Fall festival offers wide selection of music, crammed schedule of events

DAVID GORDON DUKE

For a smallish organization, David Pay’s Music on Main isn’t afraid to think big.

Last fall MoM was a partner in Vancouver’s biggest new music event, the ISCM Festival, which brought a wide selection of composers and new music aficionados to town for a veritable glut of concerts.

This November brings the latest instalment of the Modulus Festival, a more focused event than last year, but still a lot of new music over the course of a dozen events Nov. 2-8.

The festival kicks off Nov. 2 at festival home base, The Roundhouse, with a program featuring Ensemble Variances

(France), and the remarkable singer/musicologist/composer Katarina Livljanic, whose previous performances for Early Music Vancouver were utterly remarkable. This one, billed as “Walking in Beauty: a concert-ritual,” promises to be just as noteworthy.

The rest of the weekend is crammed with activities, including a free percussion concert Saturday, 2 p.m. at The Roundhouse, and talks Saturday and Sunday, 12:30 p.m. at The Post at 750 (the small performance space at 750 Hamilton St.).

For piano fanciers there are two keyboard-oriented programs Sunday: “echo replay,” presented in co-operation with the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, features Richard Uttley, 2 p.m. Saturday in CBC Studio 700; Eve Egoyan’s “Solo for Duet” is back at the Roundhouse at 8 p.m.

And there are some larger scale propositions as well. Saturday’s festivities end with MalFFFunction with vocalist/ composer Laura Bowler & the Music on Main All-Star Band, 8 p.m. The Festival winds up Tuesday at 8 p.m. with “Mythos,” featuring Vancouver’s own Standing Wave contemporary music ensemble. Both events are at The Roundhouse.

As well as concerts, there are talks, and a collaboration with the DOXA Documentary Film Festival.

With so much to hear and see in such a concentrated space of time, check out musiconmain.ca for details.

Tickets are ultra affordable (singles from $20; student tickets from $10), and there are other options including a Pick-4 Festival pack, which will be offered at a 20 per cent discount. Driftwood Percussion offers a free concert at Modulus Festival.