Monthly Newsletter

Want to stay informed? Latitude45News, our monthly newsletter, regularly brings you news and updates from our artists. Subscribe here.

Archive

Download PDF versions of previous Latitude45News issues below.

2010 July
2010 June
2010 May
2010 April
2010 March
2010 February
2010 January

2009 November
2009 October
2009 September
2009 July
2009 June
2009 May
2009 April
2009 March

News

artist_pict Latitude 45
Latitude45News - February 2010
February 1, 2010, 12:00 am

Dear Friends and Music Lovers,
A new year lies ahead of us, a new decade even. What will it bring? Well, if it goes on as it starts, much good. There are so many things to celebrate right now: Mexican centenaries and bi-centenaries, composer’s birthdays, premieres - and the Winter Olympics in Vancouver are just ahead! And even this has something to do with music. What? You’ll know if you read on.
All the best,
Barbara Scales,
Director of Latitude45 Arts

News


Tambuco celebration tour
In 2010 Mexico has many reasons to celebrate: this year marks the bicentenary of the Mexican independence as well as the centenary of the Mexican revolution. To bolster institutions celebrating around the world, Mexican percussion ensemble Tambuco sets off for a celebration tour, traveling to Belgium in March, to Spain in June, and to the US in September; and finally heading for Shanghai and Malaysia in October. Highlights of the tour will be the concerts at the Kennedy Center in Washington in late September and at the Shanghai World Expo in October. Additional bookings are still possible in all regions;
contact us to know more.
www.latitude45arts.com/artists/view/tambuco

Jenny Lin at the Winnipeg New Music Festival
Pianist Jenny Lin is this year’s "distinguished guest artist" of the Winnipeg New Music Festival starting on February 6. She begins her residence on February 8 with an intimate chamber music evening featuring works by Randy Hostetler, Valentin Silvestrov, Arthur Kampela, Steven Stucky, and Vincent Ho. Two days later, she performs Silvestrov’s piano concerto "Metamusik", joined by the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. At the closing gala on February 12 she presents the North American premiere of "View from Olympus", a new work by New-Zealand composer John Psathas for piano, percussion and orchestra, together with the WSO again and percussionist Aiyun Huang.
www.latitude45arts.com/artists/view/jenny_lin

Makoto Nakura receives Barocksaal Award
Marimbist Makoto Nakura has been announced to receive the "Barocksaal Award" from the Aoyama Music Foundation in Kyoto. He won this prestigious Japanese award for his recital "Music of Wood and Forest II" in Kyoto in November 2009. It included five world premieres, among them a work for marimba solo by Ricardo Zohn-Muldoon, a work for percussion and piano by Carlos Sanchez-Guiterrez, and a duet for vibraphone and viola by Kenji Bunch.
www.latitude45arts.com/artists/view/makoto_nakura

The Olympics in music
The upcoming Olympic winter games in Vancouver are more than just a sports event. Radio Canada Television produced 150 short vignettes to be aired during the Olympics, presenting olympic installations and behind the scene portraits of facilities and people involved. The music for these vignettes has been composed by clarinettist and improvisation adept François Houle. According to the wide range of subjects (almost every aspect from speed skating to restaurant owners is covered), the music draws from a wide range of styles, from jazz to electronica and action film-like themes. The vignettes will be aired during the Olympics, starting February 12. www.latitude45arts.com/artists/view/francois_houle

Meet Latitude45 live
Meet Latitude45 in Australia! Director Barbara Scales will be present at the Australian Performing Arts Market, February 22-26, 2010, and further visit Melbourne and Sydney.
www.performingartsmarket.com.au
Latitude45’s visit to the Tokyo Presenters’ Market had to be cancelled. Sorry for all of you over there; we still hope to see you soon!
If you are in Europe, you can meet Latitude45 representative John King at annual conference of the Association of British Orchestras, from 24-26 February 2010 at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall.
www.abo.org.uk/Events/Annual-Conference/

News alla breve
→ Jenny Lin will have the honor to be the last of 24 pianists performing 24 Chopin preludes in a concert celebrating his 200th birthday in Geneva on March 1.
→ This month, Bassonist Nadina Mackie Jackson will record music from the late 17th and early 18th century with Toronto’s exquisite period ensemble Scaramella.
→ Composer Brian Current is currently completing a new piece for the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players. The date of the premiere is not announced yet.

Now booking
Tour planning for 2010/2011 is in full gear, but also the 2009/2010 season still bears interesting opportunities for presenters. Several Latitude45 artists are touring foreign continents: Tafelmusik visits Asia, violinist Mark Fewer travels to Australia, Les Percussions de Strasbourg make one of their rare visits to North America, and many more. In most cases, additional bookings are still possible - contact us to know more!
→ April/May 2010: Mark Fewer, Australia
→ May 2010: Sanctuary Trio, Europe
→ October 2010: Nadina Mackie Jackson and Guy Few, Western Canada
→ October 2010: Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, Asia
→ October 2010: Nouvel Ensemble Moderne, "La transparenza della parola", multi-media cantata by Andrea Liberovici on texts by Primo Levi, North America
→ November 2010: Joelle Léandre, tribute to John Cage, North America
→ February 15 to April 15, 2011: Les Percussions de Strasbourg, North America
→ April 2011: Arditti Quartet, North America
→ August 2011: Tafelmusik, South America

Artist of the month


François Houle: an explorer of sound
Clarinetist and composer François Houle has established himself as one of today’s most inventive musicians. As an improviser, he has become famous for his audacious explorations of sound and the diversity of tone color he produces, and for his willingness to cross the borders of classical and new music, of folk and jazz. He is even not afraid to break the borders of music itself, contributing his music to video or multimedia installations or to interactive events. With Vancouver-based Turning Point ensemble, he participated in "Ikons", a collaboration of visual and media artist Eric Metcalfe and composer George Lewis, shown at Five-Sixty in Vancouver from January 28 to February 28. January 31 sees him in an even more extraordinary event: In the eight-hour-long "Sonic Genome Project" by American music visionary Anthony Braxton more than 50 performers create a living sound world, using Braxton’s compositions and improvisational language, forming ensembles and splitting up again, moving about the space, and inviting members of the audience to participate.
François Houle is not only a daring improviser, but also a sought-after soloist and chamber music partner, specialized in, but not restricted to 20th century music. He also is a composer who increasingly is gaining the attention of a broader audience. After his highly praised clarinet concerto he recently presented "La valse d’Angele/Because she hoped", a musical narrative drawing on the tales and songs of his French Canadian ancestors.
For François Houle, the career as a composer has always been intrinsically tied to his career as a clarinetist. Consequently, he currently is busy giving concerts with avant-garde jazz as well as chamber music ensembles, presenting improvisations as well as works of contemporary composers, including his own. These are all equal steps in his long explorative musical journey.
www.latitude45arts.com/artists/view/francois_houle

Events


Now touring
→ Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra: California

To view the current list of all upcoming events, please visit our event calendar on www.latitude45arts.com/calendars.

Subscribe to Latitude45News