Jessica McMann Trio Spring Tour
2025-05-24 19:30 - 21:30 (America/Vancouver) | Knox Performance Centre, 1448 5th Ave, Prince George, British Columbia, V2L 3L7, Canada
Alberta-based Cree multi-disciplinary artist Jessica McMann brings award winning original classical album Prairie Dusk with The Jessica McMann Trio to Congress Coffee in Calgary
Alberta Cree artist Jessica McMann announces her 2025 tour in celebration of award winning contemporary Classical album Prairie Dusk with a kick off concert at Congress Coffee in Calgary. This is a beautiful and important collection of compositions are deeply rooted in Indigenous narratives of home, family and land, evoking the expansive landscapes of the prairie, foothills and Rocky Mountains. Performances include music, visuals, storytelling and incredible artistry.
“Prairie Dusk is so much more than I could have ever imagined,” says McMann. “I allowed myself to be free from restriction and to write my own reality through my instrument. It is a vulnerable work, and I am so incredibly happy to those who stepped into this journey with me.” Jessica will be re-joined by original album collaborators Navajo pianist Connor Chee (Arizona, USA) and violist Holly Bhattacharya (Okotoks, AB)
Prairie Dusk Awards
YYC Music Awards Classical Recording of the Year 2024
Global Music Awards 2024
Silver Medal for Prairie Dusk: Indigenous Classical & Composer
Silver Medal for Prairie Sunrise: Instrumental
YYC Music Awards Classical Recording of the Year 2022
Global Music Awards 2022
Gold Medal for Incandescent Tales: Indigenous Classical & Emerging Artist
Silver Medal for Muskwa’s Mountain Home: Composition/Composer
Personnel: Jessica McMann (Flute, Alto Flute, Bass Flute, Voice), Connor Chee (Piano), Holly Bhattacharya (Viola, Bowed Piano), Kenna Burima (Producer), Tianna Delorme (Album Artist)
SPRING 2025 TOUR
May 13 Calgary, AB Congress Coffee
May 16 Powell River, BC Max Cameron Theatre
May 17 Denman Island, BC Denman Island Community Hall
May 19 Pender Island, BC Pender Island Community Hall
May 24 Prince George, BC Knox Performance Centre
May 27 Invermere, BC Columbia Valley Centre FREE! Sponsored by The Shuswap Band

Jocelyn Morlock with Spiritus Chamber Choir
2025-05-25 15:00 - 17:00 (America/Edmonton) | Cathedral Church of the Redeemer, 604 - 1 Street SE, Calgary, Alberta, T2G 5H8, Canada
Whispers in the Mirror: MUSICAL REFLECTIONS
Sunday 25 May 2025 • 3:00pm
Cathedral Church of the Redeemer
604 – 1 Street SE, Calgary (MAP)
Whispers in the Mirror: Musical Reflections brings together Spiritus Chamber Choir and the String Theory Music Collective in a unique collaboration that bridges Baroque and contemporary music. The concert will feature Johann Sebastian Bach’s double motet Singet dem Herrn, accompanied by Baroque strings, highlighting the intricate and reflective nature of Baroque music. Complementing this, the ensemble will perform Exaudi by Canadian composer Jocelyn Morlock, creating a dialogue between old and new.

An Introduction to the Music of Richard O. Burdick
2025-06-01 14:00 - 17:00 (America/Regina) | THE EXCHANGE, 2431 8th Ave, Regina, Saskatchewan, S4R 5J7, Canada
An Introduction to the music of Richard O. Burdick
2p.m. Sunday June 1st at THE EXCHANGE 2431 8th Ave, Regina, SK
Admission Suggested $10 by donation
Richard O. Burdick, horn
Shaun Poisson-Fast, trombone
with tape

Richard O. Burdick, horn with Shaun Possion-Fast, trombone AND tape perform:
Birds for solo tape, Op. 44a (12/1987)
4’33” to the Moon for tape, Op. 222*
Bear Valley Fanfares
Two works by Johannes Ockeghem
Vivit Dominus (1430-1497)
O Rosa
A Solo for Horn, Op. 0
Sculpture I for solo horn, Op. 43 (1980)
Sculpture IV for horn and slide projectors, Op. 48 (1988)
Duet No. 4 “Duet in Retrograde” for horn & trombone, Op. 142b*
Universal Rhythm an I Ching Cycle, for Horn, Trombone and Audiotape, Op. 352*
The Mindset Trio for Horn, Trombone and Audiotape, Op. 276a*
Mini Concerto No. 2 for Horn, Trombone and audio tape, Op. 281*
* World Premiere

Quiet, Slow, Boring
2025-06-01 15:00 - 18:00 (America/Edmonton) | St. Stephen’s Anglican Church, 1121 14 Ave SW, Calgary, Alberta, T2R 0P3, Canada
Quiet, Slow, Boring: a farcical title for a show full of excitement, new commissions and beloved repertoire. Mark Limacher’s new composition ‘Some Kind of Variations’ will be premiered along with the Chinese Ensemble Gai Lan performing a new work by Roydon Tse. Balancing out the show will be the delightful Octet by Medelssohn, a peak of the string ensemble repertoire. This show has it all – step away from the noisy world and be immersed in musical beauty.
Featured Performers: Kensington Sinfonia (Gen Micheletti/Andrea Case), Gai Lan Chinese Ensemble, Mark Limacher, Chloe Weston

Festival - 14th Annual Now Hear This Festival of New Music
2025-06-06 19:30 - 22:00, 2025-06-07 19:30 - 22:00, 2025-06-08 19:30 - 22:00, 2025-06-13 19:30 - 22:00, 2025-06-14 19:30 - 22:00 (America/Edmonton) | Alberta
Mile Zero Dance Space (June 6, 7, 13, 14) – 9931- 78 Avenue NW, Edmonton
Edmonton Moravian Church (June 8, 2025) – 9540 83 Ave NW, Edmonton
Look.
Listen.
Experience.
Here comes the one-and-only Now Hear This Festival! This year we’re bringing together new opera, avant-jazz, contemporary dance, free improvisation, chamber music, spectacular multi-media performances, and more. With work that is challenging and profound, yet incredibly joyous and inspiring, the festival is a brilliant, creative celebration of the diverse artists and sound-based practices for which our city is known!
The first weekend kicks off Friday June 6 with an amazing spectacle of musicians and dancers in an improvised show devised and curated by Biboye Onanuga. On Saturday June 7 we have a multimedia opera, Out Loud! created by guests Terri Hron, Helen Pridmore, and Jennifer Beattie, with live electronics, and a chorus of local improvisers. The first weekend closes on Sunday June 8, with a retrospective concert of chamber music and premieres by one of the great musical personalities of our city, George Andrix, with some of his favourite groups, bok brass, WindRose Trio, and The Strathcona String Quartet.
Our second weekend brings a heady double header on Friday and Saturday, as we feature, Here-Hearing, two triple bills of performances by Amiskwaciy-wâskahikan (Edmonton) artists. These shows are bound to surprise and excite all who attend, with risky, brilliant work including new guitar music, electronic music, dance, multimedia, harp and electronics, and… a whole bunch of tvs, telephones, toys, and more!
Conveniently scheduled over two weekends, the festival schedule is relaxed, and it’s easy to take in all of the shows, so grab a pass, and come join us for this great start to the summer solstice season!
June 6 – 14, 2025
CONCERT 1
Elements: Rhythm & Harmony (Curated by Biboye Onanuga)
Friday, June 6, 7:30 pm
Mile Zero Dance
9931- 78 Avenue NW, Edmonton
Returning to the Now Hear This Festival, Biboye Onanuga presents Rhythm & Harmony—an evening of boundary-pushing improvisation that deconstructs the two foundational elements of music. The Edmonton-based drummer and composer has curated an iconoclastic ensemble of local musicians, joined by two dancer-choreographers who will embody the music in real-time.
Onanuga has challenged the improvisers (most of whom have backgrounds in “jazz”) with constraints designed to disrupt convention and push them beyond their comfort zones. The first set explores improvisation with static or minimal rhythmic support, while the second forces players to navigate unconventional harmony. Throughout, the dancers respond in real-time, their movement evolving with the music’s shifting shape and encouraging a feedback loop with the sextet.
Movement and music entwine—shifting, responding, colliding—creating a fleeting world where sound and body move as one.
Featuring:
Sekou “Mr. Kou” Sonko-Boisclair – dance (Hip-Hop/House)
Gianna Vacirca – dance (Contemporary)
Rueben Spyker, drums
Evan Stewart, bass
Stephanie Urquhart, piano
Gareth Gilliland, guitar
Audrey Ochoa, trombone
Allison Balcetis, saxophone

CONCERT 2
Out Loud
Created and Performed by Helen Pridmore, Jennifer Beattie, and Terri Hron
Saturday, June 7, 7:30 pm
Mile Zero Dance
9931- 78 Avenue NW, Edmonton
New Music Edmonton welcomes this innovative, brilliant trio of risk-taking artists to present their original creation, Out Loud. This phenomenal multimedia experience is a two-part opera, and a contemporary feminist take on classic female characters in literature, Titania, from A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and The Mermaid from The Little Mermaid. You may think you know these two, but in Out Loud, they are brilliantly redefined with complexity as strong leaders, with powerful connections to themselves and their ancestors.

