the Moon, the listener is surrounded by eight speakers where 4 adjacent speakers are used at any one time. As the piece progresses, the active set of speakers is shifted over one by one, creating a revolution of the sound around the listener. The climax of the piece occurs during the fifth phase – Full Moon. 1. New Moon 2. Waxing Crescent 3. First Quarter 4. Waxing Gibbous 5. Full Moon 6. Waning Gibbous 7. Last Quarter 8. Waning Crescent
The revolution of the Moon around the Earth makes the Moon appear as if it is changing shape in the sky. This is caused by the different angles from which we see the bright part of the Moon's surface. These are called "phases" of the Moon. The Moon does not generate any light itself; it just reflects the light of the Sun. In Eight phases of the Moon, the listener is surrounded by eight speakers where 4 adjacent speakers are used at any one time. As the piece progresses, the active set of speakers is shifted over one by one, creating a revolution of the sound around the listener. The climax of the piece occurs during the fifth phase – Full Moon. 1. New Moon 2. Waxing Crescent 3. First Quarter 4. Waxing Gibbous 5. Full Moon 6. Waning Gibbous 7. Last Quarter 8. Waning Crescent
III. "Bamboo, Silk and Stone" (1994) by Barry Truax & Randy Raine-Reusch
Bamboo, Silk and Stone is a collaborative work between Barry Truax, who realized the tape part, and Randy Raine-Reusch who performed the source material for the tape (on the Balinese suling gambuh, the Chinese guzheng, the Korean hun or ocarina, gongs and tam-tam) and who composed the live accompaniment which he plays on the first three of those instruments. The tape part is designed to preserve and amplify typical improvisational gestures used by the performer, sometimes stretching them in time to discover their inner complexity. In Chinese philosophy, bamboo, silk and stone are regarded as three natural elements of the world. Bamboo, Silk and Stone is available on the Cambridge Street Records CD Inside.
Bamboo, Silk and Stone is a collaborative work between Barry Truax, who realized the tape part, and Randy Raine-Reusch who performed the source material for the tape (on the Balinese suling gambuh, the Chinese guzheng, the Korean hun or ocarina, gongs and tam-tam) and who composed the live accompaniment which he plays on the first three of those instruments. The tape part is designed to preserve and amplify typical improvisational gestures used by the performer, sometimes stretching them in time to discover their inner complexity. In Chinese philosophy, bamboo, silk and stone are regarded as three natural elements of the world. Bamboo, Silk and Stone is available on the Cambridge Street Records CD Inside.
IV. "Temple" (2002) by Barry Truax
Temple is a 16-track soundscape composition composed of choral voices that takes place in the reverberant cathedral of San Bartolomeo, in Busetto, Italy. However, lacking any specific Christian reference, the work can be heard as a spiritual voyage in an imaginary temple whose acoustic properties not only reverberate the choral voices but reflect them back as ghostly after-images that suggest an inner space of vast dimensions. Original voice recordings by counter-tenor David Garfinkle, alto Sue McGowan, and bass Derrick Christian. The work was mainly realized using Tom Erbe's SoundHack convolution program, with additional material provided by the composer's PODX system which incorporates the DMX-1000 Digital Signal Processor controlled by a PDP Micro-11 computer with software for real-time granular synthesis and signal processing (such as digital resonators) developed by the composer in the School for the Contemporary Arts at Simon Fraser University. The sounds were recorded on 8-trac
Temple is a 16-track soundscape composition composed of choral voices that takes place in the reverberant cathedral of San Bartolomeo, in Busetto, Italy. However, lacking any specific Christian reference, the work can be heard as a spiritual voyage in an imaginary temple whose acoustic properties not only reverberate the choral voices but reflect them back as ghostly after-images that suggest an inner space of vast dimensions. Original voice recordings by counter-tenor David Garfinkle, alto Sue McGowan, and bass Derrick Christian. The work was mainly realized using Tom Erbe's SoundHack convolution program, with additional material provided by the composer's PODX system which incorporates the DMX-1000 Digital Signal Processor controlled by a PDP Micro-11 computer with software for real-time granular synthesis and signal processing (such as digital resonators) developed by the composer in the School for the Contemporary Arts at Simon Fraser University. The sounds were recorded on 8-trac
V. "The Way of the Spirit" (2005-2006) by Barry Truax & Randy Raine-Reusch
For ichigenkin, shakuhachi and eight digital soundtracks, The Way of the Spirit is the result of a collaboration between BarryTruax and Randy Raine-Reusch that explores the interrelationship between the inner and outer worlds of consciousness. All sounds are derived from the two live instruments: the deeply philosophical Japanese one string ichigenkin and shakuhachi end blown flute, both associated with Zen for their expressions of the duality of life and spirit, simplicity and complexity, material and immaterial. The circle of loudspeakers places the listener within the live and digitally enhanced instruments as the dialogue between the two develops in intensity. The Way of the Spirit was premiered at the Sonic Boom Festival in Vancouver in March 2006. The work was realized using material provided by the composer's PODX system which incorporates the DMX-1000 Digital Signal Processor controlled by a PDP Micro-11 computer with software for real-time granular synthesis and signal proces
For ichigenkin, shakuhachi and eight digital soundtracks, The Way of the Spirit is the result of a collaboration between BarryTruax and Randy Raine-Reusch that explores the interrelationship between the inner and outer worlds of consciousness. All sounds are derived from the two live instruments: the deeply philosophical Japanese one string ichigenkin and shakuhachi end blown flute, both associated with Zen for their expressions of the duality of life and spirit, simplicity and complexity, material and immaterial. The circle of loudspeakers places the listener within the live and digitally enhanced instruments as the dialogue between the two develops in intensity. The Way of the Spirit was premiered at the Sonic Boom Festival in Vancouver in March 2006. The work was realized using material provided by the composer's PODX system which incorporates the DMX-1000 Digital Signal Processor controlled by a PDP Micro-11 computer with software for real-time granular synthesis and signal proces
VI. "The Shaman Ascending" (2004-2005) by Barry Truax
The Shaman Ascending evokes the imagery of a traditional shaman figure chanting in the quest for spiritual ecstasy. However, in this case, the listener is placed inside of a circle of loudspeakers with the vocal utterances swirling around at high rates of speed and timbral development. The work proceeds in increasing stages of complexity as the shaman ascends towards a higher spiritual state. The work and its title are inspired by a pair of Canadian Inuit sculptures by John Terriak with collectively the same name, as well as Inuit throat singing. All of the vocal material heard in the piece is derived from recording of the Vancouver bass singer Derrick Christian. The Shaman Ascending was commissioned by the ZKM, Karlsruhe, Germany and premiered there in February 2005. The 8-channel version of this work was created with Richmond Sound Design's AudioBox computer-controlled diffusion system.
The Shaman Ascending evokes the imagery of a traditional shaman figure chanting in the quest for spiritual ecstasy. However, in this case, the listener is placed inside of a circle of loudspeakers with the vocal utterances swirling around at high rates of speed and timbral development. The work proceeds in increasing stages of complexity as the shaman ascends towards a higher spiritual state. The work and its title are inspired by a pair of Canadian Inuit sculptures by John Terriak with collectively the same name, as well as Inuit throat singing. All of the vocal material heard in the piece is derived from recording of the Vancouver bass singer Derrick Christian. The Shaman Ascending was commissioned by the ZKM, Karlsruhe, Germany and premiered there in February 2005. The 8-channel version of this work was created with Richmond Sound Design's AudioBox computer-controlled diffusion system.
SOUNDwalk @ 7pm TREVOR WISHART in CONCERT @ 8pm
August 11, 2007, 7:00 pm
St. Andrew by-the-Lake church
Tickets $15, $15 (includes ferry pass if bought in advance)/$10
August 11, 2007, 7:00 pm
St. Andrew by-the-Lake church
Tickets $15, $15 (includes ferry pass if bought in advance)/$10
Meet at the clock tower on Centre Island near the ferry dock at 7pm for SOUNDwalk and a site-visit to Synthecycletron.
Toronto première of "Angel" by Trevor Wishart commissioned by NAISA will be presented as part of a trilogy of works including "Division of Labour" and "Fabulous Paris" (Note this will be the world premiere of the FABULOUS PARIS trilogy). Also included are world premières of works by Monica Clorey, Charlotte Scott and Rose Bolton created under the mentorship of Trevor and Barry Truax through the Sound Travels emerging artists residency.
Toronto première of "Angel" by Trevor Wishart commissioned by NAISA will be presented as part of a trilogy of works including "Division of Labour" and "Fabulous Paris" (Note this will be the world premiere of the FABULOUS PARIS trilogy). Also included are world premières of works by Monica Clorey, Charlotte Scott and Rose Bolton created under the mentorship of Trevor and Barry Truax through the Sound Travels emerging artists residency.
Program:
I. "The Path of Least Resistance" by Charlotte Scott
This piece is an experimental mix between two creative methods that I have hitherto kept seperate in my life as a sound artist: the impressionistic use of raw soundscape recordings and abstract creation using amplified instruments, loops and delay. Charged with the task of reinterpreting the environmental sounds I had used in a radio documentary about acoustic community on Toronto Island, I turned to the tools I had picked up since completing the original piece. I tried to use the island sounds I knew so well as abstract sound sources to loop, delay and layer, while encouraging the original organic soundscape to emerge unscathed from the electronically-induced fray of noises; a slow denouement.
