Artist In Residence
About the Program
2022/23 marks the fourth year for suddenlyLISTEN’s Artist in Residence program. sL Artists in Residence are chosen through an open call to artists from any discipline working with improvisation. Artists come to Halifax to work on a project, supported by suddenlyLISTEN. During their residency, they are encouraged to interact with as many local people as possible to spread knowledge, build relationships and make music together.
Open Call
Artist-in-Residence
(Winter 2023)
suddenlyLISTEN Music is seeking proposals for our Artist-In-Residence Program for the Winter/Spring of 2023.
This Artist in Residence call is particularly devoted to Canadian BIPOC Artists. We as an organization are committed to engaging with a diverse artist community and are encouraging people from marginalized and intersecting identities, including but not limited to, BIPOC, Queer, and/or Disabled artists, to apply. The committee will take any identity you specify in your application into strong consideration during application assessments.
suddenlyLISTEN will accept proposals from all established and emerging artists who maintain forward-looking art practices driven by sound and improvisation.
For this 5-7 day residency, suddenlyLISTEN will provide: Artist Fee ($1000), a live/work space, a travel stipend ($500), and needed equipment. Our goals for this residency are to provide a creative space for discovery. Results will be driven by the nature of the project, and final outcomes can be discussed. Informal sharing with members of the local community will be arranged during the residency.
Application Deadline: Feb. 6, 2023 (Notification of results: February 17, 2023)
Only applications submitted in full, and on time will be considered. Any additional funding is the responsibility of the artist, but documentation or letters needed for funding assistance can be provided by suddenlyLISTEN.
Questions? Contact: connect@suddenlylisten.com.
Past Artists
Roxanne Nesbitt (Spring 2022)
Trained as an architect and orchestral contrabassist, Roxanne Nesbitt is a multidisciplinary artist, exploring the interaction between sound and design. Roxanne's research includes experimental instrument design, composition, improvisation, sound installation, and performance.
Roxanne is a frequent performer and collaborator in the vibrant Vancouver arts scene, and travels the world frequently to exhibit, collaborate and learn.
Louis-Charles Dionne (Spring 2021)
Louis-Charles Dionne is a multidisciplinary artist and educator from the South shore of Montreal QC, now based in Halifax NS. He holds a BFA in Sculpture and Art History from Concordia University, a graduate diploma in Post-Secondary Education from the Université du Québec à Montréal, and an MFA in Fine and Media Arts from NSCAD University. His practice is anchored in sculpture, installation, and public art, and has evolved from foundry work; mostly with bronze and cast iron. Recently, Dionne has been working in stone carving and installation, and he has been developing a performance collective and a collaborative curatorial practice. Dionne repositions mundane artifacts in order to twist and question relations with everyday objects. His work reorients the material cultures around us through slight shifts in their composition, framing, and utility. Dionne currently teaches in the Extended Studies, Art Education, and Art History and Contemporary Culture divisions at NSCAD University where he has also been working as a course developer.
Robin Servant (Fall 2021)
Robin Servant is a musician with a passion for traditional musics, improvisation and composition. He has worked in many traditional music groups (trio Salicorne, Tord-Vis, la Marée montante) and improvised music groups (GGRIL, Escarbilles). He tries to make connections between popular traditions and contemporary musics. His work is organised around 2 axes : sharing the experience and experience of the moment.
With Du souffle et de l’espace, he explores the acoustic of the places he visits by making them vibrate with his accordion, drivers and electronics. Robin also works as a composer and a sound designer for the screen. He has collaborated in over 50 productions over the years.
In addition to his solo recording, he also released this year Double entendre a pandemic postal collaboration with Halifax guitarist extraordinaire Geordie Haley, both available on Tour de Bras.
Snapshots from Robin's Residency
Emily Kennedy (Fall 2020)
Emily Kennedy is a cellist and composer based in Fredericton, New Brunswick. Often seen collaborating with electronic musicians, dancers, visual artists, and songwriting projects, her personal practice is an opportunity to synthesize her classical training with her interests in improvisation, minimalism, field recordings, and pop music. She mulls over translation, repetition, self reflection, and time in her work, using loop and effect pedals to expand the possibilities of her instrument. She is a graduate of the performance program at the University of Ottawa and Wilfrid Laurier University. Her interest in performing and writing new music has brought her to Banff’s Concert in the 21st Century residency, the Britten-Pears: Composition, Alternative Performance and Performance Art program in Aldeburgh, UK, Montreal Contemporary Music Lab, and RE:FLUX Festival in Moncton, NB with improv trio Terre Wa. Emily was fortunate to be the Emerging Musician in Residence at the University of New Brunswick’s 2017-18 season. As a classical musician, she frequently performs with the Elm City String Quartet, guitarist Steven Peacock, Symphony New Brunswick, Atlantic Sinfonia, and as a part of UNB's musicUNB Performance Series. Outside of the classical music world, Emily is active in genre-crossing projects, collaborating with poets, textile artists, and dancers. She has toured Eastern Canada with electronic project Siding (formerly Property//), created installation work with all female electronic improv trio Terre Wa, and writes and sings for the string duo Pallmer. Emily has taught cello at Mount Allison University, and maintains a full private teaching studio in Fredericton.
Jennifer Thiessen (Spring 2020)
In the winter of 2020, Montreal violist Jennifer Thiessen was our first A in R and we couldn’t have been more pleased with her time in Halifax. Jen got a long of exploration done, she performed on the final concert before lockdown on March 13. As well, and perhaps most importantly for our community, Jen visited with, played with and drank coffee with 11 local artists, ranging from emerging improvisers to established composers.
Check out Jennifer's blog on her personal website: