This coming May 9 and 10, Instruments of Happiness and Le Vivier, under the direction of composer and guitarist Tim Brady, present a musical voyage of discovery with musicians who are expanding the sonic limits of the electric guitar.
On May 9th Planète Bonheur / Planet Happiness takes the listener in new musical directions with the electric guitar. This first concert features Belgian composer and guitarist François Couvreur as well as the quatuor teotwawki, the group of Montreal composer Kevin O’Neil. Couvreur will perform several solo works for electric guitar by his European colleagues Fausto Romitelli, Michel Fourgon and Jean-Yves Colman, as well as a premiere by Canadian composer Andrew Noseworthy. The second part of the concert features the music of Montrealer Kevin O’Neil, presenting works for both solo guitar and electric guitar quartet.
On May 10th, the Instruments of Happiness quartet (Tim Brady, Jonathan Barriault, Simon Duchesne, and Francis Brunet-Turcotte) will perform works by Couvreur and Chilean composer Felipe Alarcon, as well as five newly commissioned pieces from a range of composers. These works reflect the great diversity of music for the electric guitar, delving into minimalism, electroacoustics, improvisation, microtonality, and chamber music. There are three new Canadian works, by Corie Rose Soumah (QC/NYC), Ida Toninato (QC) and Amy Brandon (N-S), as well as two rhythmically charged works by works by Australian composer Robert Davidson and Montrealer Jose Segura.
NEW ALBUM by Instruments of Happiness
This micro-festival marks the release of Instruments of Happiness’ 3rd recording, entitled Slow, Quiet Music in Search of Electric Happiness (Redshift Records). The project brings together the work of four Canadian composers exploring the idea of slow music. The project was originally presented at the Église le Gesù in February 2020 in Montreal. The CD includes music by Louise Campbell, Rose Bolton, Andrew Noseworthy, and Andrew Staniland.
9th and 10th of May – Agora de la danse – Salle Bleue – 7:30 PM