This piece is an experimental mix between two creative methods that I have hitherto kept seperate in my life as a sound artist: the impressionistic use of raw soundscape recordings and abstract creation using amplified instruments, loops and delay. Charged with the task of reinterpreting the environmental sounds I had used in a radio documentary about acoustic community on Toronto Island, I turned to the tools I had picked up since completing the original piece. I tried to use the island sounds I knew so well as abstract sound sources to loop, delay and layer, while encouraging the original organic soundscape to emerge unscathed from the electronically-induced fray of noises; a slow denouement.
II. "Firmament of Time" by Rose Bolton
My mother Pamela is a fantasist, visionary and an amateur astronomer. When I was a kid, she would take me to a rocky point in Killbear park (near Parry Sound), and we would gaze deep into the night, observing and identifying shooting stars, planets and constellations. Over a period of 6 years until 1996, she constructed an intricate quilt, applying tiny phosphorescent beads to represent the milky way. A few years later she painted a number of acrylics on canvas about the night sky. One in particular is a visual depiction of a mysterious dream. In response to her art, "Firmament"… is about stars, the unending scope of the universe and the unfathomable dark caverns of our own minds. Mother, this is for you. This project was realized though funding from the City of Toronto through the Toronto Arts Council. I would like to thank the TAC, as well as New Adventures in Sound Art, who commissioned the work.
My mother Pamela is a fantasist, visionary and an amateur astronomer. When I was a kid, she would take me to a rocky point in Killbear park (near Parry Sound), and we would gaze deep into the night, observing and identifying shooting stars, planets and constellations. Over a period of 6 years until 1996, she constructed an intricate quilt, applying tiny phosphorescent beads to represent the milky way. A few years later she painted a number of acrylics on canvas about the night sky. One in particular is a visual depiction of a mysterious dream. In response to her art, "Firmament"… is about stars, the unending scope of the universe and the unfathomable dark caverns of our own minds. Mother, this is for you. This project was realized though funding from the City of Toronto through the Toronto Arts Council. I would like to thank the TAC, as well as New Adventures in Sound Art, who commissioned the work.
III. "Obesity" by Monica Clorey
Obesity is an exploration of the sound world of fast food and its larger consequences…it is an experiment in combining the aesthetics of soundscape composition with a popular music twist. The convenience of fast food – quick, cheap, and immediately gratifying – is paired with the easy attractiveness of dance music.
Obesity is an exploration of the sound world of fast food and its larger consequences…it is an experiment in combining the aesthetics of soundscape composition with a popular music twist. The convenience of fast food – quick, cheap, and immediately gratifying – is paired with the easy attractiveness of dance music.
IV. "Fabulous Paris: A Virtual Oratorio" by Trevor Wishart includes "Division of Labour," "Angel" and "Fabulous Paris"
This 3-movement, secular oratorio explores our collective and individual experience of the mass industrial society in which we live, through the medium of the human voice. The source material for the first movement, 'The Division of Labor', is based on a text from Adam Smith's 'The Wealth of Nations', describing the division of labour in a Scottish pin factory spoken in a Glaswegian accent. The division of labour is then applied to the voice in a series of variations in the digital domain (e.g. resynthesis of the melodic-contour of the speech, canon-hocketing the time-shrunk syllables, texturing fragments cut from the tails of the syllables, generating 'choral' textures from 'iteration' of groups of material, etc.). In the second movement, 'Angel' a woman remembers some of those inconsequential yet special experiences which define an individual life. The oratoio ends with the voices of Neil Armstrong, President Kennedy, Adolph Hitler and many others in 'Fabulous Paris'. Approaching tha
This 3-movement, secular oratorio explores our collective and individual experience of the mass industrial society in which we live, through the medium of the human voice. The source material for the first movement, 'The Division of Labor', is based on a text from Adam Smith's 'The Wealth of Nations', describing the division of labour in a Scottish pin factory spoken in a Glaswegian accent. The division of labour is then applied to the voice in a series of variations in the digital domain (e.g. resynthesis of the melodic-contour of the speech, canon-hocketing the time-shrunk syllables, texturing fragments cut from the tails of the syllables, generating 'choral' textures from 'iteration' of groups of material, etc.). In the second movement, 'Angel' a woman remembers some of those inconsequential yet special experiences which define an individual life. The oratoio ends with the voices of Neil Armstrong, President Kennedy, Adolph Hitler and many others in 'Fabulous Paris'. Approaching tha
V. THE DIVISION OF LABOUR 15 variations on a theme of Adam Smith by the voice of Alex Gordon
“A workman not educated to the business could scarce make one pin a day. But one man draws out the wire, another straightens it, a third cuts it, a fourth points it, a fifth grinds it at the top. The head requires three distinct operations. To put it on is a peculiar business, to whiten the pins another. In this manner, making a pin is divided into eighteen distinct operations, and those persons can make forty-eight thousand pins a day.” Adam Smith : The Wealth of Nations Statement Imitation Song without words Inflation Hocket Chorus Flecks Word dance I Compression Word dance II Perturbations Misstatement Liquidation/Toll Hubbub Trace
