Simon Bertrand and Sean Michaels on Leon Theremin

Innovations en concert · Podcast Innovations 9.2 – Simon Bertrand / Sean Michaels / Leon Theremin

This episode of the Podcast Innovations presents a conversation between Simon Bertrand, composer of Cinq moments dans la vie trépidante de Léon Théremine and writer Sean Michaels, author of the novel Us Conductors, on the life and work of Leon Theremin.

(interview in English)

Simon Bertrand’s « Reibo ( 霊慕 ) – in memoriam José Evangelista » will be presented by Innovations en concert in a co-production with the SMCQ at Festival Montréal/Nouvelles Musiques on March 1, 2023.

 

The Zine Innovations was made possible thanks to the generous support of the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, the Canada Council for the Arts, the Conseil des arts de Montréal and the SOCAN Foundation.

Chronicle / Alamy Stock Photo

avec Isabelle Bozzini

Cet épisode du podcast Innovations présente une conversation avec Isabelle Bozzini, violoncelliste du Quatuor Bozzini et organisatrice de Québec Musiques Parallèles, une initiative panquébécoise qui regroupe des artistes, producteurs, lieux et diffuseurs œuvrant en marge de l’industrie, pour relier les régions et les grands centres.

En savoir plus sur la performance de Québec Musiques Parallèles du dimanche 16 octobre  à l’Espace Orange à Montréal.

 

Le Zine Innovations est rendue possible grâce au soutien généreux du Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, du Conseil des arts du Canada, du Conseil des arts de Montréal et de la Fondation SOCAN.

avec Gabriel Dharmoo

This episode of the Innovations Podcast features a conversation from June 2021 with Tio’tia:ke/Montreal based composer, vocalist, performance artist and drag artist Gabriel Dharmoo. We discuss his drag persona Bijuriya and working within (and outside) of pop culture references, issues around coloniality in new music practices, and the new collaborative project Phthethisms by vocal collective Phth and visual artist Beth Frey co-presented by Innovations en concert.

Find out more about the Thursday December 2nd performance and installation ‘Phthethisms’ featuring vocal collective Phth and visual artist Beth Frey.

Purchase tickets for one of Bijuriya / Gabriel Dharmoo’s shows this February 2022 at the MAI.

 

The Innovations Zine is made possible with the generous support of the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, the Canada Council for the Arts, the Conseil des arts de Montréal and the SOCAN Foundation.

Photo credit: Civitella Ranieri / Paul Neudorf & Jonathan Goulet

avec Sarah Albu :: sur les arts textiles

This episode of the Innovations Podcast features a conversation with Tio’tia:ke/Montreal based composer, soprano and fibre artist Sarah Albu. We discuss her work with textiles and fabric, her interest in traditional art practices and folk artefacts, the physicality of creating in these means and the related health and wellness implications.

The Innovations Zine is made possible with the generous support of the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, the Canada Council for the Arts, the Conseil des arts de Montréal and the SOCAN Foundation.

Photo credit: Noam Bierstone / Maggie Lauer

avec Jason Doell

This episode of the Innovations Podcast features a conversation with Tkarón:to/Toronto based artist Jason Doell, whose primary medium is sound with a focus on site/context-specific works, live coding, and signal chain manipulation. Jason’s often delicate work traces the edges of sense-making, and explores the thresholds of contextual coherence, often straddling “composed” work, multimedia installation, and improvisation…

Here we discuss collaborative creation processes and the role of facilitation in Jason’s work, with a particular focus on his new multimedia and collective large scale work turnonandbenotalone.

The Innovations Zine is made possible with the generous support of the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, the Canada Council for the Arts, the Conseil des arts de Montréal and the SOCAN Foundation.

On Trial and Error :: the work of vivienne spiteri, in four parts

photo credit: hélène vitali

Co-produced with Bradyworks.

She has been called reclusive, enigmatic, irreverent, and even a destroyer of music, but also a true artist. Dubbed an iconoclast, her approach to music has always been “sans a priori.” She has also been described as enraged and contradictory. 

Her concerts have been reviewed as being “sans envergure,” but also as offering listeners a remarkable presence. Concert spaces have gone from sold out to empty. Concert and record producers lose patience at her fastidiousness, yet claim to respect her determination and clarity of vision;  her recordings have been described as an enrichment of humanity. Some composers seek to work with her, while others avoid her like the plague. Most musicians remain perplexed.

Her own relationship to her instrument presents parallel binary tensions: Love-hate, respect–ridicule, creation–destruction. vivienne spiteri’s sincere intention is to give expressive voice to music at any cost and by any means when played at the harpsichord, an instrument whose very mechanism defies musical expression.

