The No Normal Podcast

This episode of The No Normal features composer and santurist Mehdi Rezania, a prolific and diverse artist, very familiar to audiences in our city. From his early teen years studying santur in Iran, and later compositional studies at York University, and current doctoral studies at The University of Alberta, Mehdi Rezania has developed a unique and compelling approach to creative music making. At home with traditional Persian music, composition, improvisation, and more, he regular performs and records as both a soloist, and as a much sought-after partner for artists from a unique array of practices.

Compositions by Mehdi Rezania Included in this episode:

02:07 Gems of Radif 1: At The Gate of Dawn (clip)

16:44 Gems of Radif 1: At The Gate of Dawn

31:22 Gems of Radif 2: Shahrāshub

38:40 Gems of Radif 3: Banafsheh

44:24 Fields of Abadeh, performed by The Windermere Quartet

58:49 Ice, performed by Toloe Roushenas

68:31 Gems of Radif 4: Sāqi-Nāmeh

For more Information:

Mehdi Rezania:

https://rezania.com

Mehdi Rezania New Music Edmonton Performances:

Now Hear This 2022: https://vimeo.com/732642086

Summer Solstice Series 2021, with Good Women Dance: https://vimeo.com/577714078

Baarbad Music:

https://sv-se.facebook.com/Baarbad/?ref=page_internal

Windermere Quartet:

https://windermere.braveform.com

New Music Edmonton is happy to return with a new series of The No Normal. We have some great interviews with amazing people lined up for the coming months, and we’re looking forward to sharing their work and their words with you!

To get things going, we are delighted to present composer Sointu Aalto, in conversation with Suzette Chan. Born in Helsinki, raised in Edmonton, Sointu Aalto is a composer and cellist, who has emerged as one of the most compelling emerging artists, with a formidable output of uncompromising instrumental and audio-visual works. She has studied with many eminent teachers in Edmonton and elsewhere, and has been a competition winner, and participant in festivals across Canada and abroad. In June, 2022, Aalto and her colleagues in The JAMS Quartet performed in the Now Hear This Festival in Edmonton, where they gave a rare, full-length performance of works by Aalto and other composers.

Compositions by Sointu Aalto Included in this episode:

2:34 THINK THINK THINK THINK THINK (Excerpt)

Audio portion of audio-visual work, commissioned by New Music Edmonton for the Summer Solstice Series, 2021.

6:09 Mass Extinction (Excerpt)

Performed by The JAMS Quartet: Jessica Ortlieb, Anna Vlasova, Mora Clarke, Sointu Aalto, with Kauri Aalto, tam-tam

13:22 super(ficial) (Full Length)

Performed by Bergamot Quartet at MATA Jr., Music at the Anthology Festival, NY, 2021

18:10 The Pizza Man Is Real (Full Length)

Performed by The JAMS Quartet: Jessica Ortlieb, Anna Vlasova, Mora Clarke, Sointu Aalto

34:01 THINK THINK THINK THINK THINK (Full Length)

Audio portion of audio-visual work, commissioned by New Music Edmonton for the Summer Solstice Series, 2021.

38:20 Yosinfonia (2020) (Full Length)

Performed by Daniel Aalto, piano, Eija Aalto, soprano

Text: Yösinfonia, 1, by Kirsi Kunna

For more Information:

Sointu Aalto:

https://soundcloud.com/user-759064400

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-z7kOEcb8OZ9B2wiBmlo9A

Suzette Chan:

(https://suzettechan.wordpress.com)

Our city is teeming with emerging artists of all kinds, many of them classical composers. This episode of The No Normal focuses on one such artist, Mary Alice Conrad. Over the last few years, her name has appeared with increasing frequency in concert programming, workshops and commissioned works lists across the country. In this interview, you’ll get to know about this compelling artist’s background and we dig into some of her recent works, with lots of great information on the genesis of Mary Alice Conrad’s diverse and prolific compositions.

Music Included in this episode:

19:44 The Mountains Rend Themselves Apart (excerpt)

Artistic Director and conductor, Raymond Baril

June 3, 2022, Convocation Hall, University of Alberta

Recording Engineer, Mike Malone

29:30 The Peculiar Dances of Shifting Minds (excerpt 1)

Allegra Chamber Orchestra, Janna Sailor, conductor, Opus. 59 Films.