“A workman not educated to the business could scarce make one pin a day. But one man draws out the wire, another straightens it, a third cuts it, a fourth points it, a fifth grinds it at the top. The head requires three distinct operations. To put it on is a peculiar business, to whiten the pins another. In this manner, making a pin is divided into eighteen distinct operations, and those persons can make forty-eight thousand pins a day.” Adam Smith : The Wealth of Nations Statement Imitation Song without words Inflation Hocket Chorus Flecks Word dance I Compression Word dance II Perturbations Misstatement Liquidation/Toll Hubbub Trace
VI. Angel by
A woman remembers some of those inconsequential yet special experiences which define an individual life. ‘Angel’ forms the 2nd movement of the larger work ‘Fabulous Pars – a virtual oratorio’ which explores our collective and individual experience of the mass industrial society in which we live, through the medium of the human voice. This movement originates in recordings of my aunt, Mary Smith, made by my wife some years earlier as part of a family history project, using a mono cassette recorder. Special processes were used to clean these recordings and isolate my aunt’s voice. The melodic contours of the speech, and the resulting harmonic fields, were extracted and then used to synthesize accompanying materials, to define time-changing filters applied either to the voice or to the synthesis of choir-like textures, to specify the pitch-sequence of accompanying sounds, and so on, using software written for the purpose. A number of other detailed voice transformations are also used.
A woman remembers some of those inconsequential yet special experiences which define an individual life. ‘Angel’ forms the 2nd movement of the larger work ‘Fabulous Pars – a virtual oratorio’ which explores our collective and individual experience of the mass industrial society in which we live, through the medium of the human voice. This movement originates in recordings of my aunt, Mary Smith, made by my wife some years earlier as part of a family history project, using a mono cassette recorder. Special processes were used to clean these recordings and isolate my aunt’s voice. The melodic contours of the speech, and the resulting harmonic fields, were extracted and then used to synthesize accompanying materials, to define time-changing filters applied either to the voice or to the synthesis of choir-like textures, to specify the pitch-sequence of accompanying sounds, and so on, using software written for the purpose. A number of other detailed voice transformations are also used.
VII. Fabulous Paris by
It is estimated that, by the year 2010, more than 50% of the world’s population will live in major cities. The piece Fabulous Paris tries to capture that exciting yet frightening flood of information and experience, which is the modern mega-city. In the piece, “Fabulous Paris” is first encountered as the prize destination on an American TV game show, but soon becomes the mysterious city of our dreams, hopes and fears. The piece uses recordings made in many cities - the traffic tunnels of Stockholm, the Paris metro, an amusement park in Kobe…. - traffic announcements on the California freeways (recorded for me by the sound-poet Larry Wendt), voices from American TV adverts and game-shows (recorded whilst working at Allen Strange’s San Jose studio in the early 80s), the voices of astronauts, J. F. Kennedy and Hitler. Fabulous Paris was commissioned by Swedish Radio, Malmö, and by the Birmingham Rumours Festival. Apart from the final post-production mix (Birmingham University Studio),
It is estimated that, by the year 2010, more than 50% of the world’s population will live in major cities. The piece Fabulous Paris tries to capture that exciting yet frightening flood of information and experience, which is the modern mega-city. In the piece, “Fabulous Paris” is first encountered as the prize destination on an American TV game show, but soon becomes the mysterious city of our dreams, hopes and fears. The piece uses recordings made in many cities - the traffic tunnels of Stockholm, the Paris metro, an amusement park in Kobe…. - traffic announcements on the California freeways (recorded for me by the sound-poet Larry Wendt), voices from American TV adverts and game-shows (recorded whilst working at Allen Strange’s San Jose studio in the early 80s), the voices of astronauts, J. F. Kennedy and Hitler. Fabulous Paris was commissioned by Swedish Radio, Malmö, and by the Birmingham Rumours Festival. Apart from the final post-production mix (Birmingham University Studio),
SOUNDwalk @ 1pm New Music for Asian Instruments Randy Raine-Reush and Mei Han in Concert @ 2pm
August 12, 2007, 1:00 pm
St. Andrew by-the-Lake church
Tickets $15, $15 (includes ferry pass if bought in advance)/$10
August 12, 2007, 1:00 pm
St. Andrew by-the-Lake church
Tickets $15, $15 (includes ferry pass if bought in advance)/$10
Chinese zheng virtuoso Mei Han and Canadian multi-instrumentalist Randy Raine-Reusch present a mixed program of New Works for the Chinese zheng and other Asian instruments. The programme includes:
Program:
I. "Bamboo, Silk and Stone" by Truax, Raine-Reusch 1995
for zheng, hun, suling gambu, and Granular Synthesis. Mei Han: zheng. One of the first electro-acoustic works for Chinese zheng.
for zheng, hun, suling gambu, and Granular Synthesis. Mei Han: zheng. One of the first electro-acoustic works for Chinese zheng.
