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=== Please Note: This Opportunity is Currently Closed ===

Arraymusic has shifted our artistic leadership model away from a single Artistic Director to a group of specialized curators, while still providing the experienced artistic, production, and administrative oversight necessary to successfully create and execute compelling and coherent artistic programming consistent with Array’s organizational vision over the short- and long-terms. 

This new structure features three curators with staggered three-year terms. Each curator will program an annual series that Arraymusic will produce through the course of their term. This call is to recruit the third of these new Curators.

PROCESS

At this time, we are asking applicants to submit their CV and a brief 1 or 2 paragraph series concept, or a link to a short video proposal. We will then create a short list of applicants who will be asked to develop a more detailed series concept to be presented to the selection committee, for which they will be paid $500.The committee consists of General Director David Schotzko, current Curator Zoma Maduekwe, and select members of the Arraymusic Board of Directors.

At all stages, series concepts will remain the intellectual property of the applicant and/or Curator. 

Submission Deadline: Friday, June 7 2024.

Anticipated Interviews: late June to early July 2024

Final Selection & Notification: late July 2024

COMPENSATION: $6000/annually (i.e., $2000/event X 3 events OR $3000/event X 2 events)

CONTRACT PERIOD: August 1, 2024 to June 30, 2027 (a total of 3 Arraymusic seasons)

ROLE OVERVIEW
Reporting to the Board of Directors, Arraymusic’s Curators will work closely with the General Director and artistic staff to curate two to three events annually, beginning in the 2024-25 season and continuing through 2026-27. 

The ideal candidate will be a practicing artist or curator working in a performance-based discipline with experience in event curation (either through their own performances or through curating others), and a demonstrated history of experimental work within their field or community. 

We encourage proposals for new series that explore a wide variety of disciplines and genres and their interactions (for example: sound or installation art; performance art; new media; other). The Array Ensemble Concert Series will not be curated through this call.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Conceive and program a new series featuring 3 events annually from 2024/25 through 2026/2027 (the Array Space is a preferred venue for performances, but proposals for site-specific works are welcome);
• Work with the General Director to oversee series production and to manage an anticipated annual programming budget of $4,000-$6,000 (separate from the curatorial compensation); 
• Work with the General Director, and/or others, to prepare program descriptions for publicity and fundraising purposes, and to seek out collaboration opportunities with other organizations;
• Attend series events and participate in the larger Arraymusic community.

ABOUT ARRAYMUSIC

Arraymusic’s mission is to ignite and sustain a passion for contemporary Canadian musical art within an equitable, international, interdisciplinary context. Three interrelated programs define what Array does, why we do it and how we realize our artistic, organizational, and community-based goals:

1. Array’s Contemporary Music Program produces, presents and supports diverse work on the cutting edges of current musical/sound art practice;
2. Array’s Creative Music Hub utilizes the Array Space to foster a thriving, inclusive contemporary music and art scene; and
3. Array For All engages diverse and equity seeking audiences through innovative programs.

Application materials should be sent via email to [email protected]

Learn more about Arraymusic at arraymusic.ca

For questions regarding this call please contact [email protected]

<p>The health and safety of our community, clients, and employees is our highest priority and we continue to work collaboratively with our renters to identify and minimize risk levels. We have put together a policy and set of best practice guidelines designed to be taken seriously and put into practice at all times while inside the Array Space. As the pandemic and government restrictions evolve, so too will these protocols.</p> <ul> <li aria-level=”1″>Please review our current <a href=”https://www.arraymusic.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/ARRAYMUSIC-COVID-POLICY-updated-Feb-2023.pdf”>COVID-19 policy</a>.</li> <li style=”font-weight: 400;” aria-level=”1″><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Anyone entering Array Space is implicitly consenting to <a href=”https://www.arraymusic.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Arraymusic-COVID-19-Waiver.pdf”>Arraymusic’s COVID-19 Waiver</a></span></li> </ul>

Array is seeking to augment its board by adding directors with expertise in arts administration, fundraising and marketing. We are also interested in adding a Treasurer and a lawyer to the Board.

The board operates primarily as a governance board providing oversight and guidance to staff. Directors are elected for a 3-year term and may reapply after their term expires. There are currently 10 directors and 3 vacancies.

