CMC Prairie Region

Monster Music Sale
2024-04-03 09:00 - 16:00, 2024-04-04 09:00 - 16:00 (America/Edmonton) | University Theatre Foyer, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4, Canada
Our upcoming Monster Music Sale will feature sheet music, music books, rare and superlative LP’s and box sets, and compact disks from all genres! Everything $5 on day one, everything half price on day two!

Kati AGÓCS with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra
2024-09-27 18:30 - 21:30, 2024-09-28 18:30 - 21:30 | Jack Singer Concert Hall, 205 8 Ave SE, Calgary, AB, T2G 0K9, Canada
Treat yourself to an evening of magnificent symphonic classics performed by your Calgary Phil. The concert opens with Canadian composer Kati Agócs’ dignified A Hero’s Welcome. Then, pianist Jonathan Biss brings out all the brilliance and splendor of Ludwig van Beethoven’s grand Emperor concerto with his renowned finesse and sensitivity. Conductor Ramón Tebar then plumbs the emotional depths of Johannes Brahms’s powerful Fourth Symphony, full of passion, anguish, and tenderness.
AGÓCS A Hero’s Welcome
BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 5

BRAHMS Symphony No. 4
Join us in the lobby 6:35PM for our Pre-Concert chat.
This concert includes a 20-minute intermission.

Modern Composers Toolbox: Using Digitized Choir and Vocal Tools
2025-06-07 10:30 - 12:00 | Alberta
Presenting the FIRST of TWO FREE ONLINE ZOOM WEBINARS presented by CMC Prairie and D. Geoffrey Bell. You MUST register for this event via eventbrite (get tickets) to receive the ZOOM link.
Join CMC Associate Composer D. Geoffrey Bell for the first webinar in his “Modern Composers Toolbox” series, as he dives into the world of digital software for emerging composers! This first session is catered to those with an interest in writing choral and vocal music, showcasing the newest advances in music software, capable of bringing both your music and lyrics to life.
You’ll be introduced to the variety of music-writing and typesetting programs available, including Finale, Sibelius, Dorico, MuseScore, and NoteAbility Pro, allowing you to transfer your ideas from paper directly onto a score. Next, you’ll explore major players of music recording software, including GarageBand, Audacity, and Reaper. For the digital audio workstation (DAW)-based composers (or anyone looking to gain familiarity with one), Geoffery will present Audio Units and VSTs, such as KONTAKT, and Musio, including standalone players, and their integration into your DAW. Finally, you will delve into the latest technical revolution in music composition: digital instruments and voices. Gone are the days of the “ooh” and “ah” choirs of music-writing software; now, programs such as Vocaloid and Cantai digitized choir will read your music and lyrics in real time, creating a more realistic rendering of your scores.
There will be several demonstrations of different programs throughout, including short audio samples, and the pros and cons of each software. This webinar will expose composers to the many specific uses of technology in choral and vocal music-writing, such as constructing a demo recording, or creating guide audio tracks to help singers learn their parts.
For any composer interested in learning more about writing vocal music and the technology available, you will not want to miss this exciting presentation by renowned choral composer, D. Geoffrey Bell!

ArcherFest 2025
2025-11-22 12:30 - 16:00 | National Music Centre, 850 4 St SE, Calgary, Alberta, T2G 1R1, Canada
Canadian Music Centre Prairie Region Presents:
ArcherFest, November 22 & 23
Celebrating the Life and Legacy of Violet Archer
The Canadian Music Centre Prairie Region is proud to present: ArcherFest, a celebration dedicated to the life and legacy of visionary Canadian composer Violet Archer! Also recognizing CMC Prairie’s 45th anniversary, this two-day festival brings together artists from across Canada to honour Archer and her contribution to the Canadian classical landscape.

Day 1 – November 22
Join Us for Family Friendly Events!

Time
Event
Location
Admission Information

11:45am
Kimball Theatre Organ Demonstration – Catch the live demonstration of Kimball Theatre Organ! Used to soundtrack movies during the silent film era of the 1920s, the Kimball Theatre Organ is one of the most popular items in the National Music Centre collection.
Level 3, Sound Affects
Admission required to access this demonstration

12:30pm
Violet’s Path: a free storytelling event for the whole family!
Level 1, Drop-in Zone
FREE Admission, pre-registration required

1:30pm
Composer Reading Session with the Kensington Sinfonia
Level 1, Drop-in Zone
FREE Admission, pre-registration required

This interactive storytelling event is written and performed by Léa Plourde-Archer, grandniece of Violet Archer, and features pianist Sandra Joy Friesen. All ages welcome!
“I knew in my soul that I needed to play music every day for the rest of my life. Music brought me so much joy that I didn’t want to think about how hard life could be at the time for a woman trying to make a name for herself in the musical industry.” – Léa Plourde-Archer, Violet’s Path: the melodious life of Violet Balestreri Archer
Violet Archer (1913-2000) earned high honours as a classical music composer beginning in the 1930s. This was a rare career choice, especially for women at the time, so Violet faced many obstacles. Through passion and perseverance, she earned much respect from her peers and built up a catalogue comprising over 300 compositions.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of Violet’s death, and her work and life story are as relevant as ever. Inspired by her great-aunt’s legacy, drive, and enthusiasm, writer Léa Plourde-Archer presents a picture book manuscript that will bring Violet’s story to new eyes and ears. Meant to be enjoyed by children and adults alike, this story is one of a great Canadian artist who didn’t set out to be a trailblazer, but became a role model to many simply by following her instincts.
The author will read the full manuscript, which will be accompanied by drawings and photographs illustrating Violet Archer’s life. The reading will also be punctuated with short musical interludes played by live musicians.