II. "Bamboo Forest…a Stone…Wind Bells" by (Raine-Reusch, 1992)
electroacoustic soundscape with nigenkin: Randy Raine-Reusch Written for the opening of the Canadian Consulate on Kyushi Japan. Performed by Randy Raine-Reusch.
electroacoustic soundscape with nigenkin: Randy Raine-Reusch Written for the opening of the Canadian Consulate on Kyushi Japan. Performed by Randy Raine-Reusch.
III. "Tokyo Crows" by (Han, Raine-Reusch, 1999)
Mei Han: zheng, Randy Raine-Reusch: ichigenkin and guanzi. A deeply philosophical work for the extremely rare Japanese one string zither, ichigenkin.
Mei Han: zheng, Randy Raine-Reusch: ichigenkin and guanzi. A deeply philosophical work for the extremely rare Japanese one string zither, ichigenkin.
IV. "Dragon Dogs" by (Han, Raine-Reusch, 1999)
double zheng. A powerful upbeat work for two zheng that has become almost an international anthem.
double zheng. A powerful upbeat work for two zheng that has become almost an international anthem.
V. "Black Zheng" by (Han, Raine-Reusch, 1999)
for two bowed zheng. A dark textural work that explores the wealth of overtones available on the zheng.
for two bowed zheng. A dark textural work that explores the wealth of overtones available on the zheng.
A/V performance night
Co-Presented with Pleasure Dome
By MICHAEL SNOW TRIO , MONIQUE JEAN and MICHELLE IRVING
October 26, 2007, 8:00 pm
(preceded by artist talk and reception at 7 pm)
Latvian House (491 College)
Co-Presented with Pleasure Dome
By MICHAEL SNOW TRIO , MONIQUE JEAN and MICHELLE IRVING
October 26, 2007, 8:00 pm
(preceded by artist talk and reception at 7 pm)
Latvian House (491 College)
Featuring performances and screenings of work by Michelle Irving, Michael Snow Trio (with John Kamevaar and Aleck Snow), Monique Jean, François Girouard, and Bruce Tovsky.
Program:
I. "Ether" by Bruce Tovsky
With evocative sound and visual elements, ETHER aims to create an immersive environment of data decay. Images crackle and distort, merging in and out of video noise. The hiss and hum of sound thousands of miles away fills the room, snatches of music and voices decompose into static.
With evocative sound and visual elements, ETHER aims to create an immersive environment of data decay. Images crackle and distort, merging in and out of video noise. The hiss and hum of sound thousands of miles away fills the room, snatches of music and voices decompose into static.
II. "The Sound of Flicker" by Michael Snow, John Kamevaar and Aleck Snow
"We are going to sound flicker"-MS
"We are going to sound flicker"-MS
III. "Genese et Début D'une Décadence" by François Girouard
Genèse et Début d'une Décadence (Genesis and Beginning of Decline) is in hommage to the visual artist Ginette Déziel. This video-music piece examines speed, information saturation and nothingness. From the beginning of creation until today, the means of encoding and storing information are refined, improved, and the result of this progression can be only the search of balance towards nothingness.
Genèse et Début d'une Décadence (Genesis and Beginning of Decline) is in hommage to the visual artist Ginette Déziel. This video-music piece examines speed, information saturation and nothingness. From the beginning of creation until today, the means of encoding and storing information are refined, improved, and the result of this progression can be only the search of balance towards nothingness.
IV. "Le Grand Gagne-Faim" by François Girouard
Eat. Go to work. Get money. Buy food. Eat. Go to work. Get money. Buy food. Eat. Go to work. Get money. Buy food. Eat. Go to work. Get money. Buy food.
Eat. Go to work. Get money. Buy food. Eat. Go to work. Get money. Buy food. Eat. Go to work. Get money. Buy food. Eat. Go to work. Get money. Buy food.
V. "Lux Faeria" by François Girouard
An ostinato that balance from magic to mystic A city of smoke in a soft oscillation A soul that pitches when the body breathes Then one last breath.
An ostinato that balance from magic to mystic A city of smoke in a soft oscillation A soul that pitches when the body breathes Then one last breath.