Director Expectations

• The board meets as a whole every 2 months for 2 hours on the 3rd Monday of that month.
• Most meetings are video conferences, but we meet in person from time to time.
• There are no board standing committees at this time. The board forms teams to implement specific initiatives
• A board committee is formed annually to select a new curator via an open call for one of our 3 series each year.
• Directors are expected to leverage their personal networks for fundraising, marketing and ticket sales.
• Directors are expected to donate their professional expertise as required e.g. legal, artistic, financial, marketing, fundraising, etc.
• We are funded in part by the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council and the Toronto Arts Council.
• Arraymusic is a registered charity with appropriate directors’ insurance.
• As a registered charity, directors are volunteers without compensation for their work as a director other than for out-of-pocket expenses.
• Our annual budget is $350,000 and as of the last fiscal year we had a healthy $46,000 accumulated surplus.

Artistic programming is carried out by 3 curators who are contracted for staggered 3-year terms. Operations are managed by 2 full-time staff led by a General Director. The Array Space is managed by a House & Production Manager. Financial reporting and bookkeeping are contracted.

Arraymusic is committed to a diverse, inclusive, and equitable environment where all board directors, staff, performers, creators, contractors, volunteers, and audience members feel respected and valued regardless of gender, age, race, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation or identity, disability, education, or any other bias.

Application

To apply please forward your resume and an expression of interest to the board chair Mark Wilson at [email protected].

Equity is the single most important challenge in today’s contemporary music scene, and our work as artists, artistic directors, and curators cannot be separated from the social and political contexts in which we all live and create.  

As a legacy organization receiving operating funding from the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council, the Toronto Arts Council, and numerous private funding bodies large and small, Arraymusic continues to benefit from the historical privileging of European art forms and the systematic suppression of marginalized voices. Much work has been done in classical music and contemporary classical music over the past half century toward achieving gender equity. However, as necessary as that work continues to be to promote women within our discipline, we have for too long overlooked the continued oppression of Black, Indigenous, and non-Black people of colour, of the LGBTQ2S+ community, and of the Deaf, Disabled, and Mad community.

Arraymusic has a relatively reputable history of inclusive programming, and our role as an artistic hub through our management of The Array Space has allowed us to actively support a diverse range of artists from a broad swath of Toronto’s cultural scene. We have publicly committed to gender parity in our own programming through the Canadian League of Composers Gender Parity Pledge, and over the last several seasons we have worked to include more work by composers from marginalized communities and to challenge the inherited values of the western classical canon. We offer Pay-What-You-Want ticketing to overcome economic barriers, and installed a ramp and elevator to enable access for people with physical disabilities. Nonetheless, without a specific commitment to a broader understanding of equity, we have continued to privilege whiteness over other identificatory factors.

Beginning now, in our 2020-21 season Arraymusic will take the following actions:

• We will actively seek out Black, Indigenous, non-Black people of colour, LGBTQ2S+, and Deaf, Disabled, and Mad composers, and will prioritize the inclusion of their works across the balance of our programs.

• We are establishing an annual fellowship for emerging BIPOC composers to support their participation in our annual Young Composers’ Workshop: providing housing and transportation subsidies, as well as a per-diem to offset the substantial costs of spending a month living and working in Toronto. We are able to fund one fellowship during 2020-2021 season and will work to fund additional equity fellowships in upcoming years.

• Other future initiatives include open calls for proposals to The Array Space’s Resident Ensemble and Co-Presentation programs, where priority will be given to Black, Indigenous, non-Black people of colour, LGBTQ2S+, and Deaf, Disabled, and Mad artists.

• We are seeking to change the organization from within in the coming years, focusing on diversity in all hiring and recruitment decisions: from curatorial leadership to artists, staff, and board.

Most important: we acknowledge that we will inevitably fail at points in this process, and we commit to continually listening, learning, and improving. We invite you to reach out directly to us with comments and criticisms, and will be available via email at:

David Schotzko, General Director
[email protected]

Mark Wilson, Chair
[email protected]

We look forward to continued change, and to an ongoing public dialog with the many artists, audiences, peers, and supporters working for social justice in the arts and in the world.

Arraymusic is seeking a practicing composer to program our annual Array Ensemble Concert Series and act as Composer-in-Residence through the 2027-28 concert season. The successful candidate will receive compensation plus artistic, production, and administrative oversight from Array staff, as needed, to successfully create and execute compelling and coherent artistic programming consistent with Array’s organizational vision over the short- and long-term. 

