For Immediate Release January 23, 2020
New Waves, Tidal Waves, Sonic Waves, Electric Waves
Esprit Orchestra Announces Programming for New Wave Festival 2020
Following the success of last year’s New Wave Reprise event, Esprit is delighted to announce an expanded New Wave Festival for emerging composers. This year, the three-day festival will run from April 16-18th, with all events taking place at Trinity St. Paul’s Centre. The festival is comprised of four concerts, an artist’s panel, and a finale reception. In addition, renowned Canadian composer John Rea will reprise his role as keynote speaker, providing captivating ideas about the vibrant world of contemporary classical music. 65% of festival programming is Canadian, ranging from hot-shot young solo performers, to mixed ensemble, to full orchestra. Single tickets and festival passes are available at both regular and student pricing. Esprit subscribers receive free admission to New Wave events & concerts.
“More waves of young composers are turning up in Canada every year,” says Esprit Music Director & Conductor, Alex Pauk. “They are well-trained, passionate, and have lots of exciting ideas for grabbing your attention. Esprit’s New Wave Festival aims to initiate and sustain relationships with these firebrands, as well as superb young performers, and provide a career-launching showcase for their creations. Our New Wave rendezvous also enables audiences to get to know these artists and their work in a deep, meaningful way.”
A festival highlight is a soloist initiative, showcasing young soloists who will appear performing concerti with Esprit next season. The festival opens on Thursday April 16th with New Waves, an afternoon concert for high school students, conducted by both Alex Pauk, and emerging composer Eugene Astapov.
On Friday April 17th, the first of the public concerts, Tidal Waves, will be performed. Preceding the concert and enhancing the experience will be an engaging panel discussion with the featured artists, moderated by John Rea. The concert itself will feature works by Keiko Devaux, Quinn Jacobs, Julia Mermelstein, Stephanie Orlando, Tze Yeung Oh and Edson Zampronha. In addition, composer Chris Paul Harman will be featured with a new work that was commissioned and will be premiered by Amahl Arulanandam & Bryan Holt of the cello duo, VC2. Accordionist Michael Bridge will also perform as a guest soloist on the Tidal Waves program.
The final day of the festival, Saturday April 18th, will feature two concerts as well as other exciting events. Sonic Waves, the matinee concert, features works by John Rea, Misato Mochizuki, Žibuoklė Martinaitytė, and Jamie Li. Cellist, Cameron Crozman, will perform as guest soloist in both Kaija Saariaho’s Sept Papillons, and in selections from Mystery Variations.
On Saturday evening, John Rea will give his much anticipated keynote address, offering thought-provoking insights about contemporary musical trends. The festival finale concert, Electric Waves follows the keynote with gripping music to end the festival. Electric Waves includes the reappearance of two works which were featured on Esprit’s Koerner Hall Series: James O’Callaghan’s Not non-other and Eugene Astapov’s A Still Life. Both pieces were commissioned by Esprit Orchestra and are set to receive their respective World Premieres in February and March. Soprano Shannon Mercer appears as guest artist in the Astapov work, which features poetry by Russian poet, Polina Barskova. Other features of the Electric Waves program are the premiere of a revised work by Alison Yun-Fei Jiang which she will conduct, the World Premiere of a new work by Christina Volpini, as well as works by Maurizio Azzan and Nicole Lizée. Cameron Crozman makes a second festival appearance in Azzan’s work for solo cello, dancer, and electronics alongside choreographer & dancer Jennifer Nichols.
