Artist and cellist Rémy Bélanger de Beauport’s roots run deep in Quebec City, where he grew up and now stands tall as a lightning rod and activator for the improvised music scene. His influence and contributions permeate the music scene through the multiple projects he wrangles. He is one of the commissioners of the MusiqueContinue reading “Rémy Bélanger de Beauport’s Everyday Performance Art”
Author Archives: Musicworks
Kathryn Patricia Cobbler’s Palette of Sound
For violist and composer Kathryn Patricia Cobbler, making music is about being in conversation with herself, her collaborators, her instrument, and the classical and new works she performs. While mindful of the modern viola’s historical origins and its role as an instrument in Baroque music, she uses electronic technologies and extended techniques to explore andContinue reading “Kathryn Patricia Cobbler’s Palette of Sound”
The Living Songs of Edzi’u Explore Indigenous Experiences, Sovereignty, and Culture
Every performance is a spiritual experience for Tahltan and Tlingit artist Edzi’u, who invites their ancestors to join them each time they make music. Drawing deeply from personal experience and cultural knowledge, their works explore grief, love, and healing. Connecting with their ancestors through intuition, storytelling, and sound is central to their creative process. WithContinue reading “The Living Songs of Edzi’u Explore Indigenous Experiences, Sovereignty, and Culture”
Maylee Todd and the Possibilities of Strange
Maylee Todd does not shy away from spectacle. During a video conversation last September, the singer-songwriter, producer, and multimedia artist tells me about the setup for an upcoming show in Los Angeles, where she is currently based. “I have this big inflatable mouth,” she says, laughing. “It’s seven feet by seven feet and, as itContinue reading “Maylee Todd and the Possibilities of Strange”
Joshua Van Tassel’s New Spaces for Sonic Dreaming
In the late summer, pulling into Joshua Van Tassel’s home, which is situated just off a scenic stretch of the highway along Nova Scotia’s South Shore, feels more than a little dreamy. When it’s sunny, the yard is lit up green; white sheets might be hanging off a laundry line blowing in the wind, whileContinue reading “Joshua Van Tassel’s New Spaces for Sonic Dreaming”
Alexis Baro’s Cuban fusion
“You wanna play jazz?” asked Miguel Patterson, the director of Cuba’s National Radio and Television Orchestra (Orquesta de la Radio y Television de Cuba), who had overheard lead trumpeter Alexis Baro’s improvised flourishes during rehearsal—an environment where solos must be played as written. “Get four guys,” Patterson said to Baro. “You have a gig onContinue reading “Alexis Baro’s Cuban fusion”
Kaïa Kater and the Creative Power of Letting Go
Kaïa Kater is a gifted storyteller. Drawn to history, the Montreal-based musician and composer strings together tales that marry the elusive past with an ever-shifting present. From a young age, Kater, who studied cello and piano as a child, found refuge in songwriting. “I didn’t understand that it could be an artistic practice, beyond spendingContinue reading “Kaïa Kater and the Creative Power of Letting Go”
The Off-Grid Adventures of The Burning Hell
It’s impossible to pigeonhole the music of The Burning Hell. Their songs span multiple genres, and the lyrics can be apocalyptic, political, and funny. The band’s off-the-grid DIY ethos is guided by the core of singer-songwriter-multi-instrumentalists Mathias Kom and Ariel Sharratt (a third member, producer and musician Jake Nicoll, is currently on parental leave). TheyContinue reading “The Off-Grid Adventures of The Burning Hell”
Chuck Copenace is redefining jazz fusion
Chuck Copenace is breaking down barriers in his art form, much as Jeremy Dutcher did in merging his classical music training with the words of the Wolastoqiyik people on his two Polaris Music Prize-winning albums. On his 2023 album Oshki Manitou, Copenace constructed a unique jazz fusion, bringing Ojibway sweat-lodge melodies into the world ofContinue reading “Chuck Copenace is redefining jazz fusion”
The Parallel Multiverses of Kalaisan Kalaichelvan
Mariam gathers her resolve. What happened to Asad after that road accident? She dons her headscarf with determination. In the background, the instrumentals of the song Seenay lag jao na (Asim Raza, arranged by Sohail Abbas) fade out, leaving Saima Jehan’s singing undisturbed. Replacing the music, echoing conch horns encroach underneath the vocals with perverseContinue reading “The Parallel Multiverses of Kalaisan Kalaichelvan”