PROCESS

At this time, we are asking applicants to submit their CV, a brief 1 or 2 paragraph overview of sample chamber music programming (or a link to an equivalent video proposal), as well as three composition samples (with scores as appropriate). We will then create a short list of applicants who will be asked to develop more detailed concert series programming to be presented to the selection committee, for which they will be paid $500. The committee consists of General Director David Schotzko, current Curator/Composer-in-Residence Bruce A. Russell, and select members of the Arraymusic Board of Directors.

At all stages, series concepts and submitted materials will remain the intellectual property of the applicant and/or Curator. 

Submission Deadline: Friday, June 6 2025.

Anticipated Interviews: July 2025

Final Selection & Notification: August 2025

Application Materials:

1. CV
2. Overview of sample chamber music programming (1-2 paragraphs) OR a link to an equivalent video proposal
3. Three composition work samples (with scores as appropriate) 

Please submit materials via email to David Schotzko at [email protected] with the subject line “Arraymusic Composer In Residence – <First Name> <Last Name>” 

COMPENSATION: $6000/annually for curation (i.e., $2000/event X 3 events OR $3000/event X 2 events); plus annual commissioning fees to be negotiated and additional compensation for participating in the Array Composers Workshop.

CONTRACT PERIOD: September 1, 2025 to June 30, 2028 (a total of 3 Arraymusic seasons)

ROLE OVERVIEW
Reporting to the Board of Directors, the Curator/Composer-in-Residence will work closely with the General Director and artistic staff to curate two to three Array Ensemble events annually, beginning in the 2025-26 season and continuing through 2027-28. 

The ideal candidate will be a practicing composer and curator with experience in event curation (either through their own performances or through curating others), and a demonstrated history of experimental work within the classical music field. 

As Composer-in-Residence, they will create one new work per year for members of the Array Ensemble (instrumentation, size, and scale to be determined on a year-to-year basis) and assist in leading the annual Array Composers Workshop (https://www.arraymusic.ca/musical-opportunities/).

The current Array Ensemble features a core chamber music quintet of violin/viola, cello, clarinet, piano, and percussion, with additional instruments available on an as needed basis.

We welcome composition samples and concert proposals that do not solely focus on traditionally notated music, and encourage applicants to include programs that explore a range of disciplines, media, and traditions, both locally and globally.

While full-time local residence is not a prerequisite, this role will require a regular presence in Toronto over the three year term.  

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Conceive and program 2-3 Array Ensemble Concert Series events annually from 2025-26 through 2027-28 (the Array Space is a preferred venue for performances, but proposals utilizing other venues are welcome);

• Select and initiate contact with composers and artists for commissions and collaborations;

• Work with the General Director to oversee series production; 

• Work with the General Director, and/or others, to prepare program descriptions for publicity and fundraising purposes, and to seek out collaboration opportunities with other organizations;

• Participate in planning and leading the annual Array Composers Workshop;
• Attend series events and participate in the larger Arraymusic community.

ABOUT ARRAYMUSIC

Mission

Based in Toronto, Arraymusic has played a leading role in Canada’s diverse and creative contemporary music scene since 1972, acting as a laboratory for innovative work from artists from every corner of our community. Our 1,200 sq ft rehearsal and performance venue, The Array Space, is a welcoming creative hub supporting emerging and established curators, composers, musicians and multimedia artists from Toronto, across Canada, and globally. 

Values

Exploration

Arraymusic creates profound and meaningful artistic journeys through a playful, respectful attitude – free of expectations, open to new ideas, and confident in discovering new horizons. We embrace daring choices, speculative investigations and ever-evolving collaborations for explorations and presentations across artistic disciplines and media. 

Connection

Arraymusic’s programs bring diverse participants together to strengthen community and foster cross-pollination. We embrace, welcome, and encourage participants from all traditions, cultures, styles, disciplines, incomes, genders, and ages. 

Play

Arraymusic provides the community with an artistic playground. A safe, affordable, well outfitted, accessible performance space with a toolkit of instruments and technology, supported by talented practitioners, to enable creation, presentation, documentation, distribution and collaboration. 

Programs

Arraymusic’s core programming includes three annual series of Array Productions, curated by practicing artists who are leaders in their respective fields, in creative disciplines ranging from contemporary concert music to improvisation, multimedia practices, and beyond. 

Our outreach programming includes the Array Composer’s Workshop – our groundbreaking professional development program for early career composers – and monthly hands-on workshops for adults and youth. 

The Array Space enables Arraymusic to support creative work from artists beyond our own productions, including a Resident Artist Program, regular workshops and salons, and multiple co-presentation events annually. Ongoing support from our funders allows us to make the Array Space available to Toronto’s broader artistic community at below-market rental rates for rehearsals, workshops, recordings, and performances – making Arraymusic and the Array Space a vital player operating at the nexus of Toronto’s performing arts sector. 