ESPRIT ORCHESTRA 2019/2020 CONCERT SEASON
NEW WAVE FESTIVAL
Trinity St. Paul’s Centre | 427 Bloor Street West
2019/2020 Subscribers entitled to FREE ADMISSION
Single Tickets: Regular $15; Student $10 | Festival Pass: Regular $40; Student $25
Please call 416-815-7887 or visit espritorchestra.com
New Waves
Thursday April 16, 2020 | 1:00PM
Free Student Concert | Educators arrange bookings in advance through Esprit office
Programme:
| Keiko Devaux (Canada) | Ebb (2018) |
| Misato Mochizuki (Japan) | Chimera (2000) |
| Jamie Li (Canada) | New Work (2020)* |
| Quinn Jacobs (Canada) | Action Gallery (2020)* |
| Christina Volpini (Canada) | waves, breaking, reflecting light (2020)** |
Alex Pauk, conductor
Eugene Astapov, conductor
*World Preview commissioned by Esprit Orchestra
**World Preview commissioned by Esprit Orchestra with generous support from the Ontario Arts Council
Tidal Waves
Friday April 17, 2020 | 8:00PM
Pre-Concert Artist’s Panel, moderated by John Rea, begins at 7:00PM
Programme:
| Keiko Devaux (Canada) | Ebb (2018) |
| Quinn Jacobs (Canada) | Action Gallery (2020)* |
| Julia Mermelstein (Canada) | in turn (2017) |
| Chris Paul Harman (Canada) | Suite for Two Cellos (2019)** |
| Tze Yeung Oh (Norway) | Utrolig Varmt Vann (“extremely hot water”) (2016) |
| Edson Zampronha (Brazil) | Trazo (“stroke” as in brush stroke) (2014) |
| Stephanie Orlando (Canada) | phases of the moon (2019) |
Alex Pauk, conductor
Eugene Astapov, conductor
VC2, cello duo (Amahl Arulanandam & Bryan Holt)
Michael Bridge, accordion
*World Premiere commissioned by Esprit Orchestra
**World Premiere commissioned by VC2
Sonic Waves
Saturday April 18, 2020 | 3:00PM
Programme:
| John Rea (Canada) | Accident (Tombeau de Grisey) (2004) |
| Misato Mochizuki (Japan) | Chimera (2000) |
| Žibuoklė Martinaitytė (Lithuania) | Completely Embraced by the Beauty of Emptiness (2006) |
| Jamie Li (Canada) | New Work (2020)* |
| Kaija Saariaho (Finland) | Sept Papillons (2000) |
| Various Composers | Mystery Variations (2010) |
Alex Pauk, conductor
Eugene Astapov, conductor
Cameron Crozman, cello
*World Premiere commissioned by Esprit Orchestra
Electric Waves
Saturday April 18, 2020 | 8:00PM
Keynote Address by John Rea begins at 7:00PM
Programme:
| James O’Callaghan (Canada) | Not non-other (2020) |
| Nicole Lizée (Canada) | Sepulchre (2018) |
| Alison Yun-Fei Jiang (Canada) | Snow Music (2020)* |
| Maurizio Azzan (France) | Where the here and now of nowhere is (2018) |
| Christina Volpini (Canada) | waves, breaking, reflecting light (2020)** |
| Eugene Astapov (Canada) | A Still Life (2020) |
Alex Pauk, conductor
Shannon Mercer, soprano
James O’Callaghan, electronics
Eugene Astapov, conductor
Alison Yun-Fei Jiang, conductor
Jennifer Nichols, choreographer/dancer
Cameron Crozman, cello
*World Premiere: revision/expansion of “Temporal”, originally commissioned by Esprit Orchestra
**World Premiere commissioned by Esprit Orchestra with generous support from the Ontario Arts Council
Season Sponsor:
New Wave Festival Sponsors:
Art Mentor Foundation Lucerne | Azrieli Foundation | SOCAN Foundation | Annex Food Hall | Goose Island Brewhouse
Esprit Orchestra is Canada’s only full-sized orchestra devoted exclusively to performing and promoting new orchestral music. Esprit Orchestra gratefully acknowledges Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council, Toronto Arts Council, Ontario Arts Foundation, The Michael and Sonja Koerner Charitable Foundation, The Mary-Margaret Webb Foundation, Timothy & Frances Price, Power Corporation of Canada, RBC Foundation, The Max Clarkson Family Foundation, The Charles H. Ivey Foundation, The Amphion Foundation, Inc., Japan Foundation, and Anonymous for their generous support.
Media Contact:
Amber Melhado / Marketing & Outreach Coordinator
(416) 815-7887