Windsor Canadian Music Festival Puts Spotlight on Compatibility of Ancient and New Music and Electronics
(Windsor, ON – January 21, 2008) Like bringing an international film festival to town where audiences have an opportunity to ask each film’s director about their movie face to face, the Windsor Canadian Music Festival, which runs Monday, Janaury 28 thru Sunday, February 3rd, gives audiences the opportunity to both listen to live performances and ask each composer about his work. The Festival, now in its 12th year, is a celebration of contemporary music and living Canadian composers. It is put on by the Windsor Symphony Orchestra and School of Music at the University of Windsor with most events held on campus. This year’s festival demonstrates once again the power and unique qualities of live performance as opposed to listening to recorded music on your i-pod.
About the Featured Composers:
François Rose belongs to the second generation of the spectral school of composition made prominent by French composers Tristan Murail and Gérard Grisey; music composed in this style derives its harmonic and timbral language from the detailed computer analysis of discrete sounds such as a bell or a single note on the cello. He resides in northern California, where he is a professor at the University of the Pacific. Geof Holbrook, Andrew Staniland, and Christien Ledroit are among the leading emerging composers in Canada. Geof Holbrook’s music has been performed by a number of ensembles in North America and Europe, including the Nouvel Ensemble Moderne, Esprit Orchestra, and the Ensemble Orchestral Contemporain in Lyon. He is presently undertaking doctoral studies at Columbia University in New York. Andrew Staniland is currently Affiliate Composer with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and his work Gaia, written for the TSO, was selected by the CBC to represent Canada at the International Rostrum of composers in Paris, France in June of 2007. Christien Ledroit combined violin studies with punk rock performing as a high school student, and has gone on to explore ways of synthesizing diverse musical elements in his compositions. This is evidenced by Trade Winds (for tabla and strings) which will be performed during the festival by the WSO and guest tabla artist Shawn Mativetsky. Brent Lee, a professor at the University of Windsor and former composer-in-residence to the Windsor Symphony Orchestra, is very glad to have his work featured on this year’s festival as well. He is looking forward to premiere performances of Am Rande der Nacht for orchestra and Hildegard Remix for choir and live electronics – two of the five premieres during the festival.
The 2008 WCMF again features a concert of electroacoustic music; this year’s event will present the Electric Improv Lab with guests Sigi Torinus and Andrew Staniland. This festival would also be incomplete without the collaboration of young composers and conductors in the WSO reading workshop, and a concert of new work by emerging local composers performed by University of Windsor students. In addition to these performances, we invite you to attend the numerous presentations and roundtable discussions taking place throughout the week.
WCMF would like to thank the CBC Radio2, SOCAN, the Canada Council for the Arts, and the Ontario Arts Council for their continuing support of this festival. Without their support this festival would not be possible. Looking forward to seeing YOU at this year’s WCMF!
For information on ALL Windsor Canadian Music Festival events and composer biographies, click here.
Festival Schedule:
12th Annual Windsor Canadian Music Festival
presented by the Windsor Symphony Orchestra in partnership with the School of Music at the University of Windsor.
Monday, January 28, 2008 at 4:00 pm
Windsor Canadian Music Festival
Take 4
School of Music, Recital Hall, Rm 139
WCMF Artistic Director, Dr. Brent Lee provides background and context regarding the programming for this year’s Festival. FREE admission.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008 at 4:00 pm
WCMF Composers Visit Area Schools:
Christien Ledroit- Benson Elementary School (Grades 7 & 8)
Geof Holbrook- H. V. Lassaline
Francois Rose- Mgr. Caron (Grade 7)
Andrew Staniland- Kennedy Secondary School (Gr. 10-12)
Brent Lee- Herman Secondary School
Windsor Canadian Music Festival
Take 4
School of Music, Recital Hall, Rm 139
Composers discuss their craft. Featured Composers: Geof Holbrook, Christien Ledroit, Brent Lee, François Rose and Andrew Staniland. FREE admission.
Thursday, January 31, 2008 at 7:00 pm
Windsor Canadian Music Festival
in/fuse 06 – EIL
Lambton Tower, Studio A
Founded in 2003, the Electric Improv Lab (EIL) is a chamber ensemble incorporating electronic instruments and sound processing in their improvised musical creations. Led by Brent Lee of the School of Music, the Electric Improv Lab with guests Andrew Staniland (guitar and laptop) and Sigi Torinus (video) perform Rose City Variations, an improvisational work incorporating Windsor soundscapes. FREE admission.
Friday, February 1, 2008 at 7:30 pm
Windsor Canadian Music Festival
Windsor Symphony Orchestra
Assumption University Chapel
John Morris Russell, conductor
Shawn Mativetsky, tabla
Christien Ledroit - Trade Winds (2003)
Andrew Staniland - Protestmusik (2003)
François Rose - Le temps scintilla (2006) Canadian premiere
Geof Holbrook - Faith in Gravity (2001, rev. 2007) premiere of new version
Brent Lee - Am Rande der Nacht (1998, rev. 2000) World Premiere
WSO Concert Tickets: Adults/ Seniors $18; Students (with ID) $9 available at the Chrysler Theatre Box Office. Call (519) 252-6579 to order by phone. Tickets available at the door.
Saturday, February 2, 2008 at 10:00 am
WCMF Young Composer Workshop
Assumption University Chapel
WSO String Orchestra
Graeme Brown Vacancy (2007)
Brenden Fraser John Leigh – for orchestra (2007)
FREE admission.
Saturday, February 2, 2008 at 7:30 pm
Windsor Canadian Music Festival
School of Music Faculty Concert
Assumption University Chapel
Women’s Chamber Choir, Timothy Shantz, director
Andrea Marttila, cello
Jaimie Wagner, flute
Trevor Pittman, clarinet
Shawn Mativetsky, tabla
Nicholas Papador, percussion
The 12th annual Windsor Canadian Music Festival returns to Assumption Chapel for a performance of acoustic and electronic music by faculty musicians. This concert will also feature the University of Windsor Chamber Choir in a multi-DJ remix of the music of Hildegaard of Bingen.
Christien Ledroit - Elementalities (2000), for tabla, flute, and percussion
Andrew Staniland - Tapestry (2003), for clarinet, cello and tape
François Rose - Points d'emergence (1997), for percussion solo
Geof Holbrook - Dragonfly on Bay Street (2006), for flute, clarinet, and percussion
Brent Lee/Chris McNamara - Hildegard Remix (2007), for women's chorus and live sound processing
School of Music Faculty Concert Tickets: Adults/ Seniors $10; Students (with ID) $5 available at the Uncommon Market Gift Shop. Call (519) 977-1400 to order by phone. Tickets available at the door.
Sunday, February 3, 2008 at 2:00 pm
Windsor Canadian Music Festival
NMW -- New Music Workshop Student Composition Recital
Art Gallery of Windsor
A concert of new works by emerging local composers performed by UWindsor students. FREE admission.
For information on ALL Windsor Canadian Music Festival events and composer biographies, go to: http://www.windsorsymphony.com/season/wcmf.html
The 12th Annual Windsor Canadian Music Festival is made possible by our sponsors: