The Happening Festival of New Music and Media 2012 will offer four concerts featuring new music for ensembles, soloists and digital media. 2012 marks the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the birth of Claude Debussy, the remarkable French composer who opened the way for many of the creative developments in the music of our time. His fascination with sound colour and his evocation of soundscapes in his music continues to resonate with today’s composers, musicians and audiences. Throughout the festival, the music and ideas of Claude Debussy will be interspersed with contemporary instrumental, vocal and sonic art works.
Happening will feature the Calgary Youth Orchestra conducted by Edmond Agopian performing the‘world première’ of Debussy’s Second Suite Bergamasque for orchestra, realized from Debussy’s sketches by guest composer and musicologist Robert Orledge. The dynamic percussion sextet Sixtrum from Montréal will present a concert of new and classic works for percussion ensemble bringing together traditions from Europe, North American and around the world. Other performers and ensemble include pianist Colleen Athparia, UCalgary New Music Ensemble, violinist Edmond Agopian and the UCalgary String Quartet.
The featured artist of the festival will be the composer, radio artist and sound ecologist Hildegard Westerkamp. Renowned for her immersive soundscape compositions, audiences will be able to hear several of her works in concert and participate in her daytime soundscape workshops and lectures.
Each year Happening presents a sonic art installation. This year’s project will call for sound clips of soundscapes, sound events and sound objects sent in from people around the world. These recordings will be the material for a continuous and ever-changing multi-channel soundscape work.