CONCERT 3
A George Andrix Retrospective
Featuring: The Strathcona String Quartet, bok brass, WindRose Trio and George Andrix
Sunday, June 8, 7:30 pm
Edmonton Moravian Church
9540 83 Ave NW, Edmonton
New Music Edmonton is proud to put the focus on one of the key figures in contemporary music making here in our community, George Andrix, in collaboration with some of his most important collaborators. A hugely prolific and innovative composer, performer, educator, administrator, and more, George Andrix has been part of the scene here for decades. For this event, we are especially excited, for the first time, to bring together for the first time, three amazing local ensembles who have been collaborating with George Andrix for many years. They will share some of their favourites of his works, give the world premiere Andrix composition combining all 12 musicians!

CONCERT 4 and 5
Here-Hearing
Friday, June 13 and Saturday June 14, 7:30 pm
Mile Zero Dance
9931- 78 Avenue NW, Edmonton
Our community is absolutely teeming with amazing musicians and sound artists, and in 2025 we will give special emphasis to these amazing creatives in two nights of brilliant, and unique work. Curated primarily from an open call, these two shows in the fabulous Mile Zero Dance space are guaranteed to offer surprises and new ideas, and definitely a rich and inspiring mix of sound-oriented creativity. Classical composition, free improvisation, electronics, multimedia, and much more are all brought together in a 2-night double of brilliant local work. June 13: Marek Orszulik; Alicia Proudfoot; Red River Resonance (Louis Bouchier and Jen Dunford). June 14: Creamy Rainbow (Andrew Thorne and Anna Wildish); Soft Ions (Jenna Turner and Parker Thiessen); Codyma (Cole Dorchester, Makenna Graham, and Dylan Lindsay).

Modern Composers Toolbox: Using Digitized Choir and Vocal Tools
2025-06-07 10:30 - 12:00 (America/Edmonton) | 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!

COSMIC HARMONIES, featuring Dr. Jillian Camwell (soloist) and CMC AC Michelle Lorimer
2025-06-08 19:00 - 21:00 (America/Edmonton) | Christ Church Calgary, 3602 8th Street SW, Calgary, Alberta, T2T3A7, Canada
COSMIC HARMONIES

BUY TICKETS

June 8, 2025 | 7:00PM
Christ Church Calgary
3602 8th Street SW
Calgary, AB
ALBERTA WINDS presents COSMIC HARMONIES with special guest Jillian Camwell, oboe soloist.
Calgary’s collection of committed woodwind, brass and percussion players returns to the stage with special guest, former Calgarian, noted international performer and Troy University assistant professor Jillian Camwell in the Canadian Premiere of COSMIC HARMONIES, one of the final works of legendary band composer Robert W. Smith. This concerto for oboe, written for and in consultation with Dr. Camwell, is inspired by the work of American artist “Nall” Hollis, a student of Dalí.
We are also proud to present A COLOUR SYMPHONY, the symphony #3 by British Composer Philip Sparke. Meant as a large scale work designed to show off the various timbres or tone colours available in the modern wind band, the music also is inspired by the neurological condition of Chromesthesia, where various musical sounds are experienced as visual colours.
Canadian TV/Media composer Michelle Lorimer wrote DAYBREAK, DRAWN TO THE FIRE as the great eclipse of 2024 was fascinating many in Ontario and the eastern part of the country. In its musical depiction of a second dawn of the sun in the middle of the day, Lorimer’s music looks to remind listeners of the ever present possibility of new life, and an optimistic vision of the future, even in the face of darkness.

