Some of my most cherished experiences happened at summer music festivals—from scanning the schedules and planning the road trips to meeting new friends and, of course, identifying new musicians and artists. Here at Musicworks, we’re discovering more must-see festivals and events every day, and are inspired by the organizations dedicated to bringing artists and listenersContinue reading “Musicworks’ 2017 Summer Festival Preview”
Genre Archives
Bret Parenteau widens the loop
When Bret Parenteau’s name is attached to a release or performance, those familiar with his music find themselves wondering what kind of intensity the Winnipeg artist is unleashing this time. His work ranges through harsh noise, urban field recordings, and looping synth sounds, but the only way to find out which spices are in theContinue reading “Bret Parenteau widens the loop”
Vicky Chow. A O R T A.
One hundred years ago, Erik Satie coined the phrase furniture music. The French composer and pianist applied the term—Musique d’ameublement, more correctly translated as “furnishing music”—to short repetitive pieces meant to be heard as background music in specific rooms. No one had heard music presented this way before 1917, and thus Satie presaged both minimalismContinue reading “Vicky Chow. A O R T A.”
Tom Wayman’s “Elemental Musics: Selkirk Mountains”
1. ARIA Alpine wind in the stunted firs half whispers an austere wistfulness with overtones of regret at being compelled by a harsh landscape to be mercilessly forthright: a breathy flute-note surging and fading as the mountain exhales inhales 2. SONATA The susurrous crescendo rises amid the crowns of tall birch, cedar, pine,Continue reading “Tom Wayman’s “Elemental Musics: Selkirk Mountains””
Spring 2017
Hang Out With Musicworks This Spring
Musicworks is blooming with big ideas! Explore the personalities and collaborative dynamics behind an array of creative Canadian projects in our Spring 2017 print issue – ON CANADIAN NEWSSTANDS NOW. Single copies also available to order from our store. New music meets new circus in Balancing On The Edge, the latest high-wire project from the ambitiousContinue reading “Hang Out With Musicworks This Spring”
MUSICWORKS UNVEILS 2016 CONTEST WINNERS
MUSICWORKS UNVEILS 2016 CONTEST WINNERS Vancouver musician Craig Aalders and B.C. poet Tom Wayman win top marks in Musicworks’ 2016 Electronic Music Composition and Sonic Geography Writing Contests For the first time in Musicworks contest history, both top prizes go to British Columbia artists. For immediate release: TORONTO, CANADA, February 14, 2017—Musicworks is thrilled toContinue reading “MUSICWORKS UNVEILS 2016 CONTEST WINNERS”
Anne-F Jacques & Tim Olive. Tooth Car.
Creating music that’s like the soundtrack for a building-site documentary, sound artists Anne-F Jacques of Montreal and Kobe-based Canadian ex-pat Tim Olive use magnetic pickups and amplified rotating surfaces to generate industrial-style improvisations. It’s ironic that the work of players residing in two of the world’s most technologically sophisticated countries appears to symbolically reflect theContinue reading “Anne-F Jacques & Tim Olive. Tooth Car.”
Sound Symposium XVIII.
Audiences at Sound Symposium XVIII in St. John’s, Newfoundland were treated to a full spectrum of improvisation, including free improvisation, graphic scores, and directed improvisation. We heard a vast range of music for electroacoustic soundscapes, Javanese gamelan, contemporary art music, Balkan folk music, and even music made by 3-D printers amplified by CCRMA’s GRAIL (StanfordContinue reading “Sound Symposium XVIII.”
The Sound Future of Virtual Reality
I HEAR A PERCUSSIVE THUD. SOMETHING IS HITTING THE FLOOR IN FRONT OF ME REPEATEDLY. It’s reverberating (I’m in a large room, I guess) and the rhythm is punctuated by frenzied bursts of high-pitched squeaks nearby. In the distance, I hear shuffling and the murmur of voices. I open my eyes. I’m standing in aContinue reading “The Sound Future of Virtual Reality”