Concert

PLANT

September 30, 7:30 PM

Playful, radical, chaotic, precise, and uncompromising, the music of the duo Plant is grounded in the discipline of total improvisation, driven by an energy that embraces loss of control and the unknown. The group brings together two remarkable musicians, Éric Normand and Jim Denley, whose unconventional approach pushes the boundaries of instrumental performance. Their technical rider is disarmingly simple: a plant and an amplifier. Around these, they use objects, instruments, and even fruit to create music that is at once fragile and strikingly intense. Plant's performances challenge traditional ideas of instrumentation through unusual manipulations of conventional instruments, drawing as much from performance art and instrumental theatre as from experimental music.
 

SUPER SCINTILLANT – TAROT

September 30, 7:30 PM

The duo Super scintillant creates music that is both delicate and vibrant through the unexpected meeting of two worlds: the virtuosic bass clarinet of Mélanie Bourassa and the modular synthesizer of Nicolas Bernier. At the crossroads of ambient music and free improvisation, the artists build each performance in real time, responding to the unpredictable behaviour of electronic sound. Within the duo, the clarinet possesses a magical power—it activates the electronic instrument. From this dialogue emerge constant surprises that take shape as richly textured sonic landscapes, offering listeners a deeply captivating experience.
 

GENEVIÈVE ACKERMAN – RIMES DÉFAITES PAR LE SPHINX

October 1, 7:30 PM

Rimes défaites par le Sphinx is a cycle of enigmatic, dreamlike songs in just intonation for two singers (Florence Tremblay and Geneviève Ackerman) and two guitarists (Alexandre Éthier and Francis Brunet-Turcotte). Each song unfolds as a living sonic tableau, inviting listeners to become intimate travellers through the depths of matter. The music strives to be as radiant as possible—a sonic sun that continues to resonate despite life's hardships—offering a space for contemplation, enchantment, and gentleness where listeners can freely unravel the long thread of their dreams. The original texts are by poet Frédérik Dufour, with music by composer Geneviève Ackerman.
 

ÉRICK D'ORION – MES FANTÔMES

October 1, 7:30 PM

To mark the release of his new album Mes fantômes on Ambiances Magnétiques, Érick d'Orion presents the complete three-movement work, created during a residency at the Centre d'expérimentation musicale (CEM). Blending elements of free jazz, rock, and experimental music, Mes fantômes explores the invisible traces left behind by sound: resonances, fragments, and spectral presences that emerge, vanish, and return to haunt us. Joined by an ensemble of musicians from the Saguenay region and featuring guitarist Bernard Falaise, the composer continues his exploration of the fertile territory between composition and improvisation, where chance itself becomes creative material.
Érick d'Orion – conductor, electronics
Stéphane Beaulieu – electric bass
Émile Boucher Cloutier – percussion, drums
Marie-Pierre Brasset – synthesizers
Nicolas Gobeil – trumpet
Bernard Falaise – electric guitar
 

QUATUOR BOZZINI – GEORGE LEWIS PORTRAIT

October 2, 7:30 PM

As part of Québec Musiques Parallèles, Quatuor Bozzini presents an exceptional evening devoted to the work of American composer, musicologist, and trombonist George Lewis, a leading figure in contemporary music. Renowned for his groundbreaking work at the intersection of composition, improvisation, and interactive technologies, Lewis explores the many ways music can reflect social, cultural, and human realities. One of today's foremost interpreters of contemporary repertoire, Quatuor Bozzini performs three string quartets composed between 2016 and 2022, offering a rare opportunity to experience the richness, inventiveness, and profound engagement of George Lewis's music through one of Montréal's most influential contemporary ensembles.
 

PATRICK GIGUÈRE – CE QUI FRÉMIT

October 2, 7:30 PM

Inspired by a passage from Véronique Côté's La vie habitable, Ce qui frémit (What Trembles) is an invitation to slow down and listen to what quietly resonates within us. Through harmonies and melodies of striking familiarity, enhanced by the use of just intonation, Patrick Giguère explores an intimate, sensitive, and luminous mode of listening. Performed by Marie-Loup Cottinet on viola da gamba and Daniel Áñez on synthesizers, this work invites us to reconnect with a fragile yet essential part of ourselves.
 

JEAN DEROME & SOMEBODY SPECIAL – LE SOURIRE

October 3, 7:30 PM

Le sourire pays tribute to the groundbreaking soprano saxophonist and composer Steve Lacy (1934–2004). Jean Derome's ensemble focuses on one of the defining aspects of Lacy's work: his vast and eccentric catalogue of songs setting texts by writers as diverse as Anna Akhmatova, Samuel Beckett, Robert Creeley, Bob Kaufman, and Judith Malina. The result is a distinctly Derome-style jazz—playful, angular, and taut—whose provocative harmonies never diminish its irresistible swing or engaging spirit. Bold and unconventional, this music ventures well beyond familiar paths while remaining firmly connected to the essence of jazz.
 

HUGO BLOUIN – LE BUFFET

October 3, 7:30 PM

At bassist Hugo Blouin's delightfully offbeat buffet, songs unfold like the dishes—and conversations—shared over an evening among friends. The menu features favourite family recipes alongside reflections on art, anecdotes, and childhood memories. These stories were gathered through interviews, then sampled and transcribed to provide the raw ingredients for each composition. Le buffet is brought to life by an all-star ensemble featuring John Hollenbeck on drums, Eugénie Jobin on vocals, Aurélien Tomasi on winds, and Marianne Trudel on piano.