Learn more about Arraymusic at arraymusic.ca

For questions regarding this call, or to submit materials, please contact [email protected]

NMC / Array co-present a new program to encourage early-career musical creators of all backgrounds to design, produce and lead their own projects. Part composing workshop, part conducting clinic, and part industry training program, MAKEWAY runs every two years and brings together early-career musical creators, conductors and musicians to Toronto’s renowned Array Space for a week of workshops and seminars, culminating in a public concert.

https://www.newmusicconcerts.com/concert/makeway/

This program offers talented composers an unparalleled opportunity to work closely with seasoned musicians, access to state-of-the-art resources, and the unique chance to see their compositions come to life in performances. Through fostering these creative collaborations, we not only advance the art of composition but also enrich our cultural tapestry with innovative musical narratives.

Equity is a complex problem in Canada that requires engagement at all levels of our society – from governments and service providers to community participants and Arts & Culture organizations, like Arraymusic. 

MusicALL is a new initiative from Arraymusic designed to positively impact young people living in equity-seeking communities through monthly workshops and accessible/affordable concert ticket prices to all Arraymusic produced events.

Arraymusic welcomes all and any  new Community Partners working with children and youth at risk to enquire about participating in our outreach program, MusicALL. 

CONTACT: General Director David Schotzko at [email protected] to enquire.

Arraymusic’s MusicALL Workshops:

• MusicALL: Making Music For Stories Workshop – Ages 5 to 10 – Children gain an early understanding of the importance of sound in animating stories by helping to bring a story to life themselves using an assortment of fun percussion instruments; guided by an experienced storyteller and musician; presented free of charge; reserve early as workshop size is limited.

• MusicALL: Synthesizer Workshops led by The Frequency Freaks – Ages 12 to 22 – Come to Array’s Space once a month to learn how to play moog synthesizers from the pros. Space is limited so apply early (some seats reserved for BIPOC participants per workshop). 

Arraymusic is grateful to MusicALL’s sponsors: The Douglas and Frederick Memorial Trust Foundation, the LOHN Foundation, The SOCAN Foundation, and the arts councils — Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council and the Toronto Arts Council.

• “At risk students who have access to the arts in or out of school tend to have better academic results, better workforce opportunities, and more civic engagement, according to a new NEA report, The Arts and Achievement in At-Risk Youth.”  [1]
  – National Endowment for the Arts Study Findings from Four Longitudinal Studies by James S. Catterall, University of York, U.K., with Susan A. Dumais, Louisiana State University and Gillian Hampden-Thompson, University of York, U.K.

•  “Music brings people together. For a moment, immersed in music, it doesn’t matter where one is from… the trauma or the history or the struggles are forgotten. That’s the magical part of music.”  [2]
  – Karen Francis, Executive Director Matthew House, Toronto

• “New research suggests that playing music or singing together may be particularly potent in bringing about social closeness through the release of endorphins… researchers found that performing music—through singing, drumming, and dancing—all resulted in participants having higher pain thresholds (a proxy measure for increased endorphin release in the brain) in comparison to listening to music alone. In addition, the performance of music resulted in greater positive emotion…” 5
  – Jill Suttie, Editor Greater Good Magazine – Science Based Insights For A Meaningful Life

• “Participation in music builds social skills, communication skills, and can help in the development of self-esteem and self-identify.”  [3]
  – Dr. Ripudaman Minhas, a developmental pediatrician in Toronto, points to research showing how engaging in music performance helps children integrate into new surroundings.

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THE ARRAY ENSEMBLE has been bringing cutting edge contemporary chamber music to audiences since 1972 and in 2022|23 celebrates its 50th Anniversary! One of the founding members of Canada’s new music scene, Array’s Ensemble is foremost a virtuosic chamber group that exists to take risks and push the boundaries of musical expression.

The Array Ensemble is widely recognized for its innovative, eclectic repertoire and for consistently virtuosic performances. The Ensemble is also prized for commissioning composers young to old, new to established, from all cultures, and working with them to create the ultimate performance experience.

