Happy New Year! 

Here's a little update from Riparian Acoustics about some wonderful upcoming stuff (and more).

CMC Presents has its next instalment in less than a month. This time, on January 23rd, we are featuring maverick Albertan artist Rebecca Bruton — a composer/ creator of resonant and quietly powerful music of various kinds. She has gathered a special ensemble for the occasion. Speaking of ensembles, she'll be sharing the bill with Ways, a saxophone and drums duo of rare delicateness featuring Toronto favourites Brodie West and Evan Cartwright. Bruton will also be giving a free talk on her creative practice and conducting an interactive workshop building loops with cassette tapes in the afternoon of January 25th. See below for full details and links.

Also notable — Hamilton's wonderful festival of jazz, improvised and experimental music, Something Else! Festival is running a very unique promotion on their early bird passes right now. Originally today was its last day but they've extended until January 15th, 2020. Have a look below! 

The Alliance for Canadian New Music Projects has also just announced its annual student composition competition (the Louise MacPherson Memorial Award) which will be adjudicated by the brilliant Bekah Simms. 

In more personal news, I'm delighted to share two recent things.

First of all, I'm honoured to have been featured recently on Samuel Andreyev's podcast. Andreyev has garnered a following of curious listeners on his brilliant YouTube channel, offering in-depth yet accessible analyses of an intriguing cross-section of modern works. First and foremost, he's a great composer whose works I profiled in Musicworks Magazine. 

You can hear us speaking about my work here:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/266909/2366753-episode-16-nick-storring-s-haunting-soundworlds

I'm also excited to be sharing the beautiful cover image for my forthcoming album My Magic Dreams Have Lost Their Spell designed by the inimitable Seth Graham, one of Orange Milk Records' head honchos and a very fine electronic music composer. Full details are forthcoming!


—~ Nick Storring

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Thursday, January 23rd, 2019
Riparian Acoustics + Canadian Music Centre present:
Rebecca Bruton + Ways
— at the Canadian Music Centre, 20 St. Joseph Street, Toronto
— doors 7PM, music at 7:30PM
— $15 advance, $20 at the door | Arts Workers: $12 Advance / $15 at the door | Students: $10
— FACEBOOK EVENT
— ADVANCE TICKETS

Western Canadian composer, songmaker and vocalist Rebecca Bruton’s practice spans chamber music to songs, often dealing with land, loss and desire. The concert includes a set by local duo Ways (saxophonist Brodie West and percussionist Evan Cartwright) who make a delicate, spare brand of collectively-composed music that could invite comparisons to Morton Feldman's late output. Ways will be launching their debut recording this spring.


Saturday, January 25th, 2019
Canadian Music Centre presents:
Rebecca Bruton: Tree Noise & other dreams
— at the Canadian Music Centre, 20 St. Joseph Street, Toronto
— doors at 12:30PM, workshop at 1PM
— EVENT (FREE REGISTRATION THROUGH "BUY TICKETS" BUTTON)
A presentation and interactive workshop by composer and performer Rebecca Bruton. 
 
Rebecca will discuss her multidisciplinary generative practice, exploring relationships between microecologies & interspecies entanglings within her home in Banff, Alberta, memory and musical sensation, and the freedom found in using older and obsolete technologies to create new work.  She will also discuss the politics of desire as a motivating force in both individual and community creative process.  Following her presentation, Rebecca will guide participants through an improvised-score-making session, using memory-based techniques from her own practice to generate new materials.  She will also teach participants how to make homemade tape loops, which will be integrated into the score and performed as a group.
 
Participants will be able to take home their completed tape loop, as well as a copy of the performance score created collaboratively during the workshop.  
 
Non-professionals, artists from non-musical disciplines, and kids are welcome to attend.


Further CMC Presents programming (click for details!):


                                                            

IN THE COMMUNITY

Something Else! offers "blind faith" passes for their 2020 festival

Until January 15th the Hamiltonian juggernaut festival, Something Else! will be offering something very unique: a so-called "Blind Faith" pass to their summer 2020 festival.  These passes are $70 (more than 50% off the full price!) and offer all-access to their amazing programming June 18th to 21st, 2020.

