This is the third year that I’ve been lucky enough to be working at the National Youth Orchestra of Canada. This year we are gathering in the lovely UWO Campus. I’m playing a Haydn Trio with Steve Sitarski and David Hetherington tomorrow night, and some Shostakovich with Mark Skazinetsky. Especially exciting is a mass performance of Coming Together we have planned for July 13th. I’ve never performed it with such a big group – should be pretty fantastic!
Summerworks show needs your help! XXX Live Nude Girls Opens August 6, 2009.
June 16th, 2009 § 0
Hi everyone – the Summerworks show I’m working on, “XXX Live Nude Girls” by Jennifer Walshe, is in need of “propular” assistance.
Check out this post if you are interested in helping out.
Thanks!
New Waves Festival @ The Distillery – Luminato 2009
June 6th, 2009 § 0
Been working at the New Waves Festival in the Distillery during Luminato. This has been organized by the Young Centre, and has been loads of fun. Here’s a nice mention from EYE WEEKLY where I’m identified as a musician from Toca Loca and The Walter Haul. Nice to know that my rock star past still lives on in the memories of hip indie writers.
National Post writeup of Music for 6008 Spokes
December 25th, 2008 § 0
Jun 7, 2008
Under a threatening sky, about 100 cyclists gathered last Saturday at the track field of King Edward Public School. They braved a downpour that held off just long enough for them to create a double-bill performance of Mauricio Kagel’s musical composition Eine Brise for 111 cyclists, plus Toronto choreographer Julia Aplin’s Bicycle Ballet, set to music by John Gzowski. The event, titled Music for 6,008 Spokes, was conceived by musician Gregory Oh for the SoundaXis festival of new music.
To open, an assortment of cyclists performed the experimental Eine Brise, which consisted of riders taking stately circles around the track to chants, whirs, ululations and, of course, bicycle bells, mixed with the sounds of passing airplanes, rising wind in the trees and ominous growls of low thunder.
The volunteer performers seemed to grow braver with each revolution; eventually adding whoops, snorts and operatic trills. The effect resembled some sort of alien whale song. The performers didn’t quite add
up to 111. “If you count tandems, I think we were close to 60,” estimated Oh. Nonetheless, he was “thrilled” with the results.
As the sedate ensemble pedalled off the field, they were replaced by a more energetic pack of 16 young performers from a troupe called DancESAtion, based at the Etobicoke School of the Arts. Dressed in an array of tutus, sequins, tiaras and pink wardrobe pieces, they rode their way through Bicycle Ballet. It resembled a cross between synchronized swim and the Mounties’ Musical Ride, with an interpolated bike-bell performance of the Blue Danube Waltz (spontaneously assisted by numerous audience members).
Although Oh won’t promise a repeat performance, he is contemplating further bike-related music projects: “Toronto is becoming more and more a bike city, so I think we’re going to be seeing more bike art.”
SoundaXis ( soundaxis.ca)continues to June 15.
Credit: Sarah B. Hood; National Post
Going on tour with Continuum, Nov 08
November 10th, 2008 § 0
I’ll be conducting Continuum on their upcoming tour of Europe, which should be plenty fun. We’re playing a kickoff at the music gallery on November 11th, and then we’re off to Amsterdam, Aberdeen, Huddersfield and a few other places inbetween. I’m especially excited about performing at the Muziekgebouw.