Continuum Modern Music will current Pine Timber and Blue Sky on December 6. The live performance contains a vary of works, together with the world premiere of Ritual IIIb by Canadian composer Haotian Yu, a chunk created by way of Continuum’s HATCH 2019 mentorship program, and the world premiere of Jessica Ackerley’s A World In Us for violin and harp (a Continuum fee).
The live performance was curated by Creative Producer (and violinist) Roan Ma, who performs as a visitor artist, together with Belgian harpist Stef Van Vynckt.
The whole program contains:
- Marcos Balter (BR) Violin Concerto
- Toshio Hosokawa (JP) Panorama II
- Haotian Yu (CA) Ritual IIIb
- Anna Höstman (CA) Pine Timber and Blue Sky
- Jessica Ackerley (CA) A World In Us
LV spoke to Roan Ma, chosen as Creative Manufacturing for 2024/25 and 2025/26 by Continuum’s Mentorship in Creative Manufacturing (MAP), concerning the live performance.
Roan Ma: The Interview
Roan earned Bachelor’s and Grasp’s levels from Manhattan College of Music together with a Grasp’s in Music Training from Columbia College. She is presently a DMA candidate in violin efficiency on the College of Toronto. Her background at MSM supplied a strong background for curation and creative manufacturing.
“I labored because the supervisor of Manhattan College of Music’s recording division,” Ma explains. “That’s my old-fashioned.”
She spent a couple of decade at MSM, together with a interval of work-study. Roan labored as a recording engineer and video producer, in addition to managing the varsity’s recording program.
“We recorded tons of of scholar live shows yearly,” she says. She oversaw many business recordings as effectively.
“That’s one of many causes I like Continuum’s give attention to academic programming,” she provides.
In her function with Continuum, she’s guided by Creative Director Ryan Scott and Operations Supervisor Christina Volpini, and has come to learn the way small ensembles work inside Canada and Toronto.
Curation
What does Roan think about when curating a live performance?
“It is determined by this system,” she says. “For this one specifically, I began out by itemizing items that I used to be considering,” she continues. “There’s plenty of sensible concerns.”
The latter embody issues just like the price range, out there instrumentation, and time concerns.
“How a lot rehearsal time are we going to have? What sort of program is doable inside the time-frame that we now have?”
One work is central to this system. “For this program, I programmed the live performance across the Balter concerto.”
Brazilian modern classical music composer Marcos Balter is the Fritz Reiner Professor of Musical Composition at Columbia College. His works have been extensively carried out all through america, together with by distinguished ensembles and organizations such because the New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra MusicNOW Collection, Los Angeles Philharmonic, New World Symphony, Lincoln Heart’s Principally Mozart Pageant, the Baryshnikov Arts Heart, and the Fromm Music Collection at Harvard College, amongst others.
His Violin Concerto is a chunk Ma needed to play. “I’m actually enthusiastic about this program. I feel it’s a extremely robust program.” She factors out the variety of composers, every with their very own model.
Balter’s piece is new to Toronto audiences. “It’s going to be the Canadian premiere.” It was written for David Bowlin of New York’s Worldwide Modern Ensemble.
Throughout her time in NYC, Ma attended a grasp class with Balter. “It’s humorous now to be studying from him. It’s a extremely dynamic concerto that’s stuffed with color and virtuosic violin enjoying,” she provides. “It’s very troublesome to play. I really feel prefer it’s elevated my very own enjoying.”
Roan labored with Balter throughout her time on the Internationales Musikinstitut Darmstadt this previous summer time.
“He informed me that on this concerto, he was very considering finding out clear types, nearly like Mozart.” He was additionally researching the Stravinsky violin concerto. “It’s a really modern concerto, however he’s referencing [other works].”
Friendship & Extra
Jessica Ackerley’s A World In Us is scored for harp and violin. “Her concept of this piece is that it explores the theme of friendship,” Ma says — its connections and joys. Canadian sound and visible artist Jessica Ackerley can be an experimental jazz guitarist, improvisor and painter alongside her work as a composer.
“It’s going to be that includes the harpist Stef Van Vynckt. He’s based mostly in Europe,” Roan explains. “The theme of friendship makes plenty of sense for this piece.”
Ma, Ackerley and Van Vynck first met on the Bang On A Can Pageant in New York three years in the past, and have stored in contact ever since.
Panorama II by Japanese composer Toshio Hosokawa is scored for string quartet and harp.
“It’s a really evocative piece,” Ma says.
Ritual Ritual IIIb is a piece by Canadian composer Haotian Yu. Born in Shanghai, Yu grew up in Canada, and is now based mostly in Berlin. His music attracts from speculative analyses of Chinese language musical traditions and social practices. Yu studied on the Eastman College and the HfMDK Frankfurt, together with extra research with artists in Toronto and past.
“It’s additionally very particular,” Ma says. “It was initially written for Continuum’s HATCH program.” Ma can be an alumnus of HATCH just a few years in the past. “He revised it. We’ll be enjoying the revised model.”
Blue Sky
Canadian composer Anna Höstman’s Pine Timber and Blue Sky supplies the title for the live performance. Primarily based in Victoria, British Columbia, Höstman studied on the College of Victoria, and with Gary Kulesha on the College of Toronto. Her works usually use language and textual content in experimental methods, and are the product of analysis. Her music has been carried out in North America, China, England, Italy, Russia, and Mexico.
“I used to be actually drawn to Anna’s work, after listening to her piece After the Rain,” Roan says. “It’s a really minimalist however deeply felt piece. Höstman is a really considerate author.”
Continuum Modern Music
Roan linked with Continuum shortly after arriving in Toronto.
“I used to be very new to Toronto at the moment. I had solely been right here for a few months.”
She started her affiliation with the group together with her participation within the HATCH program, the place she met many musicians in addition to engaged on her personal music.
“It was a really intense two weeks.” One week consisted of rehearsals, whereas the second was given over to performances. “It was an incredible alternative to check with these actually skilled musicians,” she provides.
“All of the musicians that kind Continuum’s core ensemble are unbelievable. They’ll play something you set in entrance of them.”
This system is de facto about connections.
“Jessica’s concept of friendship is form of thematic glue to this system,” she says, “although the opposite items aren’t explicitly about friendship. I feel that we want that greater than ever,” she provides.
“I feel that the live performance for me is a celebration of […] the connections I’ve shaped internationally.”
- Discover efficiency particulars and tickets for Pine Timber and Blue Sky on December 6 [HERE].
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Anya Wassenberg is the Toronto Metropolis Editor at Ludwig Van. Beforehand, she was a contract author with a specialty in tradition and journey for 3 a long time, and a inventive writing teacher for Ontariolearn.
