At the Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival of course.
Billed as the world’s largest chamber music festival, Chamberfest is one of the most eclectic festivals you’ll ever see. With concerts by such diverse artists as the percussion group Nexus, the Evergreen Club Gamelan ensemble playing Indonesian music, and showcasing world premiers of commissioned works such as Quator Bozzini playing Jo Kondo’s contemporary Oneiric Prosody, the festival has something for every musical taste.
“For me, chamber music means flexibility and stretching the boundaries,” says OCMS Executive Director Glenn Hodgins. “The artistic directors, the Gryphon Trio, chose to focus on the return of contemporary music — the music of our times.”
“We believe chamber music is an art form of the future,” says Roman Borys, co-artistic director, “and it’s been a thrill planning performances that include collaborations with multimedia, dance, and choral components.”
Contemporary Canadian cellist Shauna Rolston is busy playing concerts, recording arrangements of Canadian indie rock groups and developing new works for the cello with other artists. She is currently working on Synchronicity, a BRAVO! film about her artistic partnership with pianist Heather Schmidt. Shauna teaches at the University of Toronto and is a Visiting Artist at The Banff Centre.
As a recitalist and chamber musician, violinist Erika Raum has performed at festivals in France, Warsaw, New York and Seattle. She recently released a CD featuring the recording premiere of Pantheon composed by Elizabeth Raum, her mother.
The Toronto-based Evergreen Club Contemporary Gamelon is marking its 25th anniversary season. The group performs on bronze and wooden instruments that are attuned to each other to form a gamelan, or a traditional instrumental ensemble of Indonesia. The Evergreen Club's program at Chamberfest '08 features new works for gamelan and string quartet as well as repertoire for the eight-member group.
The Shanghai Quartet, formed 26 years ago, is returning to Ottawa to play its innovative blend of Chinese folk music and Western contemporary works. The Quartet has performed on stages all over the world, and last year their 20th anniversary tour featured performances of Beethoven’s string quartets in six concerts, one of which was a first ever in China.
“We are one of the biggest festivals of our kind in the world,” says Hodgins, “but that’s not the most important thing. What I’m most proud of is the quality of the performances, which is 50 per cent of the experience.”
And what an experience it will be. From July 25 to August 8, Chamberfest 2008 will give its loyal fans just what they want: high-quality musicianship and traditional classical music, coupled with unexpected and contemporary performances.
Log on to www.chamberfest.com to see a complete program of events plus profiles of the artists.