Modern Composers Toolbox: Using Digitized Instruments
2025-06-21 10:30 - 12:00 (America/Edmonton) | Alberta
Presenting the SECOND 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 second webinar in his “Modern Composers Toolbox” series, as he dives into the world of digital software for emerging composers! This second session is for composers interested in writing for instrumental groups and ensembles, 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. Programs such as the Garritan Orchestras and ensembles, or the BBC Symphony Orchestras bring your scores to life, with a large collection of instrument libraries, playback techniques, and acoustic setups to suit your compositions. From intimate chamber groups to epic film scores, you can capture your desired sound at your fingertips.
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 instrumental music, such as constructing a mockup recording.
For any composer interested in learning more about writing instrumental music and the technology available, you will not want to miss this exciting presentation by renowned choral composer, D. Geoffrey Bell!

PLACES // PARTING featuring Allan Gilliland
2025-06-21 19:00 - 21:00 (America/Edmonton) | Robertson-Wesley United Church, 10209 123 St NW, Edmonton, Alberta, T5N 1N3, Canada
PLACES // PARTING
NEW DATE – Jun. 21, 2025, 7:00pm @ Robertson-Wesley United Church
Description
Join three local Edmonton composers—Geoff Li, Daniel Belland, and Allan Gilliland—for the premiere of their newly commissioned classical works, performed by the esteemed Obsessions String Quartet and Sarah Ho on piano!
The three composers are known for giving classical music a refreshing spin by interweaving it with their cornucopia of diverse influences, including forms of traditional Chinese and Korean music, jazz, K-pop, theater, and Brazilian choro.
The concert is a celebration of local talent and the sounds of today; the all-original program is both a celebration of the connections we make—to cultures, to land, to people—and a reflection of the various challenges of the 21st century.
Entry by donation.
Program
Allan Gilliland: Ruby Nights on Shining Shores (for Piano Quintet) – Premiere
Geoff Li: Towards Clarity (for String Quartet)
I —
II
Daniel Belland: Extinction Sky (for Piano Trio) – Premiere
Geoff Li: A New Era of Immigrant Stories (for Piano Quintet) – Premiere
I. Alpine Rainsong in the Moonlight
II. Years of Scarlet
III. Blue Silk (Everything’s a Guilty Pleasure)
IV. Han

Sound Atlas New Music Festival 2025: Sonic Playground
2025-06-27 - 2025-06-29 | Contemporary Calgary, 701 11 St SW, Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, T2P 2C4, Canada
Dear Friends, With wondrous anticipation we invite you to join us for Sonic Playground, Sound Atlas New Music Festival’s third annual Summer festival. A musical expedition for adventurous listeners, composers, and artists, Sonic Playground revels in a state of play where whimsy meets the unexpected in a veritable feast for curious ears and imagination!

Sonic Playground brings the best of contemporary art music to Calgary in June 2025 taking place at Calgary’s home for modern and contemporary art, Contemporary Calgary. This year we are delighted to feature the spirited genius of our featured Korean-American composer Juri Seo, a “modern original” whose music has been praised for its extraordinary charm and inventiveness. While we can’t reveal the all-star lineup of composers and festival artists just yet, you can expect a wondrous and eclectic experience in music and sound, featuring performances from Sound Atlas Festival’s host ensemble Latitude 49, local Calgary performers, and guests from across North America and beyond in a joyful explosion of friendship and creativity.We invite you to join our mailing list and be the first to receive important updates and announcements, explore, and come play with us this year in our Sonic Playground! Artistic Directors:Jani Parsons and Chris Sies

Rosamunde Summer Music Festival
2025-08-13 - 2025-08-22 | Alberta
Founded in 2011, the Rosamunde Summer Music Academy & Festival is where your string playing will blossom! We offer a tailored, high-calibre musical learning experience with a faculty of outstanding performers and teachers, hand-picked for their dedication to a supportive yet exacting teaching style. We look forward to welcoming you to the lovely CMU campus for another year of fantastic music making this August!

Rosamunde is launching a new Young Professionals program!! This program will allow young string players aged 19-28 pursuing a career in music the opportunity to rehearse and perform alongside one of our stellar faculty. Early applications will automatically be considered for scholarships.
Our 10-day Core program (August 13-22), geared towards serious music students aged 10-19, is designed in accordance with a holistic philosophy that seeks to develop physical and mental well-being as well as musical and technical abilities and ensemble skills. Financial aid is available for the Core program..
For younger and less advanced students aged 6 and up, a shorter Mini Rosie program (full or half days August 18-22) aims to get string players excited about playing, teach good technical habits, build confidence and help develop a peer group of like-minded students for friendship and learning. Our new Peek-A-Rosie program (9-11:30 a.m. August 13-16) is a wonderful opportunity to pique 5-7 year old children’s interest in stringed instruments. (No prior musical experience required!)
If you are someone who has always loved to play a string instrument alongside your non-musical career, our Rosamundiade program is just the session for you! This group meets in the evenings from August 13th to 18th and has a great time learning together in the ensemble setting.
ROSAMUNDE FESTIVAL faculty concerts will be held on August 17, 19 and 21.
Accommodation options will be available for out of town students.
​Contact us via email for more information.
See PROGRAMS for more details.