VI. "Labyrinthine Patchwork Monolith" by François Girouard
This performance is inspired by an anomaly in Hong Kong's colonial history: the Kowloon Walled City. An area of 200 metres by 100 metres of solid square buildings folded up into one another, some kind of giant patchwork monolith. In 1991, it had around 50,000 inhabitants on 0.026 km, and therefore a very high population density of 1,900,000 / km. At its height, it was one of the most densely populated urban areas on Earth. The Walled City became that rarest of things, a working model of an anarchist society. Inevitably, it bred all the vices. Being a lawless land, the city was notorious for its excess of brothels, casinos, opium dens, cocaine parlours, food courts serving dog meat, and secret factories. The city was torn down in 1993. After the demolition, a park was built in its place.
This performance is inspired by an anomaly in Hong Kong's colonial history: the Kowloon Walled City. An area of 200 metres by 100 metres of solid square buildings folded up into one another, some kind of giant patchwork monolith. In 1991, it had around 50,000 inhabitants on 0.026 km, and therefore a very high population density of 1,900,000 / km. At its height, it was one of the most densely populated urban areas on Earth. The Walled City became that rarest of things, a working model of an anarchist society. Inevitably, it bred all the vices. Being a lawless land, the city was notorious for its excess of brothels, casinos, opium dens, cocaine parlours, food courts serving dog meat, and secret factories. The city was torn down in 1993. After the demolition, a park was built in its place.
VII. World Premiere title TBA by Monique Jean
VIII. "Figures du Temps" by Monique Jean
un haut-parleur dans le désert (a loudspeaker in the desert); … et les déchets qu’on brûle (… and the refuse we burn); a farewell to S.O.S. What to do with the real? How to create an aesthetic space that rejects amnesia? Crossroads and collisions of individual events and of public events. A suite that attempts to deal with “the individual human life, small, poor, defenseless but magnificent” as Tadeusz Kantor said. “It is only in this human life that truth, sanctity and grandeur are maintained today. We must save them from destruction and oblivion. Save them from all the powers of this world.” Media flow, poetry/resistance, disappearance of Morse code: February 1999. In … et les déchets qu’on brûle (… and the refuse we burn), the texts are by Denise Desautels, taken from Cimetières: la rage muette (Éditions Dazibao, Montréal, 1995). With the processed voices of Marie-France Marcotte, Angèle Laberge, Marc Mercier. And contrabass improvisations by Joëlle Léandre. Figures du temps (Fi
un haut-parleur dans le désert (a loudspeaker in the desert); … et les déchets qu’on brûle (… and the refuse we burn); a farewell to S.O.S. What to do with the real? How to create an aesthetic space that rejects amnesia? Crossroads and collisions of individual events and of public events. A suite that attempts to deal with “the individual human life, small, poor, defenseless but magnificent” as Tadeusz Kantor said. “It is only in this human life that truth, sanctity and grandeur are maintained today. We must save them from destruction and oblivion. Save them from all the powers of this world.” Media flow, poetry/resistance, disappearance of Morse code: February 1999. In … et les déchets qu’on brûle (… and the refuse we burn), the texts are by Denise Desautels, taken from Cimetières: la rage muette (Éditions Dazibao, Montréal, 1995). With the processed voices of Marie-France Marcotte, Angèle Laberge, Marc Mercier. And contrabass improvisations by Joëlle Léandre. Figures du temps (Fi
IX. "Transfiguration" by Michelle Irving
An audio-visual piece that manipulates and explores how metaphor can be created through the experience of sounds and images processed from concrete forms into abstraction and visa versa.
An audio-visual piece that manipulates and explores how metaphor can be created through the experience of sounds and images processed from concrete forms into abstraction and visa versa.
Monique Jean Monique Jean lives and works in Montréal. She studied electroacoustic composition at the Université de Montréal under the supervision of Francis Dhomont.
In addition to her acousmatic compositions, her work is also regularly associated with video and experimental films, with dance and with installations. Her harbour symphony L’Appel des machines soufflantes (“The Call of Blowing Machines”), a commission of Radio-Canada, was premiered in March 1998 at the Port of Montréal and in 1999 she was an invited composer during the Rien à voir (5) concert series produced by Réseaux (Montréal).
Finalist in the Ciber@rt (Valencia, Spain, 1999), Musica Nova (Prague, Czech Republic, 2001) and Bourges (France, 2002) competitions, her works are regularly performed and broadcast during numerous national and international concerts and festivals.
Michelle Irving is a composer and media artist whose work encompasses audio art, installation, video, and music. Her work is featured in the award winning documentaries The 7 Interventions (2009, NFB), Fierce Light (2006), and The Corporation (2004). Her audio and video work has been presented internationally at festivals, music venues, and artist run spaces.