FestivELLE Online Concert Series, June 2021, Orpheum Annex, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

41:58 Breathing Room (excerpt)

Live Mix of MacEwan University Music Department “Generations” Recording Project 2022.

Conducted by Raymond Baril

Recording Engineers, Paul Johnston and Padraig Buttner-Schnirer

At the MacEwan University Recording Department

53:24 Twenty-Six Punctographic Preludes (excerpt)

The Edmonton Saxophone Quartet

Kendra Heslip, Alto Saxophone

Charles Stolte, Tenor Saxophone

Ben Whittier, Baritone and Bass Saxophone

Allison Balcetis, Soprano Saxophone

December 2021, Convocation Hall, University of Alberta

Audio Engineer, Russel Baker

68:44 The Peculiar Dances of Shifting Minds (excerpt 2)

For more Information:

https://marialiceconrad.com/about

https://edmontonwinds.com

https://allegrachamberorchestra.com

https://www.facebook.com/MacEwanBigBand/

http://www.edmontonsaxophonequartet.com

In this episode of The No Normal, we welcome Shawn Pinchbeck. Internationally active as a composer, performer and sound artist, Shawn Pinchbeck has, since the mid 1980s, been a key part of the experimental sonic arts scene in Edmonton. With a toolkit that includes analog and digital machinery, expertise in field recording, and wide-ranging performance experience, Shawn has worked with a striking array of artists from sound and music, dance, video, the visual arts and more!

Ian Crutchley’s interview with Shawn Pinchbeck covers the artist’s story from his earliest to latest work, his first electronic gadgets, early local collaborators, mentors, and… bees!

There’s lots of incredible music in this episode, including the following:

09:40 Wildcats, composition, Resonance Cassette release, 1987

23:16 Scrapes & Shapes, collaboration with Jeff Collins, Collins Gallery, 2020 (https://shawnpinchbeck.bandcamp.com/album/scapes-and-shapes)

36:35 Phantoms of Jaak, solo performance BEAMS Art’s Birthday, 2021 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kY6RrRZGR3c)

43:38 Peace of Home, composition, 2021

(https://shawnpinchbeck.bandcamp.com/album/peace-of-home)

49:24 Where the Bees Buzz, audio visual performance, Art’s Birthday, 2022 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLtXvvahR8w&t=8488s)

60:46 Moss Sermons, collaboration with Bernd Hildebrandt, Mazurka Music and Art Society, 2019

70:40 Bittersweet, song collaboration with Rose McDowall (https://open.spotify.com/album/5j9Qedfwgkl5WFMW08dKrd)

For more Information:

http://www.spinchbeck.com

https://www.facebook.com/shawnpinchbeck/

https://shawnpinchbeck.bandcamp.com

https://soundcloud.com/shawnpinchbeck

https://www.facebook.com/BorealElectroacousticMusicSocietybeams/

Eminent Edmonton composer Heather Hindman is the guest for this episode of The No Normal.

Over her career to date, Heather Hindman has produced a really compelling series of acoustic and electronic works, with a particular interest in the relationships between music, culture and technology. Her compositions have been performed widely throughout Canada and in many other countries. Commissioners of Heather Hindman’s music have included UltraViolet, Xenia Pestova, The East Coast Music Ensemble and many more. She is also a dedicated and innovative pedagogue, teaching piano and composition to students of all ages.

In this interview by Ian Crutchley, Heather Hindman talks about her emergence as a composer, influences on her work, the tools of her trade, collaborating with performers, and about some of the gendered biases, barriers and challenges the new music world puts in the way of composers, especially those following unconventional career paths.

