Émergences (f. pl.)

Working to build connections between Francophone and Anglophone spaces in both cities, Émergences (f. pl.) – a concert project connecting the work of early-career women composers from Toronto and Montreal – aims to help open up a space for meeting and listening, where artists and concertgoers can exchange dialogue on how gender identity in classical music intersects with artistic creation. The duo of Sara Constant (flutist) and An-Laurence Higgins (guitarist) will present five new works by composers from both cities: Véronique Girard,Gabrielle Harnois-Blouin, Shelley Marwood, Thais Montanari and Lieke van der Voort.

The works on the program combine chamber music with electronics, video, poetry and movement. Developed in close collaboration with the composers, the project aims to seek out new, interdisciplinary working methods for music-making—ones that represent new voices within the Canadian new music community, and offer models for musical co-creation that disrupt conventional classical music practices.

Based in Toronto and Montreal respectively, Sara Constant and An-Laurence Higgins are both active soloists and ensemble musicians specializing in new/experimental music. They have been collaborating since 2016, presenting chamber music in Toronto and Kitchener-Waterloo and working together as artists-in-residence at the 2018 Waterloo Region Contemporary Music Sessions (WRCMS). This is their first commissioning project as a duo.

Photo credits : Simon Arseneault / Kalina Leonard

This concert was realized with the generous support of the SOCAN Foundation.

We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, which last year invested $153 million to bring the arts to Canadians throughout the country.