Second Annual West End Micro Music Festival to Take Place in November

Toronto musicians and co-producers Brad Cherwin and Sebastian Ostertag have announced the second annual West End Micro Music Festival, following last year's sold-out, inaugural festival. With an expansive stylistic palette, and by engaging with electronics, theatre, and the visual arts, WEMMF imagines a future for chamber music that is both inclusive and compelling. The new minMAX series includes ten diverse artists and four varied programmes that explore the dynamic contrast between minimalism and maximalism. WEMMF takes places at the Redeemer Lutheran Church in Toronto's West End. Concert dates are November 18, November 25, and November 26 and December 2 with 7:30 p.m. start times, and run times of approximately 75 minutes each. Single tickets and festival passes are on sale now at https://wemmf2022.eventbrite.ca.

This year's Composer-in-Residence is Nahre Sol, a celebrated Korean-American composer, pianist, and YouTuber, presenting new works, as well as performing selections from her internationally recognized opus. The Festival also includes work by Caroline Shaw, Nico Muhly, Gyorgy Kurtag, Johannes Brahms, Julia Wolfe, Steve Reich, and more.

"With this year's festival theme of minMAX, we take things in an exciting new direction," says Cherwin. "Electric violin, Laurie Anderson, kick drums, improv; we're bringing a bunch of rock n' roll minimalism to the stage, and pushing against the very concept of a 'chamber music festival.' We aren't throwing the baby out with the bathwater, there is still some incredible Brahms, and brilliant classical artists, but we play with identity this year. Each of the four programmes takes a different high contrast perspective on live instrumental music."

I. INTERRUPTION: November 18th

INTERRUPTION examines minimalism and maximalism in scale and density, using the minimal forms of composers Nahre Sol, Nico Muhly, and Gyorgy Kurtag to disrupt and bisect the monumental Romantic structures of Johannes Brahms' Quintet op. 115.

Nico Muhly - Long Drones, from Four Studies

Johannes Brahms - Quintet op. 115, for clarinet and string quartet

Gyorgy Kurtag - Selected Miniatures

Nahre Sol - New Work, for clarinet and strings

II. ONE + 2: November 25th

ONE + 2 throws a spotlight on the creative brilliance of Nahre Sol, WEMFF's inaugural Composer-in-Residence. Sol effortlessly pulls new ideas from their instruments as they jump between electric and acoustic keyboards, and composed and improvised music. Riffing on the quintessential jazz trio, Sol is joined by Bassist Ben Finley and Korean Traditional Percussionist John Lee, as they meld chamber music and improvisation in a genre-blending performance.

Solo piano works by Nahre Sol and collaboratively composed and improvised works by Nahre Sol, Ben Finley, and John Lee

III. ALTROCK: November 26th

Electric violins, kick drums, electronics, keyboards, and a toy piano come together for ALTROCK as the artists of the West End Micro Music Festival jump blend art rock and chamber music to perform music of Laurie Anderson, Lou Reed, Julia Wolfe, and Steve Reich.

Julia Wolfe - Blue Dress

Julia Wolfe - East Broadway

Steve Reich - New York Counterpoint

David Lang - Heroin

David Lang - Killer

Laurie Anderson - Let X = X, arranged by Louis Pino

Laurie Anderson - It Tango, arranged by Louis Pino

IV. QUARTET PLUS PAPER V2

December 2nd: QUARTET PLUS PAPER V2 is the final offering of minMAX. This multimedia concert uses diversity - of genre, of artists, and ofform - to envision a future for the performance and presentation of chamber music. Minimalism is the connective tissue - its influence rejected in Jamaican-born Eleanor Alberga's visceral, dense, and thrilling Quartet no. 2; embraced in the repetitive, lyrical gestures of Caroline Shaw's Entr'acte and Philip Glass' "Mishima; and manipulated in PAPER V2 a multimedia work for pianist, clarinetist/visual artist, video projection and electronics composed and performed by Nahre Sol and Brad Cherwin.

Nahre Sol/Brad Cherwin** - PAPER V2

Philip Glass - Finale from String Quartet no. 3, "Mishima"

Caroline Shaw - Entr'Acte

Eleanor Alberga - Quartet no. 2

FESTIVAL ARTISTS

Composer-in-Residence, Piano - Nahre Sol

Voice - Cormac Culkeen

Violin - Amy Hillis, Hee-Soo Yoon, Eric Kim-Fujita

Viola - Maxime Despax

Cello - Sebastian Ostertag

Bass - Ben Finley

Clarinet - Brad Cherwin

Percussion - John Lee, Louis Pino

Textile Artist - Esther Imm

Lighting Designer - Adam Harris

Sound Design/Tech - Dave Grenon

Each concert can be purchased as a series, or individually. Tickets must be reserved in advance online. Limited student tickets are free with revalid ID at the door; single tickets are $25 and a full Festival Pass is $75 (plus applicable fees). COVID-19 protocols for the venue will be followed.

Community engagement is also a key component of WEMMF. Outreach performances will be offered to the student musicians at Sistema Toronto, and invitations will be extended for young local musicians to attend rehearsals and performances.

Festival tickets are on sale now at https://wemmf2022.eventbrite.ca

About the West End Micro Music Festival

Established in 2021 by Brad Cherwin and Sebastian Ostertag, the West End Micro Music Festival aims to curate diverse musical experiences, genre-bending performances, and meaningful concert-going experiences for both artists and audiences.

The West End Micro Music Festival is proudly supported by the Canada Council for the Arts, The Toronto Arts Council, SOCAN Foundation, and Gowling WLG.

To post a comment, you must register and login.