Festival International de Musique Actuelle, 29th Edition. A coup for Victo this year, the all-day Zorn@60 birthday celebration prompted the return of fans who had been absent for a decade or more. Long lineups winding from the downtown Cinema Laurier had local Sunday strollers stopping to inquire as to what event was drawing such a crowd. It’[...] Read more

Concerts and Events Frédérique Arroyas Issue 117

The Venice Biennale 56th International Festival of Contemporary Music. Using the words “Venice” and “music” together likely brings Vivaldi to mind. Or if one says Venice Biennale, thoughts turn to contemporary art or perhaps film or architecture. Yet the Venice Festival of Contemporary Music just marked its fifty-sixth edition. Why is it[...] Read more

Concerts and Events Jason van Eyk Issue 115

CONTACT Contemporary Music: INTERsection. Toronto, Ontario. September 1–2 2012. Billed as a Top 20 Billboard of Contemporary Music, CONTACT Contemporary Music’s INTERsection New Music Festival rang in its sixth year on September 1. Held in part at Toronto’s Yonge-Dundas Square, the festival ran for two days and featured as headliners the Bang on a Can All-[...] Read more

Concerts and Events Jesse Ship Issue 114

Merce Cunningham Dance Company: the final Event. NYC, USA. December 31, 2011. It is with wistfulness and admiration that I’m writing a review of the last-ever Merce Cunningham Dance Company Event, the second of two shows at the Park Avenue Armory last New Year’s Eve.   Wistfulness, for obvious reasons: this performance marked the end of a[...] Read more

Concerts and Events Matt Rogalsky Issue 113

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