Happening Festival of New Music and Media 2013 Celebrating the 10th anniversary! January 21-26, 2013. Presented by the Department of Music, University of Calgary
The 2013 Happening Festival of New Music and Media will be held January 21 to 26, 2013 at the Rosza Centre, University of Calgary. Happening is five days of sonic discovery highlighting established and emerging practices in sound and music. 2013 is the 10th anniversary of Happening and as part of the Calgary 2012 Culture theme, the festival will focus on the rich spectrum of new music created and interpreted by Calgary and international composers and musicians.
The festival offers five concerts encompassing new chamber music, chamber opera, music for large ensemble and orchestra, choral music, and interactive electroacoustic music and sonic arts. The vitality of new music creation and performance at the University of Calgary is highlighted this year with several world premières by composers active in Calgary or who developed their craft and voices here and continue to be active in Canada and abroad. Faculty and student solo performers, chamber ensembles and large ensembles will perform in the festival showcasing the high calibre of performance in the Department of Music.
This year’s guest artists include Calgary’s Land’s End Chamber Ensemble presenting a concert on Friday night focusing on the music of Georges Aperghis, along with several Calgary composers and the première of a large work by Michalis Andronikou. The festival opens with the Thin Edge New Music Collective from the Banff Centre, a unique ensemble comprising flute, violin, cello and accordion, presenting new works from Europe and Canada. The visiting featured ensemble of Happening is Eighth Blackbird, the virtuoso new music ensemble from Chicago and currently one of the most exciting ensembles anywhere. Co-presented with Pro Musica and New Works Calgary, these outstanding musicians will give workshops and masterclasses on interpretation of new music and read through new compositions especially composed for the ensemble. In keeping with the theme that each concert will include a new work from Calgary, their concert on Saturday includes a new work by Allan Bell, especially composed for 8th Blackbird.
Two composers in particular are highlighted this year: renowned composer Allan Bell who is celebrating his 60th birthday in 2013 and the emerging composer Anna Pidgorna who is currently completing her Master’s degree at the University of Calgary while her music is being presented in venues in Canada and internationally.
During the festival there will be several lectures, workshops, masterclasses and a reading session of new works by young composers performed by Eighth Blackbird. All events take place in the Rozsa Centre.
