PITCH

Jan 11, 2025 · Paul O’Regan Hall, Halifax Central Library · Halifax, Nova Scotia

PITCH continued Alkali Collective’s fifth season with a program exploring the many ways technology intersects with contemporary music. Presented at the Paul O’Regan Concert Hall at Halifax Central Library, the concert brought together electronics, video projection, extended instrumental techniques, audience participation, and improvisation.

The program ranged from Ian Dicke’s Latest and Greatest, pairing live performance with video in a frenetic commentary on the pursuit of new technology, to Jared Miller’s Leviathan, which combines live musicians with electronics created from blue whale songs. Works by Pauline Oliveros invited audiences into the music-making itself, while Sarah Hennies’ Everything Else explored the sonic possibilities of the ensemble through unconventional instrumental techniques.

The evening also moved beyond the traditional concert format with a live improvised soundtrack to Georges Méliès’ 1902 silent film Le Voyage dans la Lune. As the film played on screen, Alkali Collective created a score for it in real time, bringing one of cinema’s earliest works of science fiction into dialogue with contemporary performance.

From the Artistic Directors

Thank you for joining us as we present PITCH, the second performance of Alkali Collective’s fifth concert season. We are thrilled to be here this evening in the Paul O’Regan Concert Hall at the Halifax Central Library, bringing new music to new audiences at this beautiful downtown venue.

This program explores some of the many ways technology is integrated with contemporary music. Audiences will experience a blend of electronics and video projection alongside extended techniques and improvisation.

“Latest and Greatest” pitches to the audience the unending chase for the newest gadget, with its relentless beat and frantic energy punctuating the presentation on screen. A classic Georges Méliès silent film depicting a fictional journey to the moon is pulled into the present day as our ensemble improvises along to create a new live soundtrack. And Jared Miller’s “Leviathan”, inspired by and created from blue whale songs, uses prerecorded track and live performance, featuring innovative techniques and auxiliary instruments. Throughout the evening, audience members will be invited to listen, reflect, and join in on the music-making.

It’s been a pleasure to explore each of these works, and to share this thought-provoking and inspiring music with you. Thank you so much for your support, and for being with us this evening.

– Megan Thibeault & Shauna DeGruchy