learn more

Macbeth - An Opera by Andrew Creaghan
2025-08-15 14:00 - 17:00, 2025-08-17 19:00 - 21:00, 2025-08-18 12:00 - 15:00, 2025-08-20 21:00 - 23:00, 2025-08-22 17:00 - 19:00, 2025-08-24 18:00 - 20:00 (America/Edmonton) | Westbury Theatre, Fringe Theatre Arts Barns, 10330 84 Ave NW, Edmonton, Alberta, T6E 4B4, Canada
Macbeth
Creaghan Publications | Edmonton, CA | 75 min | Drama | Adult $20, Student/Senior $10
This new opera sets the text of Shakespeare’s great tragedy Macbeth. It is a story of ruthless aggression and ambition
and the eventual fall. This work was composed by J. A. Creaghan and is performed by the New Era Group under
the direction of conductor Don Ross.
PLAYWRIGHT W. Shakespeare | DIRECTOR Andrew Creaghan and Don Ross | CAST 12 musicians and 8
singers—New Era Group | SHOW CONTAINS Death | WEBSITE https://acreaghan.com

Violet Archer & Jean Coulthard: Anniversary Concert
2025-08-16 19:00 - 21:00 (America/Edmonton) | Michael Lipnicki Piano Gallery, 6033 Centre Street S, Calgary, Alberta, T2H 0C2, Canada
“Pictures in Music” is a program of short musical works that stirs the imagination. The pieces have visual associations, whether a programmatic title (The Valley of the Butterflies), an expressive interpretive title (Slowly – in sad meditation), or a picturesque implication (Festivamente). The program is also a narrative of musical style taking the listener from the Baroque era with character pieces of François Couperin, to the Romantic style of Frederic Chopin, and to the exquisite late style of Claude Debussy. Works from the 20th century include two important Canadian composers, Violet Archer and Jean Coulthard, and the program ends with a celebratory Prelude by Dmitri Kabalevsky.

UltraViolet Presents: "InfraRed"
2025-09-06 19:30 - 21:30 (America/Edmonton) | Holy Trinity Anglican Church, 10037 84 Ave, Edmonton, Alberta, T6E 2G6, Canada
UltraViolet is thrilled to perform InfraRed, a concert featuring five world premieres by:
* avant-jazz trumpeter/composer Lina Allemano
* multi-media artist/saxophonist/thinker Olivia Shortt
* bassist/ceramicist Roxanne Nesbitt
* UV’s own percussionist extraordinaire Mark Segger
* probably the busiest composer in Edmonton right now, Mari Alice Conrad!
This event is made possible through support from the Canada Council for the Arts, the Edmonton Arts Council, and the City of Edmonton.
InfraRed – Lina Allemano
There’s a Ghost in My Mouth – Olivia Shortt
grief rituals * forever chemicals * clouding – Roxanne Nesbitt
To Gather Paradise – Mari Alice Conrad
New work – Mark Segger

Roger Admiral, piano; Chenoa Anderson, flutes; Allison Balcetis, saxophones; Mark Segger, percussion.

Prairie Punk: Nicole Lizée and her Karaoke Orchestra
2025-09-12 19:30 - 21:30 (America/Winnipeg) | Lorn Watson Recital Hall, QEII Music Buildling, Room 1-60, 270 18th Street, Brandon, Manitoba, R7A 6A9, Canada
Break-Up Music
Nicole Lizée’s Karaoke Orchestra
Scenario:
A karaoke machine is glitching. It rewinds, stops without warning, jumps between sections. Pitch and speed fluctuate. The tape is damaged – chewed up by the machine. The singer tries to keep her composure and keep up with the machine. An unorthodox amplified orchestra holds it all together.