Array’s group has premiered hundreds of works by notable Canadian and International composers who have written for them, including Jo Kondo, Walter Zimmermann, Christian Wolff, Terry Riley, James Tenney, Claude Vivier, Gerald Barry, Raven Chacon, Dai Fujikura, Nicole Lizee (and former Artistic Directors) Linda Catlin Smith, Martin Arnold, and Allison Cameron. Arraymusic’s members have studied the rich patrimony of classical music, as well as many other traditional and emerging musics but, collectively, are fully contemporary, open and unorthodox in their approach.

Tours have included appearances at the Athens, Huddersfield, Belfast, and Vienna Modern Festivals, Festival Musiques en Scène in Lyon, New Music America, and the North American New Music Festival. Arraymusic has released 5 compact discs under its own name – Strange City/Ville Étrange, Chroma, New World, Music from Big Pictures, 25 Miniatures, Arraylive! and Array Legacy – all acclaimed for their artistic excellence and high production values; other performances are available on compilation discs.

At its heart, this ensemble is full of wit, humanity and imagination in possession of a distinctive vigour that makes it one of Canada’s true, if under-discovered, national treasures.

WHAT THEY SAY…

“One of Canada’s finest new music groups.” — Glen Hall, Exclaim

“One of North America’s more astonishing founts of new music…” — The Village Voice

“Some of the most exciting performance works of this century…” — The Globe and Mail

“… a virtuoso display of timing and technique.” — The Toronto Star

“… leaves the audience speechless before they stand to break into applause. This ensemble is a model for all musicians — ‘contemporary’ or not.” — Bulletin de Collectif et Cie, Annecy

“… this sophisticated and refined septet of first-rate players from Toronto would compel and fascinate any pair of ears… Arraymusic’s sound was radiant.” — The Mail-Star, Halifax

“Their ensemble playing is of enviable precision…they function like a music machine, but above and beyond this they prevail and breathe life into the performance. … Arraymusic’s musicians… seduce with expansive, sensuous sounds.” — Basel (Switzerland)

“A serious ambassador of the [North] American avant garde.” — Mannheimer Morgen

“I want to thank and congratulate you on a fine performance yesterday in the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre. It was the perfect program for that crowd and, judging by the audience response, you won over some new supporters for the contemporary cause. The combination of your artistic integrity and the warm, insightful, entertaining commentary with the obvious joy of your music making made for a really dynamic and engaging hour.” — Nina Draganic, Former Programming Director, Canadian Opera Company’s Noon-hour Series

Bruce Russell

Bruce A. Russell aka Ibrahim El Mahboob (he/him, b. 1968) is a composer and self-taught pianist living and working in Toronto (Tkarón:to, the traditional territory of many nations including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat). He studied at York University with James Tenney and Phillip Werren. His early years were spent playing in bands and releasing DIY cassettes of art pop and experimental music, as well as composing predominantly electronic scores for dance, theatre and interdisciplinary productions.

“Behaviours features artist-musicians who boldly integrate digital technology and interactivity into musical production and performance. Each installment aims to uncover new practices in both creating sound work and relaying new discoveries via performance and presentation. In this series, I will question the traditional performance space and the conditions it creates for listening experiences, challenge those conditions, and create new experiences.

As an artist, I’m greatly inspired by the community and innovation built through the development of collaborative technology. Computer programming and interactive media software, for example, have provided many of us with a more in-depth perspective on the quality and science of sound. These tools have also given us infrastructure to co-create with other musicians and with audiences. In programming, “behaviours” are tasks that are performed based on a given input. They take in information and transmit a corresponding result. They are inherently interactive and function on a user-defined logic.

With or without digital technology, I’m fascinated by artists who are able to create personalized systems of logic in which their sound works exist, and create connections with others.

In my time at Array, I look forward to working with musicians in the fields of sound installation & sculpture, computer programming, sound toys & games, invention, and traditional performance that centers interactivity. In softening the barrier between artist and performer, Behaviours will present novel and impactful sound art performances.”

Zoma Maduekwe

Zoma is a sound and installation artist and new media instructor. She uses experimental technology and practices to create personal, intuitive and didactic experiences with sound production and performance. She explores the digital and electronic tools used to create and experience sonic artwork, conducts research in music technology, and designs and builds interfaces for digital media production. Zoma currently teaches graphic design and new media at OCAD University and TMU.

Enter Duo Cichorium’s Playscape Emporium, a six-part series built around storytelling through cross-disciplinary collaboration. Each event in the series will feature a distinct artistic medium, blending music, dance, theater, visual art, poetry, puppetry, and video games. Duo Cichorium and their guest artists will craft unique narratives that blend their creative styles, resulting in unpredictable and engaging performances.

