City is getting a new music festival
For some it might sound like the beginning to an Abbott and Costello routine.
Calgary is getting a new music festival. Great. What kind is it? New music. I know that, but what kind of music? New music. And so forth. But for local lovers of the contemporary classical genre and for the more adventurous musical explorers among us, this is no joke.
And something to be truly celebrated.
On Wednesday morning at the National Music Centre, organizers of the inaugural Calgary New Music Festival announced what they hope will become one of the city’s unique annual events celebrating an eclectic mix of sounds and artists.
“There are various new music festivals in Canada,” said artistic director Melanie Leonard, “and we felt that Calgary, as a vibrant city and, to me an exciting city, a city where we feel it’s possible to build new things, where there’s a feel of forward motion, we wanted to bring this ( here) and have the opportunity to present a new artistic and musical experience to Calgarians.”
The two- week long event takes place from May 4- 16 at various locations around town, and is being put on by Neworks Calgary, an organization that “supports the creation and performance of contemporary concert music with emphasis on Calgary and southern Alberta composers and musicians.”
To that end, the festival will feature, along with the New York- based Flux Quartet performing a program of minimalist works with Chicago clarinetist Evan Ziporyn, concerts by such local institutions as: Classical Revolution Calgary, The Land’s End Ensemble, Spiritus Chamber Choir and Kensington Sinfonia.
Leonard, who is also the musical director and conductor of participants Wild West Music Ensemble, said that all of the groups were happy to come on- board because they saw it as an occasion to be a part of the bigger picture, reunited under one theme.
“I always thought of the musical scene in the city as some sort of ecosystem,” she said. “We all have our own identities but when we come together we create this synergy. I think that’s exciting on many levels for the different organizations involved.”
Other individual performers for the fest include Banff- based pianist Luciane Cardassi and organist Neil Cockburn.
As for the hunger there is for an event such as the Calgary New Music Festival among music lovers, Leonard said that although it is a somewhat specialized genre the fact that it falls under the broader umbrella of classical music ensures that there is a healthy pool to draw from.
“Absolutely, absolutely,” said the one- time CPO resident and associate conductor. “We present works from the 20th and 21st century, but at the base also it is a classical music festival. It’s just that it presents works from a certain period, just like a baroque festival would focus on the baroque repertoire.
“And, yes, absolutely I think there’s an audience for this.”
But Leonard said one of the goals of the festival is to build an audience, as well, to create an understanding of new music. It’s part of the reason there will be some free events and why the concerts will be held in some untraditional settings such as Cafe Koi in the Beltline, downtown churches, Festival Hall and Telus Spark — one of the venue sponsors, along with NMC.
“What I’m passionate about is making people curious about new composers, about works that they have never heard before, because there’s so much beautiful, interesting, moving music out there, and I think it’s important to share it with the audience and make them excited,” she said.
“Being a part of what music will be in another 100 years, like we still talk about Mozart, I want us to still talk about the composers that are living today in 100 years.
“And I think it’s exciting for the musicians as well as the audience to think about being an active part of history.”
Which, again, brings us back to one of the greater reasons Neworks and Leonard are undertaking the journey of adding one more festival to the landscape, which is to add to our history.
Or, as the artistic director said, “To contribute to making Calgary known as a vibrant city, a vibrant ( place) where there’s room for new artistic ventures, also a city that is not afraid to embark on new adventures.
“That’s, I think, good for the artistic community but also reflects on … the general feel of the city and the people.”
The Calgary New Music Festival runs May 4- 16 at various locations around Calgary. Festival passes are available now for $ 70 as well as tickets for individual events. For tickets and the complete schedule go to neworkscalgary.com/festival.