Shawn Conner explains the attraction behind Music for the Augmented Pipe Organ.
1. Stops and ranks
At 74 stops, this is Vancouver’s largest pipe organ. In organ-ese, stops (and ranks) describe the number of separate voices that are accessible on the organ; pull out a stop and you hear a specific voice, such as flutes, strings-like sounds, horns and reeds. The organ is a Casavant, which means it was made by Casavant Freres, a company based in Saint-Hyacinthe, Que., and in operation since 1879.
2. Augmentation
The concert follows a year of collaborative development between George Rahi and interface designer Johnty Wang to augment the church’s organ. Using custom software and digital controls to expand the instrument’s capabilities and sounds, Rahi will perform his own compositions.
3. George Rahi
The augmented organ is the brainchild of composer and sound artist Rahi, an MFA candidate at Simon Fraser’s School for the Contemporary Arts. His interests include electro-acoustics, organology (the study of musical instruments) and robotics. He has produced performances, installations and works for radio and theatre for the Canadian Music Centre, Western Front, Vancouver New Music, and SPEKTRUM (Berlin), among others.
4. Hfour
The Vancouver studio brings together artists, designers, programmers and technologists for experiential projects. For Music for the Augmented Pipe Organ, Hfour will project visuals on the church’s interior.
5. It’s free, and educational
The concert is free, and there will be a pre-show demonstration and talk about the setup of the organ.
MUSIC FOR THE AUGMENTED PIPE ORGAN
When: Friday at 8 p.m. Where: Pacific Spirit United Church, 2195 W. 45th Ave., Vancouver Tickets: Free