Artists in the podcast:

Voices

narrator:  peter von tiesenhausen

rainer maria rilke : sonnets to orpheus (sonnet 1), read by fred weihs

Musicians:

viola da gamba (in les pleurs by M. de sainte-colombe) : margaret little and susie napper (les voix humaines)  

non-pedal harp: sharlene wallace

accordion: joseph macerollo

violin: lawrence beckwith

banjo: kirk eliot 

electric guitar: tim brady 

harpsichord: vivienne spiteri / vivie’ vinçent 

Sonification of Comet 67P by manuel senfft 

Part 1: Music

  1. opening music: isadora sings  for sound support and harpsichord, by kent olofsson and vivienne spiteri / vivie’ vinçent @  0’00 – 7’10”
  2. sonification of comet 67P @ 7’32” – 8’57”
  3. continuum für cembalogyorgi ligeti @ 9’02” – 12’54”
  4. miroirs (tape and harpsichord) (excerpt) – micheline coulombes saint-marcoux – @ 17’27” –  18’34”
  5. the desert speaks…praescio III (MIDI harpsichord) (excerpt) – bruce pennycook @ 19’17”24’07”
  6. turbo toccata (MIDI harpsichord) – david keane @ 28’16” –  39’28” 
  7. two pieces for harpsichordwendy prezament @ 41’24” –  49’44”
  8. eudoxiapierre desrochers @ 53’46” – 1h 03’02” 

Part 2: Music

  1. overture to orpheus –  louis andriessen @ 3’05” –  14’45”                                  
  2. les pleurs m.de sainte-colombe @ 16’56” – 19’00”
  3. sancerre bruce mather @ 25’39” –  34’54” 
  4. toccare david eagle @ 36’46” –  48’35”            
  5. capriccio 1 bengt hambraeus @ 1h01’56 – 1h08’50”
  6. on the other hand john beckwith @ 1h20’02” – 1h22’48”

Part 3: Music

  1. déploration – in memoriam morton feldmanbrian cherney @ 15’05” – 34’24” 
  2. à perte d’espace françois rose  @ 36’30” – 47’31”  
  3. ostinato and dance barbara pentland @ 49’18” – 53’14”

Part 4: Music

  1. anahata –  acousmatic – vivienne spiteri – excerpt from the 40 minute work, underlying the voices @ 3’10” –  4’38”
  2. snowSongs –  acousmatic – vivienne spiteri – excerpt underlying the voices @ 5’15” – 10’38”
  3. brimba –  acousmatic – vivienne spiteri – excerpt underlying the voices @ 11’43” – 13’50”
  4. in the beginning was the endhope lee @ 15’24” – 32’15”
  5. doublingtim brady @ 33’03” – 37’50”
  6. blurred linesjohn beckwith @ 39’28” – 49’58”
  7. insect variationskirk eliot  @ 52’37” – 1h01’10” 
  8. isadora sings –  kent olofsson and vivienne spiteri @ 1h04’55” to end : excerpt underlying the voices : and l’art de toucher le clavecin, prelude 2 – françois couperin @ 1h11’28” to end

The Innovations Zine is made possible with the generous support of the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, the Canada Council for the Arts, the Conseil des arts de Montréal and the SOCAN Foundation.

“Continuum” Performed by Vivienne Spiteri (György Ligeti) –  Edited by Schott Music GMBH & Co. KG, Schott Music Corporation

avec Parler bien

This episode of the Innovations Podcast features a conversation with Jane Chan and Nicolas Hyatt of the chamber music duo Parler bien. Their debut record histoires du comté d’essex features a series of pieces written around and with the words and stories of francophones from Nicolas’ home community: Windsor and Essex County in southwestern Ontario. We discuss the duo’s collaborative composition process, their approach to speech music, and some of the realities of this regional linguistic dialect.

The Innovations Zine is made possible with the generous support of the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, the Canada Council for the Arts, the Conseil des arts de Montréal and the SOCAN Foundation.

Stories of Care

Stories of Care is a groundbreaking podcast project that tells these stories, featuring interviews and sound samples created with and by CARE Centre clients, caregivers and families, and music composed and improvised for CARE Centre clients by musicians Louise CampbellAmy Horvey and Tim Brady. The C.A.R.E. Centre is a day program for adults with severe physical disabilities. For more than 30 years, C.A.R.E. has fostered a vibrant community, rich in history, sound and stories.

Episode 0 : Gratitudes

In this episode, clients and caregivers were asked the question: What are you grateful for today? Posed in April and May 2020, the question, and their answers, are particularly poignant in light of the mounting global coronavirus pandemic and stay-home public health recommendations.

Episode 1 : Childhood Memories

In this episode, the people of C.A.R.E. were asked the question: What childhood memories would you like to share? The resulting stories are both unique and universal as clients and caregivers recount memories of grandparents, childhood pranks and travel adventures.

