To our Soundstreams family, Soundstreams believes that music has the ability to bring people together, and break down barriers. It’s a mark of our collective humanity. The recent spread of COVID-19 in our society makes gathering difficult, but we continue to carry on to achieve this mission. Above everything, the health and safety of artists,… Read More
Soundstreams is proud to present their newest program, NEW VOICES: Curator Mentorship Program. Calling all aspiring music programmers! Soundstreams is now inviting proposals to develop and produce a concert on our 2020/21 season as part of our New Voices: Curator Mentorship Program. This is a unique platform for early- to mid-career music curators, seeking new… Read More
From the article: “Masks, beautifully simple imagery, repetition and cyclic form; it’s incredibly evocative and, even for non-Indigenous audiences, nostalgic.” “The simplicity of these stories drew me in, leaving me rapt for the duration and in awe of the execution of it all.” “One gets the feeling one is seeing an extraordinarily true account of… Read More
From the article: “Pimooteewin” is one of those deftly created works that suspends time as it tells its story, and the excellent performances incite us to hope that we won’t have to leave this alternate universe for a while. “[Gállábártnit] takes an old legend and makes it speak powerfully to the troubled times we live… Read More
“Soundstreams’ founder and artistic director Lawrence Cherney has long been impressed by the breadth and depth of trumpet repertoire across the ages, and as a former trumpet player myself, I am always happy to hear him out on the charms of this favoured instrument. Now Cherney has gone one step further and created a whole… Read More
“Trumpet declares. It prompts and signals. And on October 3, 2019, the trumpet(s) shall sound, at the Soundstreams 2019-20 opener: Top Brass. Three virtuosos: Ole Edvard Antonsen, Jens Lindemann and Ingrid Jensen, will gather to create a complex portrait of the trumpet, from the familiar golden Baroque of the past, to the present and its… Read More
by Ben Dietschi, Executive Director Reflections on PAC 2019 I’ve just returned from The Performing Arts Connections conference in Queensland, Australia, where I was joined by 300+ presenters, producers, artists, and other government and industry representatives. I had the honour of pitching Two Odysseys: Pimooteewin / Gállábártnit, the world’s first opera in Cree and Sámi…. Read More
by Tim Crouch, Director of Marketing & Patron Experience Soundstreams continues to make moves on the international stage, and has been invited to pitch our latest project, Two Odysseys, at CanadaHub, a special showcase as part of the famous Edinburgh Fringe Festival that will showcase the very best of Canada’s contemporary performance scene. In addition… Read More
From the article” “In short, Hell’s Fury is a remarkable piece of musical theatre, a show that will leave a deep dent in the heart, gut and memory long after the applause has died down. This is one of those magical moments in theatre where every single element comes together so that one emerges from… Read More
“First though, a very preliminary view of an intriguing work in progress being co-produced by Soundstreams and Jumblies Theatre. Anishinaabe composer Melody McKiver has been commissioned by these two organizations to compose a work for string quartet and recorded voices. As synchronicity would have it, I was introduced to McKiver in a local restaurant, in… Read More
From the Article: “As artistic director Lawrence Cherney said from the stage on Saturday February 2, the concert we were about to hear was “the hottest ticket in town.” It was going to be another one of those epic Steve Reich nights reminiscent of when Reich’s music was performed at Massey Hall in April 2016…. Read More
“Since its premiere in 1988 by the Kronos Quartet, Steve Reich’s Different Trains became an instant favourite. Its rhythmic drive and hypnotic movement are immediately relatable, and the spoken fragments and train horns quickly create a vignette of the past. However, as we get comfortable with the tableau of the first movement, we are abruptly… Read More
“Soundstreams’ presentation of the Latvian Radio Choir (LRC) with artistic director Sigvards Klava, in concert at Metropolitan United Church on November 17 at 8pm, has significance in a number of ways. Founded in 1940, the 24-voice LRC is one of the few professional choirs that owes its existence to a national public broadcaster. It was… Read More
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For a typical classical piano concert, one would imagine a single grand piano with its lid open, its brilliant inside encased in silky, heavy blackness. Sometimes, there are two pianos — there are a handful of orchestral and chamber two-piano favourites that are programmed regularly. But six pianos? Yes, please! On October 12, 2018, 6… Read More
From the article: “To Soundstreams fell the distinction of presenting a program of new music from North America, relatively little of which has been performed at this week-long event over the years – a reflection, its artistic director [Wen Deqing] admits, of his background. His own advanced training as a composer took place mostly in… Read More
From the Article: “The singers were excellent. Soundstreams had recruited four of Canada’s best: soprano Vania Chan, mezzo-soprano Andrea Ludwig, tenor Colin Ainsworth and bass-baritone Stephen Hegedus. Not only did they deftly navigate Lang’s treacherous vocal shoals, they also ably accompanied themselves on various percussion instruments. John Hess conducted from a discreet corner aisle. Susie… Read More
From the article: Canada continues to produce some of the finest composers in the world, but they merit greater recognition at home and abroad. Lawrence Cherney has dedicated an entire career to providing a national and international platform for their talents as a means of creating a lasting legacy for their work. For these efforts,… Read More
From the article: “Musicians in general are prone to adapt new technology. Beethoven was so taken with Johann Nepomuk Maelzel’s new invention, the metronome, that the composer himself came up with a marketing plan to help sell the thing. It was Frederick’s collection of newfangled “forte-pianos” that lured Bach senior to the royal court in… Read More
“The world renowned Canadian soprano Barbara Hannigan once said that, as a young singer, she was transported and changed by the “unique soundworld” of the Quebec composer, Claude Vivier. He has been described as the most important Canadian composer in the second half of the twentieth century. From the early 1970s until the early 80s, Vivier’s compositions were… Read More