Six Pianos - Illuminate the Night

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About

This event has been adapted into a digital experience - check out the two YouTube links below to see the videos!

Six Pianos aims to unite musicians and audiences in a creative space, a welcome relief as concert stages have been rendered silent by COVID19. The conception of this performance comes from a desire to reveal the trance-like and meditative quality of minimalist music, and marry it with light to create a multi-sensory, connective experience for viewers and listeners.

The core of this project is a musical performance of repertoire written for 6 pianos. This rarely heard ensemble represents an unusual mass collective effort, analogous to the struggle we currently face against COVID19 - each performance requires individual accountability and collective care in order to succeed. Electro-acoustician Andy Rudolph has generously lent his support to this project, and will install a glowing orb with changing colours triggered by audio inputs coming from each piano.

The 6 pianists will perform the repertoire on 6 keyboards, each amplified by its own external speaker to allow for the instruments to stay autonomous, while allowing their sound to blend in the outdoor space. Proposed repertoire for the evening includes Steve Reich’s 6 pianos (1973, 20 minutes) and Kate Moore’s Sensitive spot (2005, 10 minutes). Each 30 minute performance will be delivered hourly for a total of 5 times in an outdoor space. The auditory experience for each listener will vary depending on where they are situated.

The Six Pianos performance, in conjunction with lighting designer Andy Rudolph, will be a spectacle for the eyes and ears. The intense physicality of six pianists performing live will be reflected in a pulsating, shifting light display, and the hypnotic rhythms of Steve Reich and Kate Moore will provide an immersive sound atmosphere for everyone who passes by the installation.

The project will utilize outdoor space, with capacity limits and physical distancing measures in place. (Hand sanitizer will be available on site.)

Links

• Madeline Hildebrand madelinehildebrand.com
• YouTube: Six Pianos - Steve Reich youtube.com
• YouTube: Six Pianos - Kate Moore - Sensitive Spot youtube.com

Organizer

Illuminate the Night - 6 Pianos

Each year, an Open Call is held for artists to propose pieces that will enhance the audience experience of Nuit Blanche Winnipeg through the Illuminate the Night program. Projects are selected by a jury of artists and art professionals and are featured in Winnipeg’s downtown core.

This is a call inviting artists working in all artistic mediums to submit projects- performance artists, installation artists, textile artists, graphic designers, media artists, architects and general creative thinkers – with a performance, exhibition or installation that will enthrall, excite and possibly introduce Winnipeggers to something they have never seen or experienced before.

Dr. Darryl Friesen has given acclaimed performances as a soloist and collaborative artist across Canada, the United States, Europe, China, and Brazil, and has been featured many times in concert on CBC Radio.

Madeline Hildebrand is currently pursuing her Doctorate degree at Stony Brook University in New York. Her playing has taken across Canada, America, Italy, and Romania.

A self-described new music explorer, Canadian pianist Everett Hopfner is celebrated for his passionate and inventive performances. Everett has toured across Canada as winner of the 36th Eckhardt- Gramatté National Music Competition.

Praised for her “fierce artistry” and “poetic” pianism, Winnipeg-based pianist Lisa Rumpel is passionate about communicating classical music to a variety of audiences. Lisa is equally comfortable collaborating in art song, chamber music, opera, and choral music.

Naomi Woo is a prominent young Canadian conductor, recognized by CBC (30 Under 30) and Flare Magazine (How I Made It) as a rising star on the Canadian classical music scene, and notable for her work as a socially- engaged artist and educator.

Theresa Thordarson is a musician, creator, and educator who has appeared on stages across Canada and abroad. An avid explorer of musical margins, Theresa enjoys performing and premiering contemporary works as a soloist and ensemble player.

Andy Rudolph Andy Rudolph is an electro acoustician whose work spans nearly all facets of audio creation: musical composition and performance, interactive installation, audio engineering, field recording, software development and most points in between.