Overview

Summer classical music programs at Banff Centre are committed to the Creation of new music, the Refinement of traditional and contemporary practices, and the Amplification of our music into the public space by means of reflection and conversation. This Creation, Refinement, and Amplification is referred to as ARC. Faculty and participants will explore ARC, these three vital and inseparable aspects of music-making, to become whole musicians: creative, skilled and living fully in the changing world we share.  This work together will take place everywhere, from informal conversations on the slopes of Mount Norquay, in master classes and rehearsals, and in formal concert productions, presented side-by-side with faculty, that are intended for the general public.  Along the way, the programs will seek rich encounters between composers and performers, scholars and practitioners; with writers, dancers, naturalists, and audience members.

Pianist-Composer Collaborative investigates seminal repertory for piano and percussion and features a mixture of the traditional, the modern, and the genre-smashing. 

What does the program offer?

Overlapping with the Roots and Rhizomes Percussion Residency and An Improviser's View of Notated Music, the Pianist-Composer Collaborative program features ground-breaking Canadian pianists Winston Choi and Vicky Chow, the dazzling improvising New York duo of Craig Taborn and Cory Smythe, the extraordinary British pianist Nicolas Hodges and, the ever-inventive pianist/toy pianist Phyllis Chen. 

In this program, particular attention will be paid to the close relationship between pianist and composer, a rapport spanning centuries, and the fluid roles of creation, improvisation, curation, and collaboration.  The sensational Canadian multi-media artist Remy Siu will be resident faculty composer in this program.

Banff Centre's five Summer Classical Music Programs offer lessons, daily faculty-led seminars, informal conversations, rehearsals, hikes, public performances, and more. All programs include cross-disciplinary collaborations with other Banff Centre artists and programs to influence the development and interpretation of new work. Programming will create rich collaborative relationships and stimulate intense experiences in music-making.