[sub]merge

Sept 23, 2023 · Peggy Corkum Music Room · Halifax, Nova Scotia

[sub]merge launched Alkali Collective’s fourth season with a program built around collaboration and the meeting of musical styles. At its centre were two projects developed with longtime friends of the ensemble: the world premiere of Liam Elliot’s sublimation and a performance with guest artist Sarah McCabe as HENDRA. Andy Akiho’s piano quintet Prospects of a Misplaced Year completed the program.

Elliot’s sublimation, commissioned through Alkali Collective’s Cross-Canada Commissioning Project, is shaped by images of the ocean and environmental change. Structured as a wave approaching in slow motion, the piece gradually reveals its musical materials before dissolving again. Elliot connects this process with several meanings of sublimation: rising oceans, disappearing ice, collective action, and the merging of individual performers into a collective sound. The commission was supported by the Canada Council for the Arts.

Following intermission, Alkali joined McCabe and Elliot for a set of original music by HENDRA. Led by McCabe on viola and vocals, the project brings together electronic folk-pop and string writing, with songs exploring change, mental illness, and recovery. Working with HENDRA gave Alkali an opportunity to explore the overlap between contemporary chamber music and singer-songwriter traditions, as the ensemble wove semi-improvised accompaniments around McCabe’s original works.

The program also featured Akiho’s Prospects of a Misplaced Year, a five-movement work for piano quintet. [sub]merge marked Alkali Collective’s second exploration of Akiho’s music, following a performance of Karakurenai during the ensemble’s third season.

Guest Artist: Sarah McCabe / HENDRA

Sarah McCabe is a songwriter, singer, violist, improviser, and performance artist, and the lead singer and multi-instrumentalist performer for HENDRA. Her practice combines her classical training as a violist with improvisation, contemporary chamber music, and performance art.

McCabe studied music at Acadia University before completing MMus and MPhil degrees at Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London. As HENDRA, she performs with Liam Elliot, creating music that combines electronic folk-pop with string writing and explores themes including change, mental illness, and recovery.

Guest Composer: Liam Elliot

Liam Elliot is a composer, sound artist, and instrument builder whose work explores place and the sounds and processes of the natural world. Working across acoustic and electroacoustic composition, installation, improvisation, and instrument building, he creates music and sonic environments that encourage audiences to listen differently to the world around them.

Elliot’s work has been performed and presented across Canada, the United States, and Europe, including by Latitude 49, Alarm Will Sound, Sō Percussion, Bergamot Quartet, and the International Contemporary Ensemble. He completed his BMus at Acadia University and, at the time of [sub]merge, was a PhD candidate at Princeton University.

From the Artistic Directors

Thank you for joining us for the launch of Alkali Collective’s fourth concert season. We strive to program and present compelling works from composers both in Canada and around the world, showcasing music that reflects the environmental, political, and social climate of today.

Alkali Collective is thrilled to be performing the world premiere of “sublimations”, a new piece from composer Liam Elliot. This piece is the ensemble’s fourth commissioned work, and is part of our ongoing Cross- Canada Commissioning Project. Also featured on this evening’s program is violist Sarah McCabe, presenting as HENDRA; an act that straddles the genres of classical music, experimental performance art, and popular music. Her performances lie at the intersection of composition and improvisation, and Alkali Collective looks forward to joining her on a selection of original works. We had the pleasure of working closely with Sarah and Liam in rehearsals throughout the past week, exploring their music and learning from them both. They are dear friends of the ensemble, and these collaborations have been several years in the making.

We’ve selected Andy Akiho’s piano quintet “Prospects of a Misplaced Year” to complement these two performances. This will be Alkali’s second time exploring his work, having also performed “Karakurenai” (2007) in our third concert season. Akiho is becoming one of the most in-demand composers of the new music scene, and we are excited to share this mesmerizing piece with you this evening.

We are very grateful to be bringing new music and ideas to our audiences year after year. We sincerely thank you for your support, and look forward to presenting the coming concert season!

– Megan Thibeault & Shauna DeGruchy