DAME EVELYN GLENNIE, percussion
May 11, 2012 at 8:00 pm

Dame Evelyn Glennie's performances are deeply visceral experiences, involving audiences in an exploration of the possibilities of sound. The first person to ever sustain a full-time career as a solo percussionist, she is a uniquely talented artist who has thought extensively about the ways we interact with sound and music. She has given a TED talk on the topic, written about being profoundly deaf, and is featured in Touch The Sound, a documentary that seeks to understand the connections among sound, rhythm, time, and the body.

An innovative and eclectic musician, Glennie has mastered over 1800 percussion instruments from around the world and has commissioned around 170 new works for solo percussion from many of the world's eminent composers. Her program demonstrates some of the huge breadth of works written for percussion in the last century.

Works by: Piazolla, Reich, Zivkovic, Glennie and others.

 Past Events

MATT HAIMOVITZ, cello,
CHRISTOPHER O'RILEY, piano
January 31, 2012 at 8:00 pm

Cellist Matt Haimovitz and pianist Christopher O'Riley are exemplars of a new school of classical musicians, bold leaders in the classical crossover genre. They’re equally at ease at the altars of Janacek and Stravinsky, and reinterpreting popular works by Radiohead and Arcade Fire, delighting adventurous listeners and pushing classical music in exciting new directions.

Matt Haimovitz’s most recent solo album, Meeting of the Spirits, was nominated for the 2010 Grammy for Best Classical Crossover Album. Christopher O’Riley, in addition to his own music, hosts the most popular classical music show on the radio today, NPR's "From The Top".

Works by: Stravinsky, Janacek, Martinu, and Piazolla, as well as new interpretations of works by recent popular and rock musicians.

JORDI SAVALL, viola da gamba
March 2, 2012 at 8:00 pm

The viola da gamba owes Jordi Savall a thank you. A prolific performer with over 160 albums on his recording resumé, the Spanish-Catalan musician, conductor, and composer is largely credited with a popular rediscovery of the instrument.

Since the 1970s, he has been a major figure in the field of Western early music, with a repertoire that explores Medieval multiculturalism, European renaissance, and the intersections therein. The project he is presenting at the Perimeter Institute features his group Hesperion XXI with a quartet of Mexican musicians in an amazing program that explores the blending of musical cultures which occurred when European explorers arrived in the Americas.

Works by: Folias, Antiguas and Criollas

WU MAN, pipa
SHANGHAI QUARTET
April 13, 2012 at 8:00 pm 

Prepare yourself for an elegant melding of Eastern and Western traditions, courtesy of Chinese child prodigy turned international pipa virtuoso Wu Man and the Shanghai Quartet, one of the world's foremost chamber ensembles. Both Wu Man and the Quartet have established themselves as artists of international repute, known for skilfully fusing the delicacy of Chinese folk music with the emotional breadth of the Western tradition, as well as championing the works of contemporary composers.

Wu Man is a leading ambassador of traditional Chinese music, who has worked tirelessly throughout her distinguished career to introduce the pipa to new audiences and ensure the ancient lute-like instrument has a place in all modern art forms. The Shanghai Quartet have been performing for nearly three decades, touring major music centres throughout Asia, Europe, and North America and collaborating with some of the world's most celebrated composers and artists.

Works by: Beethoven, Ravel and Lei Liang