Karappo Okesutura Vol.3 brings us a warped karaoke performance of Canadian and Australian pop hits including Olivia Newton-John, INXS, Loverboy, Alanis Morissette, Corey Hart and ACDC, as reimagined by prairie-punk-turned-elite-composer Nicole Lizée. An 11-piece ensemble features Lizée herself alongside musicians from Winnipeg, Brandon, Saskatoon and Montreal.
Friday, September 12
Lorne Watson Recital Hall, QEII Music Building, Room 1-60
7:30 pm
Sunday, September 14
West End Cultural Centre
7:30pm
Performers:
Nicole Lizee, turntables, electronics, video
Helen Pridmore, vocals
Ben Reimer & Eric Platz, drumkits & percussion
Steve Raegele, electric guitar
Leanne Zacharias, cello
Jennifer Thiessen & John Sellick, viola
Sean Irvine, saxophone & clarinet
Mer Johnson, double bass
Everett Hopfner, piano & keyboard
Groundswell is thrilled to bring Canada’s “brilliant musical scientist” (CBC) Nicole Lizée back to Manitoba in this co-presentation with Brandon University and the Brandon Chamber Players. An alumni of BU and McGill, Nicole’s awards include Juno Award for Classical Composition, the 2019 Prix Opus for Composer of the Year, the SOCAN Matjecek Award a Governor General’s Award and the top Canada Council of the Arts prizes. She created the music for the National Film Board of Canada’s logo, and works with leading international musicians including Howard Shore and the Kronos Quartet. This Will Not Be Televised, her seminal piece for turntables and chamber ensemble, placed in the 2008 UNESCO International Rostrum of Composers’ Top 10 Works.
Curated by Leanne Zacharias

Prairie Punk: Nicole Lizée and her Karaoke Orchestra
2025-09-14 19:30 - 21:30 (America/Winnipeg) | West End Cultural Centre, 586 Ellice Ave, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3B 1Z8, Canada

Composer Speaker Series: V. Jessica Sparvier Wells
2025-09-17 12:00 - 14:30 (America/Edmonton) | University of Calgary: Craigie Hall, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4, Canada
Join us for the first Composer Speaker Series of the 2025/2026 season! We are thrilled to host V. Jessica Sparvier-Wells (McMann) on campus to talk about her latest works, upcoming projects, and more!!
This event is FREE and will be held on University of Calgary campus in Craigie Hall F202 at noon. Light refreshments will be served following the talk at the CMC Prairie Office in Craigie Hall G203.

NME Autumn Equinox
2025-09-20 19:30 - 21:30 (America/Edmonton) | Mile Zero Dance, 9931- 78 Avenue NW, Edmonton, Alberta, T6E 1N6, Canada
Saturday, September 20, 2025, 7:30 PM

Mile Zero Dance: 9931- 78 Avenue NW, Edmonton
Access Intimacy (Brooke Leifso and Gary James Joynes); pseudo-antigone (Simone Atenea Medina Polo); Golden Sun Trio (Mustafa Rafiq; Nadir Bellhamer; Ethan Bokma); Gary James Joynes (aka Clinker); Nanyen Lau/ Jia Jia Yong
New Music Edmonton is celebrating its 40th anniversary season!

Access Intimacy
Brooke Leifso and Gary James Joynes
Access Intimacy, the score by Berlin-based composer Michael Winter and local Brooke Leifso is deceptively simple, amplifying the difference of breath and body through sonic practices. The piece premiered in December 2024 and received support from Art Quarter Budapest (part of the Eastern European Network). The Edmonton premiere will be performed by Brooke Leifso and Gary James Joynes. Gary, known for droning electronic-based sound art was invited to perform alongside Brooke. This work exists in an intersection of their art practices: meditative, contemplative. Access Intimacy is also a term coined by disability activist Mia Mingus, that speaks to the magical interdependent support, more here.
pseudo-antigone
Simone A. Medina Polo
pseudo-antigone shares excerpts from her recent album Melancholic Melodrama showcase the storytelling of the album and the experimental pop sound design around it. The album tells a quasi-fiction about the undoing of an insecure artist who severed her own humanity in a Faustian bargain to become TMZ-level pop star disaster. Sonically, the album is influenced by the work of artists like FKA twigs, Charli xcx, A.G. Cook, and SOPHIE with overproduced and exaggerated pop music with punchy beats, industrial production, and ironic yet heartfelt lyricism.
Golden Sun Trio
Nadir Bellahmer, Ethan Bokma & Mustafa Rafiq
This performance coincides with the release of “Lifecycles Ritual Myth”, the group’s second full-length record and first with Edmonton label, Honey Farm Records. An unofficial release party. Vinyl will be available for purchase through the band.
Clinker
Gary James Joynes
Panta Rhei unfolds like an evolving river of sound. Inspired by Heraclitus’s philosophy that “everything flows,” the performance builds an ever-shifting sonic landscape that resists structure, embracing transformation. As modules connect and disconnect in real-time, the audience is immersed in a living sound sculpture—fluid and impermanent. In Panta Rhei, the only constant is change.
Nanyen Lau and Jia Jia Yong
Nanyen Lau, erhu and Jia Jia Yong, konghou
Nanyen Lau and Jia Jia Yong celebrate Chinese traditional music. Nanyen brings out the rich and soulful tone of the erhu, a traditional two-stringed bowed instrument, through repertoire that highlights regional genres and musical interpretations. Jia Jia plays the modern Konghou, a double-strung harp with features that allow for unique techniques and ornamentation. Each artist will perform select solo pieces, and together, will present a unique arrangement of the famous Chinese folk song “Moon Reflection on the Erquan Springs”, demonstrating the harmony of the two instruments.

The Artists

Brooke Leifso (co-composer/performer) is a disabled/crip artist, academic, access consultant, and expressive art practitioner (EGS, MA,EXA-CT). Most recently as a professional artist, Brooke had recent fellowships at Akademie Schloss Solitude (Stuttgart, Germany) and Art Quarter Budapest (Budapest, Hungary) producing the performance series, BODYwork describing an embodied lived experience through metaphor, audio description and captioning. Access intimacy is part of the BODYwork series. Brooke is performing with Gary James Joynes. Photo credit Barni Kiss (courtesy of Art Quarter Budapest).

Gary James Joynes, also known as Clinker, is an award-winning visual and sound artist based in Edmonton, Canada. He blends the beauty and physicality of sound’s auditory and visual elements in rigorous and emotional installation works, and in Live Cinema AV performances. Joynes’ innovative and thought-provoking works have earned international recognition, with exhibitions and performances held at renowned art galleries and festivals worldwide. His artistic practice invites audiences to experience the profound beauty of the unseen and to encourage a slowed and attentive state in viewers-to have them interrupt busy-ness for prolonged moments of being-ness. Photo credit Ian Hunter.

Simone A. Medina Polo is a philosopher and interdisciplinary artist based out of amiskwaciy-wâskahikan (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada). As a musician, Simone has released multiple music albums as pseudo-antigone including her album Melancholic Melodrama which tells a quasi-fiction of the subjective destitution of an insecure artist who severed her own humanity in a Faustian bargain to become TMZ-level pop star disaster. Academically, Simone has published articles and book chapters in philosophy, psychoanalysis, and Marxism with collaborators and editors such as Nicol A. Barria-Asenjo, Slavoj Žižek, Julie Reshe, Vanessa Sinclair, Todd McGowan, and Duane Rousselle. Photo credit Simone A. Medina Polo and Pip Co

Golden Sun Trio is an improvised music group formed by Nadir Bellahmer, Ethan Bokma & Mustafa Rafiq based in amiskawaciy-waskahikan (Treaty 6, edmonton, ab) Live performances have drawn comparisons to the Necks & Jamie Branch . Dense & airy, punctual and fluid. This devotional sound is wrung from the transitive nature of improvisation. The group continues to work and propel further. Recording sessions are one-take afternoons spent at Bellahmers home studio, gathered around tea. often no words will be said before music is flowing. The new record is prairie blues, folktale and new-age meditations ‘Lifecycle, Ritual, Myth’ Out Fall 2025 on Honey Farm Records. Photo credit @momerfish.

With 20 years of experience in performing and teaching Erhu, Nanyen Lau is dedicated to bringing Chinese culture and music to a wider audience through teaching and playing for community events in the city. She is a longtime member and current concertmaster of the Edmonton Chinese Philharmonica Orchestra and one of the forces behind Edmonton’s emerging Echo Ensemble, and on the side enjoys playing covers of video game, anime and movie soundtracks on YouTube. Photo credit Nanyen Lau.
Jia Jia Yong is a harpist and composer based in Edmonton. She performs as a freelance musician at various events in Edmonton and area and also enjoys developing collaborative projects with other musicians and artists. In 2022, Jia Jia received a grant from the Edmonton Arts Council to learn the modern konghou, a Chinese harp, becoming one of only a handful of players in North America

