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Soundstreams have just announced their 2016/17 season.  There’s quite a lot there for those with an experimental taste in vocal music as well as a bunch of instrumental stuff.  Probably the biggest deal is a staging of “musical curiosities” from R. Murray Schafer’s Patria cycle. Odditorium will feature selections from The Greatest Show, Ra, and others, immersing audiences in a circus-like atmosphere, complete with host carnival barker.  This one is directed by Chris Abramson and runs March 2nd to 5th, 2017 at Crow’s Theatre, a new 215 seat venue on Carlaw.  Time for my annual fix of Schafer nuttiness!

Electric Messiah is back at the Drake Hotel in December.  Expect this to be a somewhat expanded, fleshed out version compared to last year.  This is the naughty boy of Messiahs and not to be missed!  Both the Nelson Mandela University Choir (November 23rd, 2016 at Koerner Hall) and the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir (February 2nd, 2017 at St. Paul’s Basilica) [are featured].  Both concerts have world premiers as well as more traditional material.

Korean-born, Berlin-based composer Unsuk Chin (Alice in Wonderland etc) is in town for 21C and the Emerging Composer Workshop in May 2017 and there are a number of innovative presentations of contemporary instrumental rep in a variety of venues.  Full details at soundstreams.ca.

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