TEXT OF LIGHT performs to BRAKHAGE (with more Videomusic)
Co-Presented with Pleasure Dome, The Goethe Institute
October 27, 2007, 8:00 pm
Latvian House (491 College)
Co-Presented with Pleasure Dome, The Goethe Institute
October 27, 2007, 8:00 pm
Latvian House (491 College)
The Text of Light group was formed in 2001 with the idea to perform improvised music to the films of Stan Brakhage and other members of the American Cinema avante garde of the 1950s-60s (Brakhage's film 'Text of Light' was the premiere performance and namesake of the group). The original premise was to improvise (not 'illustrate') to films from the American Avante-Garde (50s-60s etc), an under-known period of American filmic poetics. Members of the group appearing at SOUNDplay will include Lee Ranaldo and Alan Licht (guitars/devices) as well as Ulrich Krieger (sax/electronics). Also included are multichannel performance-screenings of work by Cliff Caines, Elsa Justel, Lily Markiewicz/Chantele Laplante, Inés Wickmann/Francis Dhomont, and Stephanie Loveless.
Program:
I. "Un regard sur la Ville" by Elsa Justel
The city becomes a fantastic world when the images reflected on its surfaces change its reality. This work was realized with photographies of windows of the city of Paris and neighbours. The music is based on recorded sounds or crystals and other materials of the city ambiance.
The city becomes a fantastic world when the images reflected on its surfaces change its reality. This work was realized with photographies of windows of the city of Paris and neighbours. The music is based on recorded sounds or crystals and other materials of the city ambiance.
II. "Driven" by Lily Markiewicz & Chantele Laplante
DRIVEN explores the experience of ambiguity, uncertainty and desire through the metaphor of travel. Throughout its duration a clear distinction between 'here,' 'there', 'arriving' and 'leaving' is not possible, nor is the separation between fact and fiction, memory and fantasy. Parallel temporality and ambiguous spatial structuring both create and empty out the narrative field. It was conceived in response to the soundtrack that underlies it.
DRIVEN explores the experience of ambiguity, uncertainty and desire through the metaphor of travel. Throughout its duration a clear distinction between 'here,' 'there', 'arriving' and 'leaving' is not possible, nor is the separation between fact and fiction, memory and fantasy. Parallel temporality and ambiguous spatial structuring both create and empty out the narrative field. It was conceived in response to the soundtrack that underlies it.
III. "Moirures" by Inés Wickmann & Francis Dhomont
In Moirures (Shimmers), the images do nothing but reveal the music, in the way of a score of shapes, textures and colors. The origin of these abstract images comes from reflections on water and panes in permanent vibration. Third Place winner in the Eastman Computer Music Center twenty fifth anniversary electroacoustic music competition. Rochester, NY, USA.
In Moirures (Shimmers), the images do nothing but reveal the music, in the way of a score of shapes, textures and colors. The origin of these abstract images comes from reflections on water and panes in permanent vibration. Third Place winner in the Eastman Computer Music Center twenty fifth anniversary electroacoustic music competition. Rochester, NY, USA.
IV. "Lines" by Stephanie Loveless
In this meditative audio-visual piece, hand-processed Super-8 images and a single piano phrase are slowly repeated -- stretched and abstracted by processes of re-photography, re-phonography and digital manipulation. Structural elements of minimalism offer tension to the nostalgia of the content explored. Images and sounds are evocative in their associations and melodies, but do not operate on the level of traditional narrative, development, or climax.
In this meditative audio-visual piece, hand-processed Super-8 images and a single piano phrase are slowly repeated -- stretched and abstracted by processes of re-photography, re-phonography and digital manipulation. Structural elements of minimalism offer tension to the nostalgia of the content explored. Images and sounds are evocative in their associations and melodies, but do not operate on the level of traditional narrative, development, or climax.
V. "Tele Obscura" by Cliff Caines
Synopsis: Live GTA traffic surveillance-feeds intersect an appropriated live Web-Sermon on the notion of modern observation.y.
Synopsis: Live GTA traffic surveillance-feeds intersect an appropriated live Web-Sermon on the notion of modern observation.y.