Accessibility
Mile Zero Dance Space (9931 – 78 Avenue NW, Edmonton): accessible building with multiple all-gender washrooms. There is a cleared path from the front door to the warehouse space. We have two accessible washroom facilities on the main floor as well. Please note that we do not yet have an automatic front door and the sidewalk outside needs to be improved as well. The #523 bus stops at 99 St and 78 Ave, approx 120 meters from the venue (stop #1542 SB, stop #22729 NB), and the #8 bus stops at Whyte Ave and 99 St, approx 500 meters from the venue (stop #1035 EB, #2824 WB)

Maria-Eduarda Mendes Martins, Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra
2025-09-27 19:30 - 21:30 (America/Edmonton) | Jack Singer Concert Hall, 205 8 Ave SE, Calgary, AB, T2G 0K9, Canada
Program

This concert is limited to four tickets per order by phone only.
Hear global piano sensation Lang Lang for the first time ever in Calgary as he brings his charismatic virtuosity to Bartók’s vibrant Piano Concerto No. 3, one of the composer’s final works and a gift for his wife Ditta Pásztory. Conductor Ramón Tebar also leads the Orchestra in Tchaikovsky’s emotional Fourth Symphony — a powerful testament to the indomitableness of the human spirit.
Maria-Eduarda Mendes Martins Vortex Cantabilis
Béla Bartók Piano Concerto No. 3
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 4
Be aware of ticket resellers! The Calgary Philharmonic and Ticketmaster are the only official sellers of Calgary Phil tickets. Concerns about your order? Call our Box Office at 403.571.0849 or email info@calgaryphil.com.

Artists

RAMÓN TEBAR conductor
LANG LANG piano
CALGARY PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

Sponsors + Supporters

Presenting Sponsor:

John Estacio, Edmonton Symphony Orchestra
2025-09-27 19:30 - 21:30 (America/Edmonton) | Winspear Centre, 4 Sir Winston Churchill Square NW, Edmonton, AB, T5J 4X8, Canada
About The Concert

Jean-Marie Zeitouni makes his debut as Music Director with a program that celebrates community, musical excellence, family, and the future. Edmonton’s own Jacques Forestier, who busked at the downtown farmer’s market when he was a child and has since won prestigious prizes, performs Dvořák’s folkloric Violin Concerto.
Every section of the orchestra will shine in Prokofiev’s mighty Symphony No. 5, showcasing the orchestra’s musicianship and artistry.
Of his new work Avé, Edmonton composer and friend of the ESO John Estacio writes, “my mother passed away of dementia while I was working on this piece,” and describes it as “a celebration of a full life devoted to nurturing a family, replete with joy, celebration, sorrow, devotion, and a sense of fulfilment.”
This concert will include an intermission.

Program to Include

DVOŘÁK
Violin Concerto

PROKOFIEV
Symphony No. 5

JOHN ESTACIO
Avé

Program subject to change.

Featured Artists

Jean-Marie Zeitouni, Conductor & Music Director
Jacques Forestier, Violin

About ESO Classics

ESO Classics are dynamic and engaging concerts that feature the most memorable orchestral pieces. This masterworks series is our flagship and showcases the greatest symphonic masterpieces in classical music. From Bach and Handel in the Baroque period and Mozart and Beethoven in the 18th century Classical period, all the way to 21st century contemporary composers, this series encompasses the best of classical music. Our world-class musicians are joined by some of the most talented soloists from around the world, delivering unparalleled performances of these illustrious works. Let the timeless beauty of live classical music enrich and transport you!

Samy Moussa, Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra
2025-09-27 19:30 - 21:30 (America/Winnipeg) | Centennial Concert Hall, 555 Main Street, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3B 1C3, Canada
Daniel Raiskin, conductor
Alexei Volodin, piano
Samy Moussa: Elysium
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1
Johannes Brahms: Symphony No. 4
Photo: Marco Borggreve.
Our season begins in spectacular fashion. Blending melody and emotion with technical wizardry, Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 is the most popular piano concerto of all time. No one wears their heart on the sleeve like Tchaikovsky; each bar is on fire with emotional chaos, honesty, turmoil, and jubilation.
At the keyboard is returning guest artist Alexei Volodin. This time round, Volodin tackles the first Tchaikovsky concerto in our season opener before presenting the less famous second at our first Sunday matinée.
Also on the program is the final formal symphonic composition by Johannes Brahms — a composer who struggled with the pressures of writing a first symphony. This last work presents an assured composer writing with clear, powerful emotion that is compelling and complex.
The evening begins with a work inspired by the everlasting paradise of the ancient Greeks. Penned by Canadian Samy Mousa, Elysium is a monumental work that has become his musical calling card.