About Léa Plourde-Archer:
Léa Plourde-Archer is an experienced content writer and emerging literary voice. Recently, her creative focus has turned toward the life and legacy of her great aunt, celebrated Canadian composer Violet Archer. Fueled by a deep curiosity and a vibrant imagination, Léa is currently developing two manuscripts about Violet’s life: one crafted for young readers and the other intended for adults. She hopes to bring this remarkable musical figure to new audiences through storytelling and research.

The Canadian Music Centre Prairie Region presents Composer’s Reading Session, featuring the Kensington Sinfonia. This interactive session brings selected works by local contemporary composers to life, giving each piece a live reading and immediate response from the musicians. Composers can hear their music performed, experiment with ideas, and work directly with the ensemble to explore nuances of orchestration and interpretation. As a rare live workshop experience, this session provides invaluable feedback from professional musicians.
About Kensington Sinfonia:
The Kensington Sinfonia has been sharing intimate, inspiring chamber music with Calgary since 1988. From timeless Baroque favorites to bold new works, the ensemble creates programs that celebrate both tradition and innovation. With a strong focus on local composers and collaborations, the Sinfonia brings fresh energy to every performance. Now in its fourth decade, Kensington Sinfonia continues to make classical music welcoming, creative, and community-driven — inviting audiences of all ages to connect with the joy of live performance in new and meaningful ways.

This festival is presented in partnership with the National Music Centre and the Alberta Registered Music Teachers Association (ARMTA)

New Music Edmonton presents Through Closed Doors – Ukrainian New Music
2025-12-05 19:30 - 21:30 | Mile Zero Dance, 9931- 78 Avenue NW, Edmonton, Alberta, T6E 1N6, Canada
New Music Edmonton presents Through Closed Doors – Ukrainian New Music – a portrait of some of the incredible new work being created by composers of the Ukrainian descent diaspora. Zoltan Almashi is still in Ukraine. In one way or another, their works reflect on, or are influenced by, the current and past history of Ukraine, and of Ukrainian culture. They suggest that art and creativity are a central, crucial voice in ensuring an ongoing, robust identity. Led by violinist Viktoria Grynenko, this all-star ensemble of some of our city’s finest string players will interpret these amazing works for various strings configurations, including electronics. Based around reactions to invasion and war, reflections on the Revolution of Dignity, this will be a profoundly moving, absorbing look at what it can mean to create art with intense resolve and belief.
Viktoria Grynenko and Vladimir Rufino (violin), Fabiola Amorim (viola), Amy Nicholson (cello), Guillaume Tardif (violin). Compositions by Anna Pidgorna, Boris Loginov, Zoltan Almashi.
Content warning – sleep during insomnia has sounds of air raids and explosions.
Through Closed Doors is a clandestine dialogue between two people trapped on opposite sides of a closed door. The definitive version of the score is inscribed on a restored antique door, which was once hacked with a hatchet, leaving a jagged hole. This disturbingly fascinating wound inspired the dramatic conception of this piece and some of its musical gestures. The phrasing draws loosely on speech and song patterns, while the work’s structure grows around the door, guided by its various panels and defects. The graphic notation, designed specifically for this piece, eliminates accents, dynamics, and bow pressure markings by incorporating them directly into the staff lines. The wavering staves resemble natural wood patterns and invite the performers to approach the score intuitively. The layout of the musical lines on the door guides the physical manifestation of the drama being played out in the music. This work was commissioned by Thin Edge New Music Collective and premiered by Ilana Waniuk and Suhashini Arulanandam in 2014, in Toronto, Canada.
Duo for Two Violins, No. 1 – Composed in 2007 and revisited in 2022, this work was commissioned by Anna Savytska and Jakub Dzialak, a violin duo known for their performances of experimental music. Almashi knew the musicians, however, as virtuoso violinists with great richness of sound, which inspired him to write Duo for Two Violins, No. 1. He aspired to create a piece that allowed the duo to exploit the violin’s conventional range of sound: “I was sure that deep inside, they [Anna Savytska and Jakub Dzialak] wish for a contemporary piece where one can simply play with a beautiful sound, play sincerely and expressively”.
sleep during insomnia – The impulse to create sleep during insomnia originated in the composer’s need to “do something” at the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. This piece for string quartet and electronics is inspired by various forms of sleep and insomnia.
According to Loginov, at the start of the all-out war, everyone was “… sleeping and awake at the same time, we [Ukrainians] could sleep very little, or not sleep at all, or sleep but wake up several times, night or day, constantly waiting for bad news, or even worse news”. His creative process began by experimenting with sounds recorded prior to the Russian invasion, such as his wife’s breathing, the rumblings of an old garage door, and stones clashing or falling. The piece unfolds around the funeral song referred to as “eternal sleep” from Sergei Ta
Through Closed Doors (2014) – Anna Pidgorna
Duo for Two Violins No. 1 (2007-2022) – Zoltan Almashi
sleep during insomnia (2022) – Boris Loginov
Green Sonata – Zoltan Almashi
