greetings
Greetings from the WSO Composer-in-Residence, Vincent Ho
Greetings music-lovers and welcome to our annual New Music Festival! This year we are thrilled to have with us as our distinguished guest composers Pulitzer Prize-winner Steven Stucky (USA), John Psathas (NZ), Tim Brady (CAN) and Derek Charke (CAN). Joining us as our distinguished guest artists are internationally acclaimed pianist Jenny Lin, Canadian throat-singing superstar Tanya Tagaq, and 2008’s Grammy Award-winning chamber ensemble Eighth Blackbird. Together, we bring you a program dedicated to a very special theme: EARTH. Throughout the next eight days of the Festival, you will hear works inspired by nature, the Arctic, world cultures, and the environment. This will be the first time in history that a new music organization has joined forces with the scientific community to bring awareness to an important cause: climate change. Through our partnership with Circumpolar Flaw Lead (CFL) Systems Study we will be celebrating International Polar Year (an event that occurs once every 50 years!). Joining us will be many of the world’s top climate change scientists. As part of the celebration, two newly-commissioned works have been specially written for this event: my own Arctic Symphony and Derek Charke’s Falling From Cloudless Skies, both inspired by our Arctic journeys. Throughout the week you will also hear music that push the boundaries of traditional concert experience; from Tim Brady’s My 20th Century to Steve Reich’s Double Sextet (winner of the 2009 Pulitzer Prize), and Michael Colgrass’ Arctic Dreams to Brett Dean’s Pastoral Symphony. As well, you will experience shows that redefine how music is presented, such as Derek Charke’s 13 Inuit Throat Song Games (for throat-singer and string orchestra), Tim Brady’s Amplify, Multiply, Remix, and Redefine (for 24 electric guitars and orchestra), and John Psathas’ View From Olympus (concerto for piano and percussion).
So grab your tickets, find your seats. Sit back as we bring you a New Music Festival program that celebrates EARTH.
Greetings from the WSO Music Director, Alexander Mickelthwate
Good day to you! You are taking a look at the website of our 19th New Music Festival which leads me to believe that you are most probably planning to attend one of the only festivals for contemporary music worldwide. If you are, you will be the part of the city that becomes a focal point of uniqueness and creativity; a moment in time that I myself am completely excited to be a part of!
This year’s festival is about Earth, Science, Music and Climate Change.
What are the highlights of the week? Well, that is an impossible question to answer. Our Friday Pre-NMF Happening takes place at the WAG, a completely out-of-the-box event where we will be unveiling a newly invented instrument and feature performances of new works throughout the gallery. Saturday’s opening night is a never-done-before gala event in collaboration with the International Polar Year conference, featuring new works by our composer-in-residence Vincent Ho and our guest composer Derek Charke.
Sunday evening will be filled with beautiful choral music at the Westminster United Church. Monday evening features a highly diverse solo piano and chamber music program including a work for multi-media, electric guitar and video. Tuesday will be our highly acclaimed wind night.
On Wednesday we will feature one of the most enormous mystical pieces of the 20th century, the North American premiere of Valentin Silvestrov’s Metamusik. Thursday will showcase our double feature, Tanya Tagaq in the first part and the Grammy Award-winning contemporary music gurus Eighth Blackbird in the second.
And Friday evening we finish the Festival off with new works for full orchestra, including the world premiere of a work by Tim Brady for 20 electric guitars and orchestra and the North American premiere of the exuberant percussion and piano concerto by our New Zealand guest composer John Psathas.
I am very honored to welcome Pulitzer Prize-winning guest composer Steve Stucky who is represented with several absolutely beautiful pieces, his Second Concerto for Orchestra (Saturday evening), Concerto for Percussion and Winds (Tuesday evening) and Radical Light (Friday evening).
So there you have it. See you at the concerts!
Alexander