OF DANCES AND DREAMS explores the surreal nature of existence through choreography in Angela Blumberg’s The Great Dream, followed by an improvised dance and music set featuring Duo Cichorium and the ensemble Teething. ARCADE-PALOOZA merges gaming with live music, with sets by Toronto gaming and music ensemble Render File, culminating in the premiere of Duo Cichorium’s interactive multimedia work, The Sylvan Legacy. THEATRICS showcases theatrical chamber music with Rzewski’s Fall of the Empire and the premiere of Domenic Clarke’s Adore, concluding with Raymond Luedeke’s whimsical Garbage Delight featuring Hee-Soo Yoon and the Toronto Saxophone Collective. PAINT, PLAY focuses on improvisation driven by visual art, including Duo Cichorium’s Canvas Conductor and interactive installations, featuring the work of Constant Yen, Rowan Campbell, and the duo’s own Jasmine Tsui. PUPPET ZONE highlights the collaboration between puppetry and music, featuring Mabel Wonnacott’s Paper Man and the premiere of Cheyenne McLean and Mark Terrett’s Puppet Musical with live foley and music by Duo Cichorium and guest musicians. Finally POETRY GALACTICA presents co-creations between Duo Cichorium and two Toronto-based poets, including a poetry play by Nicci Pryce and poetry opera by Nevada-Jane Arlow, blending theatrical narratives, structured improvisation, and poetic expression.

Duo Cichorium

Duo Cichorium is the collaborative identity of Jaz Tsui and Louis Pino. Hailed as “truly multi-faceted artists, skillful in a dizzying array of media”, they blend musical performance, custom electronics, visual art, theater, puppetry, and more to present multimedia works rooted in play, absurdity, and abstraction.

Tsui and Pino hold Masters degrees in percussion from the University of Toronto, specializing in improvisation, music technology, and percussion theater. The duo began at the University’s Technology and Performance Research (TaPIR) Lab, where their contributions included six international conference presentations, seven new works, and a peer-reviewed publication.

Their artistic practice integrates a wide range of non-musical abilities—such as computer programming, circuit design, painting, sewing, animation, and sculpture. Noteworthy creations include a two-player synthesizer controlled by paint on a canvas, audio-reactive lighting built into upcycled instruments created from discarded furniture, promotional video games, and a 6-foot paper tree sculpture for video projection mapping.

The duo’s commitment to their community has manifested both in academic leadership and concert production. In the Spring 2024 Semester, they led a student group at Toronto Metropolitan University, working to increase awareness and accessibility to non-generative AI-based artistic tools. During their residency at Toronto’s Tranzac Club, they produced seven concerts pairing improvised music with local artists from different fields including poetry, puppetry, animation, and film. Now, as curators at ArrayMusic, they are producing six more concerts over the next three years, highlighting storytelling in different artistic media through new co-created interdisciplinary works.

www.duocichorium.com

Louis Pino:

Louis Pino is a percussionist, electronicist, and software engineer, working in a wide range of musical genres and other media. His performative and compositional practices are mostly influenced by cyclical time, neural entrainment, and the sound of his cat’s purr. Pino prefers to work on music incorporating multiple forms of media and technology, regularly creating works and producing concerts to reflect these interests. More recently, Pino has been applying these ideas to his ensemble, Duo Cichorium, along with fellow percussionist and interdisciplinary artist Jasmine Tsui. Pino is an active chamber musician, acting as both percussionist and Technical Director of Toronto based chamber ensemble, The Happenstancers. Pino is also a founding member of The Black Fish Ensemble, and is featured on their Juno nominated album, The Black Fish. As an orchestral player, Pino maintains an active performance schedule with The Canadian National Arts Centre Orchestra, Thunder Bay Symphony, and Kingston Symphony among others.

In addition to performance and composition, Pino is an avid educator and researcher. He gives regular masterclasses on snare drum performance at the University of Toronto, along with additional workshops on the visual coding language Max/MSP. From 2021 to 2023, Pino was Research Associate and Lab Manager at the Technology and Performance Integration Research Lab at the University of Toronto, focusing on musical biofeedback, collaborative multimedia composition, and pedagogical live electronics. His contributions to the lab’s output included five international academic conference presentations and a peer-reviewed paper publication.

www.louispino.com

Jaz Tsui:

Jaz Tsui is an interdisciplinary artist specializing in percussion performance, contemporary improvisation, and visual art. Their artistic output usually incorporates bright colors, noise, theatrics, and electronic processing. As an art-maker, