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In March 2023, the entire new music community celebrated the memory of Quebec composer Claude Vivier, who died 40 years ago, and Les Événements du Neuf he had helped to imagine. Le Vivier presented its La Semaine du Neuf first edition.

It returns this year, from 1 to 19 March 2024, inviting the public to explore the possible links between the digital arts and creative music. The programme is international and hightlights the artistic projects of our members, in partnership with the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec (CALQ), the French Consulate in Montreal and the European Union's National Institutes for Culture (EUNIC). 

Concerts, performances, sound installations and discussions, in situ and online, will drive the almost 20 days of programming.

Pierre Jodlowski, special guest this year
Le Vivier is proud to welcome the internationally renowned French composer Pierre Jodlowski!

His music, often densely layered, lies at the crossroads of acoustic and electric sound, and is characterized by its dramaturgical and political roots. His work has taken him to most of the venues dedicated to contemporary music, but also to parallel circuits: dance, theatre, visual arts and electronic music.

In anticipation of the composer's visit to Montreal, a number of artists and Le Vivier’s members will be presenting his work and some of his pieces.
 

An international programme
Other international artists have answered Le Vivier's call for this event. 

It's an honor to welcome France's oldest and most internationally successful musical creation ensemble, Les Percussions de Strasbourg. They present Ghostland (9 and 10 March), an immersive and spellbinding show based on a creation by Pierre Jodlowski, which transports us into a space with undefined borders and is based on the concept of the ghost. It features four percussionists playing on four drums and virtual instruments, and a puppeteer with an interactive light, sound and video system. March 10 will also be an opportunity to discover the dark and mysterious electronic music of Giulio Colangelo & Vittorio Montalti, which the two composers will perform live to present Lascaux, an artistic project immersed in this mythical historic cave. The evening continues with a performance of Pierre Jodlowski's Mad Max by musician Charles Chiovato-Rambaldo. The French ensemble Flashback are also back to delight Montreal audiences, accompanied by accordionist Fanny Vicens (18 March).

March 14 also promises to be a fine evening in the Salle Multimédia at CIRMMT, with the Hopper Chamber Orchestra, straight from Belgium, performing Pierre Slinckx's H#1/2/3/4 and the works of Canadian composer James O'’Callaghan, Of definitions of “ground”.

Le Vivier community is also presents 
There would be no Semaine du Neuf without Le Vivier's partner ensembles and artists.

Video Phase kicks off La Semaine du Neuf with Alt-Escape, a performance combining music, video projection and technology to bring a new form of concert to life in real time (1st March). 

For the first time, Le Vivier partnered with Centre Phi to present an immersive installation, Ice, exploring the silent formation of ice cubes on the works of composer Jimmie Leblanc, performed by Paramirabo (9 March).

For its part, Quasar has chosen to pay tribute to composer Sandeep Bhagwati, in collaboration with the Société de musique contemporaine du Québec (7 March). The saxophone quartet returns with the Nouvel Ensemble Moderne and Fiolutroniq in a new edition of VivierMix, followed by the Quatuor Bozzini, in an evening featuring works by guest of honor Pierre Jodlowski (12 March). 

A multimedia conception of the first feature film produced in Afghanistan, Like Eagles, is presented by Innovations en concert at Théâtre La Chapelle Scènes Contemporaines (13 March). 

Not forgetting the ensembles Sixtrum, Architek Percussions, Productions SuperMusique and collectif9.

Inviting international delegations
At the heart of the festival, from 9 to 12 March, Le Vivier will be welcoming an international delegation of some fifteen new music presenters for a series of professional days. The executive committee of the IN/PACT New Music Network (ex CARTEL), which recently welcomed two new members, Heloisa Amaral (ultima festival, Oslo, Norway) and Thiago Cury (Música Estranha festival, São Paulo, Brazil), will be in Montreal for the occasion. Among the professional activities on the programme is a hybrid international conference on 11 March: "International Perspectives on Eco-Responsibility and Community Involvement". It's sure to be a rich programme of exchanges and discussions!

After the success of the first edition in 2023, La Semaine du Neuf promises a second rich and captivating programme. Le Vivier looks forward to seeing you on 1st of March!