This time of year seems to roll around faster and faster each year, but it is always a welcome mini-break from the busy season.
And it's a nice opportunity to pause and look around.
Looking back, the first half of the year was pretty interesting and a bit different from the "normal" season.
First we co-presented our friends New Hermitage in a Halloween movie tour. NH played a live soundtrack to Nosferatu for over 200 folks in 4 shows in Nova Scotia and PEI.
Next we presented Ensemble Silkabo in Est/Ouest at the Halifax Central Library (our first time in Paul O'Regan Hall!). This concert was fun: the music was only a little bit improvised, but the compositions were new and the international crew of musicians were really terrific players, and really friendly people!
Finally, just a couple of weeks ago, we reassembled Collateral for a show at St David's. The show was opened by Joyfultalk //\\ Nicola Miller and was a great example of free improvised music being skillfully created!
And of course we were running the sLAB, our youth music program at Halifax North Memorial Library, and we released 5 episodes of our podcast New Musings on New Music! Oh, and we hosted our first Artist in Residence Terri Hron from Montreal.
Whew.
And there's so much more!
Coming up we co-present Tom Richard's Unfolding River at Upstream's Open Waters Festival. We've just started rehearsal for this show and I can tell you I'd going to be great! The music is composed, improvised, colourful and really nice to listen to! Thats January 10 at the new Strugg Hall at Dalhousie's Fountain School.
Then we reassemble HaliRiki, a badass quartet of Rimouskias and Haligonians. Éric Normand, Antoine Letourneau, Brandon Auger and I played at Tour de Bras in Rimouski a couple of October's ago and it was epic! There is a variety of sounds and possibilities for this group, it's worth exploring them more and more!
In March we assemble an ensemble to interpret graphic scores by Tim Crofts, Nicole Rampersaud, and a special new work by Terri Hron (Montreal) and Charlotte Hug (Switzerland). This show will be a feast for the eye and ears, on March 19, at The Music Room.
Finally, we have invited Joe Sorbara, a drummer and community leader from Guelph to hold one of his ad hoc ensemble shows. Joe has a beautiful way creating a space for a broad variety of musicians to play together. This concert will mix and match a crowd of Halifax's best improvisers, curated by Joe and by fate!
It's a pretty interesting series of shows, I hope you'll join us to listen.