VI. Text of Light by Lee Ranaldo, Alan Licht & Ulrich Krieger
The Text of Light group was formed in 2001 with the idea to perform improvised music to the films of Stan Brakhage and other members of the American Cinema avante garde of the 1950s-60s (Brakhage's film 'Text of Light' was the premiere performance and namesake of the group). The original premise was to improvise (not 'illustrate') to films from the American Avante-Garde (50s-60s etc), an under-known period of American filmic poetics. Members of the group have included Lee Ranaldo and Alan Licht (gtrs/devices), Christian Marclay and DJ Olive (turntables), William Hooker (drums/perc), Ulrich Krieger (sax/electronics), and most recently Tim Barnes (drums/perc). Various combinations of these players attend 'Text' gigs, depending on individual schedules, so the group takes on various permutations---sometimes all members participate, sometimes not. For SOUNDplay, the members will include Lee Ranaldo, Alan Licht and Ulrich Krieger. To date the group has performed with the following films: Br
The Text of Light group was formed in 2001 with the idea to perform improvised music to the films of Stan Brakhage and other members of the American Cinema avante garde of the 1950s-60s (Brakhage's film 'Text of Light' was the premiere performance and namesake of the group). The original premise was to improvise (not 'illustrate') to films from the American Avante-Garde (50s-60s etc), an under-known period of American filmic poetics. Members of the group have included Lee Ranaldo and Alan Licht (gtrs/devices), Christian Marclay and DJ Olive (turntables), William Hooker (drums/perc), Ulrich Krieger (sax/electronics), and most recently Tim Barnes (drums/perc). Various combinations of these players attend 'Text' gigs, depending on individual schedules, so the group takes on various permutations---sometimes all members participate, sometimes not. For SOUNDplay, the members will include Lee Ranaldo, Alan Licht and Ulrich Krieger. To date the group has performed with the following films: Br
ELEVATED
performed by CONTACT CONTEMPORARY ENSEMBLE Co-Presented with CONTACT & the Music Gallery
By DAVID LANG
October 28, 2007, 8:00 pm
the Music Gallery
Tickets $
performed by CONTACT CONTEMPORARY ENSEMBLE Co-Presented with CONTACT & the Music Gallery
By DAVID LANG
October 28, 2007, 8:00 pm
the Music Gallery
Tickets $
Dark, emotional and exquisitely beautiful, David Lang's Elevated is a set of pieces that create a world in which consonance fights dissonance, hope struggles against hopelessness, and simple melodies are constantly beset by gravity, weight and decay. The works feature collaborations between Lang and three giants of contemporary visual arts: pioneer William Wegman, experimental filmmaker Bill Morrison (Decasia), and conceptual artist Matt Mullican. Lang used his pieces as a way to open up different pathways to these artists and their work, setting an early (and very controversial) Wegman video to music, and giving music to Morrison and Mullican for them to build new visuals around. The results are stunning, moody and sometimes very disturbing.
Programmed works:
(all music by David Lang)
Programmed works:
(all music by David Lang)
Program:
I. Music: Wed (1995) for piano Film: Treat Bottle (1972) by William Wegman by David Lang
II. Music: How to Pray (2002) for cello, hammond organ, piano, electric guitar and drums Film: How To Pray (2005) by Bill Morrison by David Lang
III. Music: Men (2001) for trombone, english horn, bass clarinet, baritone sax, keyboards, viola, cello, double bass and percussion Film: Elevated (2005) b by David Lang
IV. Music: Heroin (2000) for cello and voice Film: Heroin (2000) by Doug Aitken by David Lang
David Lang "There is no name yet for this kind of music," writes Los Angeles Times music critic Mark Swed, but David Lang is one of America’s most performed composers and audiences around the globe are hearing more and more of his work: in performances by such organizations as the Santa Fe Opera, the New York Philharmonic, the San Francisco Symphony, The Cleveland Orchestra, and the Kronos Quartet; at Tanglewood, the BBC Proms, The Munich Biennale, the Settembre Musica Festival, the Sidney 2000 Olympic Arts Festival and the Almeida, Holland, Berlin, Strasbourg and Huddersfield Festivals; in theater productions in New York, San Francisco and London; in the choreography of Twyla Tharp, La La La Human Steps, The Nederlands Dans Theater and the Royal Ballet; and at Lincoln Center, the South Bank Centre, Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, the Barbican Centre, and the Brooklyn Academy of Music.
Lang is co-founder and co-artistic director of New York's legendary music festival, Bang on a Can, and Composer-in-Residence at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco. Recent projects include monumental musical environments like the dark and meditative amplified orchestra piece The Passing Measures; Writing on Water for the London Sinfonietta, with visuals by English filmmaker Peter Greenaway; The Difficulty of Crossing a Field - an opera for the Kronos Quartet; Grind to a Halt for the San Francisco Symphony; World to Come, a commission for cellist Maya Beiser from Carnegie Hall, loud love songs, a concerto for the percussionist Evelyn Glennie and the EOS Orchestra, and the oratorio Shelter, with co-composers Michael Gordon and Julia Wolfe, at the Next Wave Festival of the Brooklyn Academy of Music, staged by Ridge Theater and featuring the Norwegian vocal ensemble Trio Mediaeval. His music is published by Red Poppy (ASCAP) and is distributed worldwide by G. Schirmer, Inc.