Internationales Minimal Music Festival, Third Edition. Kassel, Germany. October 6–9, 2011. Every five years since 1955, the small German city of Kassel hosts documenta, Europe’s preeminent contemporary visual-arts exhibition. documenta attracts over one million curious viewers to Kassel, including world-renowned artists, cultural critics, academics, and international media.[...] Read more

Concerts and Events W. Mark Sutherland Issue 112

CLAEM Festival: un gol de media cancha [a midfield goal]. Buenos Aires, Argentina. June 17–24, 2011. Edited by Meg Sheppard.    One of the best contemporary music festivals I have attended took place in Buenos Aires from June 17–24, with symphonic concerts at the Belgrano Auditorium, and chamber music and electroacoustic music concerts at the Centro Cultural Borges.[...] Read more

Concerts and Events alcides lanza Issue 112

OK.Quoi?! Contemporary Arts Festival. Sackville, New Brunswick. July 25–31 2011. The mandate of OK.Quoi?! is to showcase contemporary art by bringing it to the people outside of gallery walls. This raises an important question—are people willing to allow contemporary artwork to exist in public spaces? Community member and artist Elizabeth von Rosenbach thinks so.[...] Read more

Concerts and Events Blair Ellis Issue 111

Festival International Musique Actuelle Victoriaville 27 Edition. Victoriaville, Quebec. May 19–22, 2011. FIMAV has a distinctive character, from its unlikely location in rustic Victoriaville, an hour’s drive from Quebec City, to its insistence on celebrating so many musical frontiers: free jazz, rock, electroacoustic improvisation, DJs, and sound-art installations. Despite its rich[...] Read more

Concerts and Events Stuart Broomer Issue 111

Montreal New Music International Festival: 5th Edition. Montreal, Canada. February 18–26, 2011. Being assigned to cover a new music festival such as Montréal/Nouvelles Musiques is somewhat like being thrown into a different space-time (and sound) continuum—one suddenly has the impression that new music is all there is to be heard all over the city, with ensembles,[...] Read more

Concerts and Events Marc Hyland Issue 110

Vancouver New Music Festival. Scotiabank Dance Centre, Vancouver, B.C. October 21–23 The Vancouver New Music Festival, under the artistic direction of Giorgio Magnanensi, is known for inviting performers from the breadth of the contemporary art world, featuring emerging artists alongside international celebrities, the whole lot unapologetically challenging the audience with[...] Read more

Concerts and Events Randy Raine-Reusch Issue 109

Flow Festival. Helsinki, Finland. August 13–15, 2010. Since its inception in 2003, Helsinki’s Flow Festival has become a major highlight of the Finnish music calendar. This year’s seventh edition certainly didn’t disappoint. Perfect summer weather, a unique urban site, top-notch programming, and careful execution combined to[...] Read more

Concerts and Events Jason van Eyk Issue 109

Electric Eclectics 5. The Funny Farm, Meaford, Ontario. July 30–August 1, 2010. True to its moniker, Electric Eclectics is more than just a head-spinningly diverse festival of modern music. It’s also a truly eclectic experience. Equal parts experimental music festival, bush party, camping trip, participatory art happening, and gathering of lovable misfits, EE is a[...] Read more

Concerts and Events Jonathan Bunce Issue 108

Sound Symposium XV. St. John’s, Newfoundland. July 2–10, 2010. Sound Symposium XV offered up in equal portions traditional concerts, sound installations, urban music, and everything in between. The festival itself became a nine-day art event, greater than the sum of its parts, and for that, the curatorial team deserves to be applauded. For the duration[...] Read more

Concerts and Events Andrew Staniland Issue 108

Big Ears Festival. Knoxville, Tennessee. March 26–28, 2010. Clean, tidy, and walkable, downtown Knoxville feels more like Europe than America. Unlike the Next Big Thing-chasing club crawl of that other Southern-U.S. fest, South by Southwest, in Austin, the Big Ears Festival is a carefully curated festival driven by an artistic mandate to showcase cutting[...] Read more

Concerts and Events Jonathan Bunce Issue 107

Sonic Acts XIII. Amsterdam, The Netherlands. February 25–28, 2010. Since its launch in 2000, Sonic Acts has become a major biennial showcase for electronic music and intermedia art in Europe. This year’s thirteenth edition lived up to its reputation with an ambitious and densely packed program of concerts featuring new and established artists from such[...] Read more

Concerts and Events Patrick Valiquet Issue 107