Alongside the conversation, we’ve got lot of great examples of Heather Hindman’s music:

(c. 15:36) Suite Nation, Performed by East Coast Contemporary Ensemble, Etchings Festival, France

(c. 30:59) Two and a Half Miniatures for Solo Piano (#2), Performed by Ian Pace, Leuven, Belgium

(c. 37:17) RRR, Performed by Xenia Pestova, Birmingham, UK

(c. 48:13) Scrap, Violet Collective (cond. by Andriy Talpash), Edmonton, AB

(c. 71:36) All Together Now, performed by Chenoa Anderson and Allison Balcetis, Calgary, AB

For more Information:

Heather Hindman: https://www.heatherhindman.com

Xenia Pestova: https://xeniapestovabennett.com

East Coast Contemporary Ensemble: https://www.eccearts.com

Allison Balcetis: http://www.allisonbalcetis.com

Chenoa Anderson: https://www.chenoaanderson.com

Ian Pace: https://ianpace.com

In this episode of The No Normal, we feature local artist Parker Thiessen. A central figure in our experimental scene, Parker Thiessen has recorded and performed as a soloist and as a member of numerous duos and ensembles, including Soft Ions, Private Investigators, Zebra Pulse, and more.

Parker Thiessen, along with his Private Investigators partner, Ian Rowley, runs the experimental label Pseudo Laboratories. Now nearing its 50th release, Pseudo Laboratories has, since 2014, produced cassettes and digital versions of work by dozens of artists.

Ian Crutchley, New Music Edmonton Artistic Director, interviewed Parker Thiessen for this episode. They discuss the Pseudo Laboratories label, as well as the creative work of Parker Thiessen himself.

The following music excerpts are included:

(c. 27:00) Psychic Chamber, Cauldron Melody (forthcoming Pseudo Laboratories release)

(c. 11:20) Burden, Let Vibrate https://pseudolaboratories.bandcamp.com/album/let-vibrate

(c. 21:00) Kelly Ruth, Illusions from Simulacra https://pseudolaboratories.bandcamp.com/album/simulacra

(c. 45:30) Parker Thiessen, excerpt from Phase Meditations (Holy Phase)

(c. 52:00) Parker Thiessen and Ethan Bokma, privately recorded backyard performance

For more Information:

Parker Thiessen: www.parkerthiessen.com

Pseudo Laboratories: www.pseudolaboratories.bandcamp.com

Welcome (or, welcome back!) to The No Normal, New Music Edmonton’s podcast featuring interviews and sonic art from some of the most innovative artists around.

We were back briefly in the autumn, with a beautiful music-only episode, curated by Matthew Cardinal. Now we’re ready to move on with regular episodes, and so happy to be in our second season!

This episode will include an interview of Mustafa Rafiq, by Suzette Chan, a local arts writer, and a great friend of all in the arts. In the interview, Mustafa and Suzette talk about Mustafa's background and a range of musical projects in which Mustafa has been involved lately, including a recent Pseudo Laboratories release, If I Were A Dance, (featuring Dwennimmen and Bhuyash Neupane), plus their co-operative ensemble sextet, Takleef.

The second part of the show will feature a conversation between Mile Zero Dance Artistic Director Gerry Morita and New Music Edmonton Artistic Director Ian Crutchley. Their discussion focuses on how Gerry Morita became involved in contemporary dance and music practices, her work at Mile Zero Dance, and some of the interesting intersections and influences relating her practice to ideas and artists also found in the contemporary sound and music worlds. We’ll also listen to Day of Creation, from the album Mosàfer, by recent Morita collaborators, the duo of Farhad Khosravi and Daniel Stadnicki.

For more Information:

Suzette Chan: (https://suzettechan.wordpress.com)

If I Were a Dance, featuring Mustafa Rafiq with Bhuyash Neupane and Dwennimen on the Pseudo Laboratories label: https://pseudolaboratories.bandcamp.com/album/if-i-were-a-dance

Mile Zero Dance and Gerry Morita: https://milezerodance.com

Dwennimmen aka Shima Robinson: https://dwennimmen.bandcamp.com

Mosàfer, by Farhad Khosravi and Daniel Stadnicki: https://farhadkhosravi.bandcamp.com

Listen up / Tendez l’oreille, is the name of this year’s Canadian New Music Network FORUM. Available online, this ten-week celebration of the creative music and sound community features talks, performances and pre-recorded works by dozens of artists. The Canadian New Music Network invited New Music Edmonton to take part by way of a specially-produced episode of The No Normal.

Entitled Calm, this episode brings together three newly-created works. They will be presented as a complete, uninterrupted set, with just a few moments of ambient sound separating them.

