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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Thursday, May 14, 2015
Opus Testing: NASA Remixed
Repurposing the NASA audio archive
(Toronto, ON) – Musica Reflecta and the Canadian Music Centre (CMC) are pleased to present the final edition
of Opus Testing for the 2014-15 season. On June 4, audiences are invited to a music writing workshop-
concert hosted at the CMC. Each edition of Opus Testing begins with a unique musical assignment, and
the NASA Remixed edition is our first effort to focus entirely on electronic music.
From decades-old radio transmissions to the ringing of ionized matter, NASA’s audio archive has a ready
supply of compelling and otherworldly sounds. Artists from around the world have been making use of
the material, especially in music projects. We invited composers to use sounds downloaded from NASA’s
archive to create an electronic piece or soundscape. On June 4, the Opus Testing event will feature
discussions with the participants facilitated by musician-composer Rose Bolton, and a performance by
SlowPitchSound who will present his own music alongside a playlist of star-bound creations. The music
will be accompanied by live, improvised projections by Damian Lebiedzinski. We are also delighted to
welcome Dr. Duy Cuong Nguyen, member of the Dunlap Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics (based
at the University of Toronto), an organization committed to sharing astronomical discovery with the
public. Nguyen will join our discussion to provide greater context for the sounds in NASA’s archive.
In the same way that literary fiction allows writers to imagine other worlds, electronic music composition
in the 20th and 21st centuries has enabled far-flung sonic explorations. Opus Testing is an opportunity for
audiences to understand the compositional process, and the relationship between the composer and
sources of inspiration, and the NASA Remixed event will feature fascinating discussions. Join us as we
contemplate our place in the universe!
Canadian Music Centre (20 St. Joseph Street)
Date: Thursday, June 4, 2015
Time: Doors at 7:30, event begins at 8:00pm
Admission: Pay What You Can
Rose Bolton: Based in Toronto, Rose Bolton creates music for documentary films. She is also well established as
a composer who creates and envisions new sounds in the areas of classical and electronic music. In 2011 she
was commissioned by the Canadian Music Centre to create a sound and video installation for Toronto’s 2011
Nuit Blanche. The finished work, The Crown of the Bell, was produced in collaboration with film artist Marc de
Guerre, and over 1000 people experienced the piece during the all-night event. Her concert music has garnered
awards and grants from the Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council and the Toronto Arts Council; and
her work has been performed across Canada by the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, the Vancouver Symphony,
the Esprit Orchestra, among others. For more info on Rose, click here!
SlowPitchSound: Using the turntable creatively to explore sounds has been at the forefront of Cheldon Paterson
aka SlowPitchSound’s entire adult life. Turntable composition, live performance and improvisation have been
key elements whether performing solo or with culturally diverse musicians stretching from Gamelan to jazz to
western classical and beyond. His unique style of turntable performance has made its way around the world
touching down in Sweden, Great Britain, Netherlands, Australia and America. He is a sound artist who often
incorporates unconventional functions of the turntable as well as field recordings in his compositions. Using the
turntable as an instrument, sounds are captured, looped and further brought to life by numerous filters and
effects in tandem with Paterson's hypnotic tribal rhythms. Away from the stage, Cheldon stays busy teaching the
art of DJing at Off Centre DJ & Electronic Music Production School. For more info on SlowPitchSound, click here!
Musica Reflecta is a Toronto based chamber orchestra collective featuring emerging musicians and artists. Our
aim is to marry various contemporary aesthetics, particularly those of Canadian contemporary artists, with
classical programming and present them in an engaging and modern light. To learn more, click here!
The Canadian Music Centre (CMC) exists to stimulate the awareness, appreciation, and performance of
Canadian new music through the Centre’s collection, information resources, performances, and production and
distribution services. To learn more, click here!
-30For Further Information Please Contact:
Will Callaghan
General Manager – Musica Reflecta
[email protected]