The catch — they haven't yet revealed their lineup! However, one look at previous iterations of the festival tells you all you need to know. Each year thus far has been chock-full of pertinent and talented artists converging in everything from established ensembles to rare/ one-off configurations.
 

This year promises to be even more ambitious and eclectic. 
Click here to read more and take the leap of faith!

Alliance for Canadian New Music Projects announces annual Student Composition Competition!

Attention student composers!  The ACNMP is now accepting submissions for the Louise MacPherson Memorial Award for student composition. This year's adjudicator is the JUNO-nominated composer Bekah Simms!  More information and the submission form can be found here: 

http://acnmp.ca/student-composition-class/

Thursday January 16th, 2019
Canadian Music Centre and Cheryl Duvall present:
Innermost Songs
— at the Canadian Music Centre, 20 St. Joseph St., Toronto
— 8PM
— $15/ $20
— ADVANCE TICKETS

Over a year ago, Cheryl Duvall approached seven Canadian composers with diverse voices and practices to write new piano solos while she simultaneously explored the performer/composer relationship. This knockout program features works by remarkable artists: Emilie LeBel, Daniel Brandes, Kotoka Suzuki, Patrick Giguère, James O’Callaghan, Monica Pearce, and Anna Höstman.



Saturday January 25th, 2019
Arraymusic presents:
Four New Works
— at Arrayspace, 155 Walnut Ave.
— concert at 8PM
— $30/ PWYW
— ADVANCE TICKETS

Arraymusic performs four new works (surprise!) by some of our personal favourites here at Riparian Acoustics: Barbara Monk Feldman, Germaine Liu, Martin Arnold and James Lowrie!  I think it's important that you all attend. 



                                                            

NEW & FORTHCOMING MUSIC 

Anna Höstman
Cheryl Duvall, piano
Harbour
(Out 11 January 2020 on Redshift Records)

The debut solo recording of Victoria-based Anna Höstman and pianist Cheryl Duvall (co-founder of Toronto's Thin Edge New Music Collective) sees a singular compositional voice unravelling the many peculiarities of the solo piano medium, and a masterful, ever-curious interpreter offering her full collaborative support. 

Noted writer Tim Rutherford-Johnson has identified Harbour as a release to look out for in 2020 on his site Johnson's Rambler: "Harbour ... is an album of piano solos, played with great finesse and concentration by Cheryl Duvall," he says. "I emphasise concentration, because Höstman’s music demands a combination of intense mindfulness and extremely long-range thought." 

Pre-order Harbour on Redshift's Bandcamp page here.


Nick Storring
Qualms
(out now on Never Anything Records)

[ PURCHASE LINK HERE ]

Earlier this fall, I launched a handsomely designed new cassette and digital release, Qualms, on the lovely Seattle imprint Never Anything Records. They're home to a bunch of delicious releases from the likes of Ross Birdwise, Charles Barabé, Yves Malone, Event Cloak and Talk West.

The album consists of one long work split onto two sides and this music accompanied Yvonne Ng's trio dance work Zhong Xin which premiered at Danceworks at Harbourfront in November 2016. As with the majority of my recent studio compositions, it was made entirely with acoustic and electromechanical instruments and next to zero electronic tomfoolery.  I'd say that it explores some darker and more dissonant territory, which will contrast the lusher, more orchestral flavours you'll hear on my forthcoming LP on Orange Milk early next year. That being said, it isn't without its groovier sections! (cf. side 2!)

"'Qualms' is an intoxicating pleasure, offering both a surface beauty and a wealth of fascinating details to investigate. Well worth hearing." — Brian Olewnick, Just outside.


Rob Clutton with Tony Malaby
Offering
(Out now on SnailBongBong Records)

Bassist and composer Rob Clutton joins forces with veteran NYC saxophonist Tony Malaby for a series of his own intimate compositions that derive directly from his own improvisations. They appear alongside free duo interplay and a lone composition by Nick Fraser. 

"Throughout, one hears the special camaraderie that two gifted improvisers can achieve in a stripped-down setting."  —Stuart Broomer, The WholeNote.


Order Offering at Bandcamp here.