Turning Point Ensemble Launches 1+1+1+

Turning Point Ensemble (TPE) is launching the first 3 films of 1+1+1+... a new exciting film project. 1+1+1+... is an artistic chain of expression, the first '1' is the performer, the second'1' is the composer, and the third '1' is the filmmaker, resulting in a series of five-minute art films, each comprising a new work that will be a unique portrait of the musicians that make up Turning Point Ensemble. Each musician will collaborate with individual composers, filmmakers and artists from other disciplines, such as dancers or visual artists, resulting in a series of 15 films. The first three films will launch on Saturday, January 23 at 5pm.

a visionary, Owen Underhill, Artistic Director of TPE, has been developing and nurturing Canadian composers over the years. Pivoting with the pandemic, he initiated a COVID proof project. 1+1+1+... not only keeps the art form going but also expands it. "Each piece starts with the individual performer, using their own personality and artistry throughout the development," stated Underhill. "The performer chooses their composer, works closely on the composition, and collaborates with the filmmaker. Every one of the works will be an intimate representation of the situation we are living in now. At the completion, the objective is to have created a body of compositions that exist as films representing both an individual and a collective TPE legacy for the future, with a potential to reach an audience around the world."

These challenging times have spurred ingenuity, creativity, and innovation, and TPE is meeting the moment. Below is the description of the first three 5 minute films premiering on Jan. 23rd.

Film #1 - Synapses - For solo oboe, dancer with LED spine, and Max/MSP processing

Performer: David Owen, oboe

Composer: Bob Pritchard

Choreographer & dancer: Emmalena Fredriksson

Director: Sean Patrick Shaul

Filmed on Oct. 17, 2020 at the Telus Theatre, Chan Centre, University of British Columbia in partnership with the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts

Statement from Bob Pritchard

This short work explores communication through sound, light and movement. In the opening, the two performers begin a gradual interaction, triggered by sound, searching for ways to influence and affect each other. Their interaction gradually builds in intensity until their partnering reaches a breaking point and dissolves. The title refers to one of the mechanisms of communication in the nervous system, which the dancer's costume and the interaction reference throughout.

Film #2 - Cone - For solo violin

Performer: Mary Sokol Brown, violin

Composer: Owen Underhill

Director: Sean Patrick Shaul

Filmed Nov. 20, 2020 at the Annex Theatre in Vancouver, BC

Statement by Owen Underhill

I am privileged to participate as a composer in Turning Point Ensemble's 1+1+1+...project and thank violinist Mary Sokol Brown for asking me to compose a piece for her. We are living during pandemic times that are intense and isolating. As musicians, we are now often distanced or totally separated from each other and all those with whom we would normally share the special experience of live performance. Cone contains both a fierce outward expression and a more introspective meditative quality, effectively two opposite but connected sides of our new reality. I would observe that we access a heightened and more potent sense of artistic voice within a more tightly enclosed environment- a highly focused 'cone' of direct artistic communication. Within that sensibility, Cone is a violin creation which takes into account the subtle, exacting and tangible relationships between the performer, the bow, the strings and their unique instrument.

Film #3 - Shared Solitude - (for bassoon, piano and footwork)

Performer: Ingrid Chiang, bassoon/piano/footwork

Composer: Réjean Marois

Director: Sean Patrick Shaul

Filmed on Nov. 22, 2020 at the Annex Theatre in Vancouver, BC

Statement by Réjean Marois

This solo is about being alone without a sense of loneliness. It is written for a bassoonist who is also a pianist who will also be doing some footwork. The piece has three sections: the first one is built on a strong dance rhythm where the soloist invites the audience to move along with her. The second section is a short introspective blues, followed by an energetic theme with variations that lead to a conclusive short cadenza.

Following the viewing of the films, TPE is hosting a discussion and a Q & A with the creators: Owen Underhill, Artistic Director of Turning Point Ensemble, Sean Patrick Shaul, Filmmaker, composers Bob Pritchard and Réjean Marois, and musicians David Owen, Mary Sokol Brown and Ingrid Chiang.

During this Covid time, life is still happening, the arts are still alive, albeit, in a new way, and Turning Point Ensemble, with its' exceptionally talented and dedicated musicians, is expanding, evolving, creating, and more accessible than ever.

Web: www.turningpointensemble.ca

Photo credit: Sean Patrick Shaul