Matthew Cardinal is the curator of these works. A key figure in our region and beyond, Matthew Cardinal is well known for his solo work, myriad collaborative projects, and photography.

The works you will hear are:

Talk -- by Eliza Niemi

A Sunbeam Reveals Itself -- by Cipayak

Late Night AM -- by Stefana Fratila

Links

https://elizaniemi.bandcamp.com/music

https://www.instagram.com/eliza.niemi/

https://www.facebook.com/ghostkeepermusic

https://ghostkeeper.bandcamp.com/

https://www.stefanafratila.com/

https://www.instagram.com/stefanafratila/

https://www.facebook.com/matthewcardinalsound/

https://matthewcardinal.bandcamp.com

https://www.newmusicnetwork.ca/forum/

https://www.facebook.com/CNMN.RCMN/

Episode Ten is our final show for this, our inaugural season. It’s been an exciting new adventure for us, and we’ve enjoyed bringing you the voices of dozens of artists alongside lots of new works.

Episode 10 opens with a discussion between Ian Crutchley and Abram Hindle, noise artist, and the curator of The Boreal Electroacoustic Music Society’s Edmonton Noisefest, online on August 28, 2021.

For more Information:

Abram Hindle: https://softwareprocess.es/homepage/index.html and https://www.youtube.com/user/abramh666

Boreal Electroacoustic Music Society: https://blog.beams.ca

Edmonton Noisefest: https://www.facebook.com/events/online/edmonton-noisefest-2021/495201488205134/

To close out this episode, and the first No Normal season, we are very pleased to present a conversation between Piyush Patel and sound artist and photographer Matthew Cardinal, in an in-depth discussion of Matthew Cardinal’s prolific creative work.

For more information:

Matthew Cardinal: https://www.facebook.com/matthewcardinalsound/ and https://matthewcardinal.bandcamp.com

Piyush Patel: https://www.mixcloud.com/piyush-patel6/

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Thank you to our generous sponsors and funders who make our programming possible: Edmonton Arts Council, SOCAN Foundation, Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Commission (AGLC), Canada Council for the Arts, Alberta Foundation for the Arts, City of Edmonton, Canadian Heritage, Business / Arts, CJSR 88.5 FM

This season, we are commissioning art that reflects the issues of our time, and are delivering free digital programming to ensure access for everyone. You can help us out by donating the price of a concert ticket, a festival pass, or a season pass. You can donate through Canada Helps (https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/49029) or find more information on our website.

In Episode Nine of The No Normal we welcome Suzette Chan, who is joining the interviewing team for the first time, with a focus on Edmonton composer Catherine Bevan. New Music Edmonton commissioned Catherine Bevan through its Edmonton Arts Council-sponsored New Music For The No Normal project. The result is a solo piano work, To the Ends of the Earth.

The No Normal includes the premiere performance, recorded by Edmonton’s Sahil Chugh at The Yardbird Suite this spring.

For more Information:

Catherine Bevan: https://acwc.ca/members/catherine-bevan/

Sahil Chugh: https://sahilchugh.bandcamp.com

Suzette Chan: https://suzettechan.wordpress.com

Part 2 of this episode is a conversation between No Normal co-creator, Caitlin Sian Richards, and audio-visual duo Instant Places. Originally from our region, Laura Kavanaugh and Ian Birse featured in our spring festival, and led some incredible online improv workshops. Included are excerpts from their recent work, Steps Six Through Seven of Many Stars.

For more information:

Instant Places: http://instantplaces.ca

Caitlin Sian Richards: https://caitlinsrichards.wordpress.com/

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Thank you to our generous sponsors and funders who make our programming possible: Edmonton Arts Council, SOCAN Foundation, Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Commission (AGLC), Canada Council for the Arts, Alberta Foundation for the Arts, City of Edmonton, Canadian Heritage, Business / Arts, CJSR 88.5 FM

This season, we are commissioning art that reflects the issues of our time, and are delivering free digital programming to ensure access for everyone. You can help us out by donating the price of a concert ticket, a festival pass, or a season pass. You can donate through Canada Helps (https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/49029) or find more information on our website.