New Contemporary Music Festival Debuts in Calgary

Presented by new music ensemble Latitude 49, in partnership with the University of Calgary and Contemporary Calgary, the inaugural Sound Atlas New Music Festival is making its debut in Calgary from June 23 -  June 25, 2023. This momentous contemporary music festival celebrates the creation and performance of new music featuring a multitude of creative voices.

"We are so thrilled to be launching the inaugural Sound Atlas Festival,” said Jani Parsons, Sound Atlas Festival director and Executive Director of Latitude 49. “An entirely distinct festival with music that blurs the lines between Classical music, pop, folk, experimental, and contemporary performance practice.”

The three-day festival will take listeners on a journey that travels between the University of Calgary and Contemporary Calgary and includes sonic deep dives into beginnings, evolutions and revolutions. 

“Audiences can expect world-class performances by a host of guest artists from across North America, music and film, genre-mixing explorations, and an unforgettable experience that will resonate with the traditional concert-goer and culturally curious alike,” added Parsons.

Beginnings - Friday, June 23, 2023, 7 p.m.

The University of Calgary Rozsa Centre

Latitude 49 presents “Beginnings”

Land’s End Ensemble presents “World Premieres”

Henchell/Tominaga Duo presents “Villainy”

BEGINNINGS marks the launch of the inaugural Sound Atlas New Music Festival, featuring three distinct and remarkable acts. New music powerhouse band Latitude 49 kicks it off with a vibrant set of fresh pieces by composers Viet Cuong, Shulamit Ran, and Gabriella Smith. Calgary’s own Juno-nominated Land’s End Ensemble presents three world premieres composed by Colleen Athparia, Denis Nassar, and Babur Tongur. Day 1 of the festival concludes with the dynamic two-piano and film extravaganza that is VILLAINY, featuring the Henchell/Tominaga Duo performing Supervillain Études by Vincent Ho set to film by Emil Agopian. Prepare to be astonished, and we are just getting started! 

Evolutions - Saturday, June 24, 2023, 7 p.m.

Contemporary Calgary

Latitude 49 presents “NewNow”

Liam Elliot presents “Oceans and Winter Music”

Ginger Beef in concert

EVOLUTIONS traverses the ever-changing horizon of contemporary music where genres blur and mingle in electro-acoustic bliss, featuring three distinct and adventurous acts that move through Contemporary Calgary’s spaces. Latitude 49 presents a daring set where sounds intersect with science mapping and social fascinations, presenting new works by Pascal Le Boeuf, Andrew McManus, and Calgary’s own Chris Sies. Composer/performer Liam Elliot crafts sound sculptures that directly transform natural processes into music, as explored through an intimate rendering of his own works, Oceans and Winter Music. Day 2 concludes with a retro-pop dance party mixing jazz, funk, and traditional Chinese folk music influences with the ever-audacious band, Ginger Beef. 

Revolution Songs - Sunday, June 25, 2023, 3 p.m.

Contemporary Calgary

Land’s End Ensemble and Guests present “Mr. Tambourine Man”

Latitude 49 and Annika Socolofsky present “Don’t say a word”

REVOLUTION SONGS is a duality of song-cycles, each that alters old forms to a progressive present. Juno-nominated Land’s End Ensemble joins forces with conductor Karl Hirzer and megastar soprano Laura Hynes to present John Corigliano’s metamorphic Mr. Tambourine Man on seven poems by Bob Dylan. The Sound Atlas Festival’s inaugural journey concludes with the Canadian premiere of Don’t say a word, a set of feminist rager-lullabies for a new era, composed and performed by Avant-folk vocalist and featured composer Annika Socolofsky and featured ensemble, Latitude 49. An album release party and end-of-festival celebration will immediately follow in the Atrium.

TICKET INFORMATION:

FESTIVAL PASS:

$150 Adult/General Admission

$60 Students/children (18 and under)

DAY PASSES:

$65 Adult/General Admission

$25 Students/children (18 and under)

Tickets can be purchased at https://www.soundatlasfest.com/eventsandfestivalpasses 

Latitude 49 is a powerhouse mixed-chamber ensemble, who has been dedicated to exploring new sounds, engaging diverse audiences, and holding hands with composers of today, since it was founded in 2012. Equally at home in urban clubs, modern art museums, classrooms, and traditional concert halls, Latitude 49’s genre-bending approach blends the finesse of a classical ensemble with the drive and precision of a progressive rock band. Members come together from across Canada and the United States, epitomizing an unconventional family of sounds, instruments, and human experiences.

Contemporary Calgary, the former Centennial Planetarium, itself a significant work of architectural art, has been transformed into a world-class gallery that delivers outstanding local, national and international contemporary art programming. Core to its vision, it aspires to become a leading voice among arts institutions by embracing our values of being welcoming, inclusive, engaging and relevant. 

University of Calgary Rozsa Centre was built in 1997 and has since provided a magnificent performance and teaching facility with excellent acoustics for the School of Creative and Performing Arts with the mission of bringing life to art. The space also is home to the Rozsa Recording studio, a digital audio recording studio capable of producing professional quality recording masters.

For more information, visit https://www.soundatlasfest.com/ 

To post a comment, you must register and login.