Creative program at Chamberfest 2009

I feel like I have been attending more and more concerts and writing less and less. I went to three concerts yesterday, and one today! I am extremely impressed by the level of thoughful programming that has gone into this festival. I hate to pick favourites, so I won't! I will say, however, that every couple of days I find myself telling a friend that they missed something amazing, possibly the "best concert yet". Needless to say, I think it's time to let go of the quantifying and get to some qualifying, in an effort to pinpoint pieces of what it is that I find successful about the concerts I have attended.

I think it is safe to say that the concerts I have enjoyed the most have all taken place at the festival's late night "club" at St. Brigid's Centre for the Arts and Humanities. What is it, though, that makes this space so special?

For starters, the atmosphere is casual. Listeners are afforded the opportunity to have a drink, eat some food and share a conversation between songs without drawing too much attention. Second, the space, albeit crowded and hot, provides a sense of intimacy and connection between audience members and performers. Third, while it may seem safe to say that all the performers at the festival are performing at a high quality, there is something that seems to set some performers apart, that goes hand in hand with having an alternative venue. For me, alternative venues leave room for ALTERNATIVE AND CREATIVE PROGRAMMING that isn't always considered appropriate in the concert hall.

Take for instance the late night concerts which I have attended: Jonathan and Jennifer Swartz's violin/harp duo playing their own arrangements of twentieth-century classics. Fratelli Della Casa using barebones 'lead sheets' to arrange and improvised upon seventeenth-century popular tunes. Fright Night with Poe, in which performers created a theatrical and musical re-telling of Poe's works, including narration, visuals, acting and of course, great music and storytelling. Finally, this evening's concert with the New Berlin Ensemble and their set of music entitled L’accordéoniste in which they performed German, Italian and French cabaret music.

What here, is the common trend which the late night venue aptly supports? Musicians who think outside of the box and are involved in not only performing music, but arranging, writing and perhaps most importantly, interacting with it. To quote Gary Kulesha at last night's "New Music Dialogues": Music is a living art form!

Craig Pedersen
www.craigpedersen.com
www.newmusicottawa.blogspot.com
www.chamberfest.wordpress.com