Japanese taikoand musi.g .groupKIYOSHINAGATAENSEMBLEpresents:S8cred TreePremiering new worksDirected by Aki TakahashiOctober 13 & 14Friday & Saturday, 20068 pm at Al Green Theatrein the Miles Nadal JCC750 Spadina Avenue(southwest corner of Bloor & Spadina) adults, seniors I studentsUofT tix Box ?ffice: (;,? "''"'""www.uoftt1x.ca \li;J .,.,,,.,,U of T Box Office(Open Mon-Fri, 11 am-Spm)www.kiyoshinagata.com'''" "''"AJ" «i
SoME THING Newby Jason van EykSeptember is always an excitingmonth in Toronto's live musicscene, when the anticipation of anew concert season puts a buzz inthe air. While at this time last yearensembles had to contend with aCBC lockout and the Music Gallery'sinstability, this year's outlookis much more positive, withgood news on a number of frontsfor Toronto's new music community.The first bit of good news is thatthe Music Gallery has pressed forwardand made remarkable recovery.Under the wing of a guidingcoalition, the Gallery's financialsituation has improved, a new missionand programming structure arein place, their board has beenstrengthened, an advisory committeehas been established, and a newExecutive Director has been hired.The first 2006-07 season offeringby the reincarnated Gallery willbe the X AV ANT Festival. Thisfour-night international "X-plosion"of avant-garde musical talentruns September 2 1-24 from theGallery's hub at St. George theMartyr Church, and includes runoutsto new locations like the DrakeUnderground and Sneaky Dee's.The ultimate aim of the festivalis to unite the Music Gallery's diverseprogramming in one tightlycurated, intensive weekend showcase,providing a sampler of thetasty musical treats in the seasonahead. New Music diehards willwant to mark their calendars withX AV ANT dates for Toca Loca(Sep. 22 at 7pm), Duo Diorama(Sep. 24 at 4pm) and Continuum'scollection of warped sonic worksentitled Blips and beeps (Sep. 24at 9pm at Sneaky Dee's). Otherevents, including Barnyard Dramaand Deep Dark United (includingambient techno-dub creator JanJelinek), provide some interestingDid ~Ott k1tvw ...Long & McQuade Sells Acoustic Pianos!/ -·• new & refurbished instrumentsvariety for the palate.For full X AV ANT details visitwww. music gallery. org or call 416-204-1080.The second bit of good newscomes from this summer's inauguralsoundaXis festival of architecture,music and acoustics. Notonly did soundaXis turn Torontointo a playground of sound andspace exploration, it was also ahuge success. For the first twoweeks of June, 26 different arts &cultural organizations collaboratedon a range of events, including 20concerts and numerous screenings,lectures, exhibitions, conferences,symposia and installations. Allwere enjoyed by capacity crowds,received kudos from critics andpraise from overseas attendees.The success of soundaXis hasprovided inspiration for severalevents that launch this fall, whichare taking ensembles out of theconcert hall and into interestingnew locations across the city.Leading the pack is urbanvessel's SLIP project, which followsthree singers, two dancers and onedrummer through the locker roomsand swimming pool of the HarrisonBaths - an urban oasis establishedin 1910 and now housed ina facility built in the1960s. Urbanvesselis a new collective comprisedof choreographer YvonneNg, writer Anna Chatterton, designerChristie Pearson and composerJuliet Palmer, which focuseson site-specific, interdisciplinarywork that expands the idea of publicspace. SLIP will be the group'ssecond public project and runs Sep.20-22, with performances startingat 9pm. Each performance beginsat the Music Gallery. Seating isvery limited, so be sure to reservetickets early . For more details visitwww.urbanvessel.com or call 416-204-1080.A number of musicalprojects are takingplace during the city'sfirst ever Nu it Blancheall-night "contemporaryart thing". Fromsunset on Saturday,Sep. 30 to sunrise onSunday, Oct. 1 Torontoniansare invited toencounter their city inunique ways designedto broaden their experienceof the urbanenvironment. The familiarwill be discardedas Toronto is con-verted into an exhilaratingartistic playground,featuring intriguing electroacousticevents dreamt up by twoimaginative local composers.David Ogborn will transformChalmers House - the CanadianMusic Centre's national home - intoa giant dream-instrument. EntitledDream House, his multi-level,multi-gallery sound installation willinvite the public to experience themusical voices of some 650 Canadiancomposers who make up theCMC's collections. Over on thetraffic islands of University Avenue,Micheline Roi will be offeringa headphones-based soundwalkinspired by stories of Toronto'sunderground Taddle Creek and thede Grassi sisters of the MackenzieRebellion.Roi's piece, Unearthed, asks"what happens when the presentimposes its needs and desires onthe past, and our geography andmemories are buried?" A pressingquestion in light of our current globalcondition. Both of these worksurban vessel, "Slip". L to R: Vilma Vitals,Anna Chatterton and Aki Takahashi.Jumping ahead into the early daysof October, CONTACT is alsotaking a leap into new spaces withtheir season-opener, Music forPassengers, a free 4pm concert designedfor the main hub of DownsviewSubway Station. With a subthemeof "electronica unplugged"CONT ACT will be performingwell-crafted acoustic arrangementsof works by renowned electronicartists such Aphex Twin and BrianEno. These will be complementedby a healthy dose of minimalism,with pieces by Philip Glass,Terry Riley, John Tavener, andToronto's own Ann Southam. Forthose urbanites unwilling to travelso far north, the concert will berepeated downtown at theO'Connor Gallery the followingnight at 8pm, but as a ticketed eventtitled Aural Landscapes.For full details , visitwww.contactcontemporarymusic.caor call 416-902-7010.are offered as part of the Canadian So, get out and explore the newMusic Centre's national New Mu- sounds of the city. Discover thesic in New Places series, which musical geography of some thingtakes the music of Canadian com- new.posers out of the concert hall andinto the communities where they (Jason van Eyk can be reached atwork and live. For more details 416-961 -6601 x . 207 orvisit both www.musiccentre.ca/ jvaneyk@musiccentre.ca.)nmi.cfrn and www.livewithculture.ca or call 416-961-6601 x. 207.WORLDS OF MUSIC TORONTO(WOMT} announces 2006-07 Season for World MusicSHARING WORLD MUSICGLOBAL VOICES &.. RHYTHMSWhere traditional & contemporary music-making meetsin your worldwww.worldsofmusic.caToronto's portal to worlds of music makingSEPTEMBER 1 - O CTOB ER 7 2006 WWW.THEWHOLENOTE.COM 2 7
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