Description

The use of technology has been part of SIXTRUM's artistic work for many years. Our new series, Espaces d'interaction, aims to explore different modes of interaction over the coming years by creating new works based on the concepts of interaction, spatialisation and human-machine relationships. Each project will allow percussionists to collaborate with a group of Quebec and Canadian creators, bringing together seasoned artists and emerging talents.

For this first season, Espaces d'interaction #1 explores the notion of control in the interaction between musicians, as well as between musicians and machines, but also that of play, which is playful or entertaining, and whose rules are not always explicit. The commission to Örjan Sandred, professor of composition at the University of Manitoba, was the starting point for the project: Tilting Points, which evokes memories of pinball, pits performers against each other and against the machine, which will ultimately declare a winner.

Ensō by Pierre Michaud, created in 2016 and presented in a revised version, places the performers in a situation of interdependence, while SextetEmulator by Martin Daigle places them in a tarot game with somewhat unconventional rules, giving rise to guided and playful improvisations that are unique to each performance.

A collaboration between composers Alexandre Amat for the acoustic part and Simon Chioini for the electronic part, Dissolution offers a universe of timbres where acoustic sounds interact with each other to transform continuously, in the manner of an electroacoustic work, while the electronic part echoes these effects of transformation by extending the diffusion of sound to the entire concert hall.

The works respond to each other in sequence, thanks to the creation of short electroacoustic works by Garbielle Caux, who takes elements from the other works and mixes them with acoustic recordings made during our creative workshops to create new interactions and guide the audience from one sound universe to another.

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Reservations

Ticket reservations are mandatory, but free. A maximum of two tickets per person are available

Please follow this link to reserve a ticket.

Program

Program notes can be viewed here: Espaces d’interaction #1

Pierre Michaud: ensō I-II (version 2025)

Ana Dall'Ara-Majek: Là-bas, ici (2016)

Gabriel·le Caux: Transition 1 (2025)

Örjan Sandred: Tilting Points (2025)

Alexandre Amat & Simon Chioini: Dissolution (2024-25)

Gabriel·le Caux: Transition 2 (2025)

Martin Daigle: SextetEmulator (2025)

Artists

SIXTRUM

João Catalão, percussions

Philip Hornsey, percussions

Kristie Ibrahim, percussions

Stuart Jackson, percussions

Alexandre Lavoie, percussions

Fabrice Marandola, percussions

Biographies

Pierre Michaud

Composer and multi-instrumentalist Pierre Michaud was born in New Brunswick, Canada, and is an associate professor of composition and sound creation at the Faculty of Music of the University of Montreal. He is particularly interested in collaborative approaches, interactive technologies, and alternative concert spaces.

He holds a doctorate in composition from the Faculty of Music at the Université de Montréal, with additional studies at the Jan Lavoslav Bella Conservatory (Slovakia), the Université de Moncton, Mount Allison University, and IRCAM in Paris. His works have been heard in concert series and festivals across Canada, Central America, Asia, and Europe, and have been performed by Totem contemporain, Ars Nova, Sixtrum, Quatuor Bozzini, Chants libres, SMCQ, Susan Narucki, Shanghai Symphony, Winnipeg Symphony, Les solistes de chambre de Bratislava, among others.

Ana Dall’Ara-Majek

Ana Dall’Ara-Majek is a composer and sound artist living in Montreal. She is interested in the interaction of instrumental, electroacoustic, and computer-based approaches to musical composition. She is active in the fields of electroacoustic/mixed media composition and real-time performance with gestural instruments. She has worked with numerous ensembles such as Architek Percussion, Ensemble Paramirabo, SuperMusique, Quasar, Whim, Ensemble AKA, Les Percussions de Strasbourg, Sixtrum, Taller Sonoro, TM+, and Lunatics at Large. She regularly performs as a thereminist with the ILÉA ensemble and the blablaTrains duo. Since 2018, she has been a guest professor at the University of Montreal, where she teaches in the digital music department. Her recordings have been released on Kohlenstoff Records and Empreintes DIGITALes, and her scores are published by Babel Scores and Henri Lemoine.

Gabriel·le Caux

Gabriel·le Caux is an interdisciplinary artist specializing in audio spatialization, immersive sound experiences, and music for well-being and relaxation. They use field recordings of natural and urban environments to create soundscapes ranging from abstract to realistic. In addition, they use synthesized sounds, musical instruments, and elements of ASMR to enrich their compositions.

Örjan Sandred

Örjan Sandred is a Swedish-Canadian composer. Since 2005, he has been a professor of composition at the University of Manitoba in Canada, where he founded Studio FLAT, a research and production studio for computer-assisted music. He taught composition at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm from 1998 to 2005 and was a visiting professor in 2016 through the DAAD at the Hochschule für Musik Detmold in Germany. In 2022, he received a grant from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. Sandred has composed a series of pieces that include real-time electronic processing. Each piece focuses on a specific characteristic; for example, “Ice Fog” for alto saxophone, piano, and electronics uses the saxophone's multiphonics as a starting point for sound synthesis, while “On the Floe Edge” for oboe, bass drum, and electronics brings out the pulsating rhythmic energy of the bass drum through spatial manipulations. He has also composed music for other types of ensembles such as symphony orchestras and various chamber music ensembles.

Alexandre Amat

Alexandre Amat, born in La Rochelle (France) in 1993, is a composer of instrumental music. Afer studying French horn and musicology, he took composition classes with Jean-Louis Agobet at the Bordeaux Conservatory, where he obtained his Diploma in Musical Studies in 2019. He then continued his studies at the University of Montreal, where he obtained a master's degree in composition and sound creation under the supervision of François-Hugues Leclair. He is currently a doctoral student in composition at the University of Montreal under the supervision of Jimmie LeBlanc.

In his music, he explores the relationships between contrasting concepts. His aesthetic is influenced, among other things, by analog synthesizer practice, visual arts, and drone, minimalist, and noise music.

Simon Chioini

Simon Chioini is an artist-researcher and composer. His work explores the relationships between sound, the environment, and social dynamics from an interdisciplinary perspective. Inspired by philosophy, geography, and anthropology, he seeks to renew our understanding of sound composition through ecological and relational approaches. In the context of the current climate crisis, his practice challenges the opposition between nature and culture by examining how sound art can act as a vehicle for mediation and transformation. His methodology combines theoretical research and creative practices for specific locations, often incorporating performative, participatory, and context-adaptable elements. In parallel with his academic activities, he pursues his electronic and experimental music projects under the name S. Chioini and with the Humidex collective.

Martin Daigle

Martin Daigle, winner of the 2022 Music NB Innovator of the Year Award, is a performer, composer, and interdisciplinary researcher from New Brunswick, Canada. Trained as a drummer and percussionist, his diverse work as a performer, composer, and researcher pushes the boundaries between audiovisual and electroacoustic art. Martin's innovative approach to percussion music utilizes electronic devices; his ongoing research into the development of an augmented drum kit combines acoustic drum sounds, digital samples, and video manipulations for a truly unique artistic creation. He has performed at festivals such as the Festival des Musiques de Création, the Performing Media Festival, the Open Ears Festival, the Halifax Jazz Festival, Acadie Rock, and many others.