Episode 2 : Here and There

In this episode, the people of C.A.R.E. were asked to describe the sights and sounds of their home environments, including private family homes, group homes, long term care facilities or hospitals, and of the C.A.R.E. Centre.

Episode 3 : Communication at Care

In this episode, the caregivers of C.A.R.E. describe communication with C.A.R.E. clients, and, in so doing, describe the calling and values of caregiving.

Episode 4 : Journeys with Communication

Many clients of C.A.R.E. are non-verbal and communicate through various low and high-tech communication systems. This episode focuses on these tools for communication, delving into the journeys with communication undertaken by the clients and their families.

Episode 5 : Tobii Stories, a day in the life of Rachel

This episode focuses on Rachel, her support workers at home and her family, and the ways in which they communicate. Ranging from head nods and fist pumps to yes-no boards and eye gaze, these varying modes of communication ultimately show their deep affection for one another and Rachel’s finely-honed sense of humour.

Episode 6 : Bliss, Communication and Giota’s Song

This episode focuses on Giota, a woman with cerebral palsy who communicates with Bliss Symbolics, a communication system that associates eye position with numbers and words. Giota, CARE director Olivia Quesnel, caregiver Chanelle Mantha and former MacKay Centre teacher Karen Hulme speak about Bliss and their collective efforts to understand Giota and her rich emotional life.

Episode 7 : Musical Gifts

From March 2020 to September 2020, the musical team of Stories of Care created musical gifts for individual C.A.R.E. clients based on their musical interests. In this episode, C.A.R.E. Centre director Olivia Quesnel, musician and Artistic Director Louise Campbell, musicians Tim Brady and Amy Horvey and Innovations in concert director Isak Goldschneider discuss what the gifts meant to the clients and the musicians, particularly in light of increased isolation experienced by many as a result of the global coronavirus pandemic. This conversation was recorded in July of 2020 as coronavirus-related restrictions were starting to be lifted.

Episode 8 : Welcome to CARE Ra-di-ooooo!

Welcome to C.A.R.E. Ra-di-ooooo! is the final episode of the podcast Stories of Care. C.A.R.E. Radio is a long-standing C.A.R.E. program hosted by caregiver Bruno that features news and music chosen by the clients. 

With many thanks to the C.A.R.E. Centre clients, caregivers, friends and family for your laughter and warm welcome.

Facilitated and edited by Artist in Residence Louise Campbell. Produced by the C.A.R.E. Centre, Innovations en concert and Bradyworks with funding from Quebec’s Schools host an artist of Culture in Schools. Innovations en concert gratefully acknowledges the support of the Canada Council, the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, and the Conseil des arts de Montréal.

The C.A.R.E Centre is a non-profit and charity that relies on the help, support and aid of the larger community to provide rewarding programming for adults with severe physical disabilities. To give to the C.A.R.E. Centre, click here: www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/4340

avec Louise Campbell et Olivia Quesnel

In this edition of the Innovations Podcast, Nicolas Hyatt met with Montreal’s C.A.R.E. Centre Director Olivia Quesnel and Artist in Residence Louise Campbell to discuss the new podcast project Stories of Care.

The C.A.R.E. Centre is a day program for adults with severe physical disabilities. For more than 30 years, C.A.R.E. has fostered a vibrant community, rich in history, sound and stories. Stories of Care is a groundbreaking podcast project that tells these stories, featuring interviews and sound samples created with and by CARE Centre clients, caregivers and families, and music composed and improvised for CARE Centre clients by musicians Louise Campbell, Amy Horvey and Tim Brady.

“Individuals with disabilities have so much to communicate and are very moved by sounds and music,” says Olivia Quesnel. “The opportunity for our non-verbal clients to work with artists and musicians to create podcasts and to tell their stories is exciting. This project enables those who often are not heard to express their thoughts and share their experiences.”

Stories of Care is produced by the C.A.R.E. Centre, Innovations en concert and Bradyworks, as part of Quebec’s “A School Hosts an Artist program” of “Culture in Schools”.

The Innovations Zine is made possible with the generous support of the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, the Canada Council for the Arts, the Conseil des arts de Montréal and the SOCAN Foundation.

avec Tamayugé

This episode of the Innovations Podcast features a conversation with Montreal based experimental pop duo Tamayugé, comprised of Japanese vocalist, guitarist and performance artist Maya Kuroki and Ukranian electronic musician and synth wizard Tamara Filyavich. We discuss their influences, process, collaborative relationship, and the inspiration for their debut record Baba Yaga.

The Innovations Zine is made possible with the generous support of the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, the Canada Council for the Arts, the Conseil des arts de Montréal and the SOCAN Foundation.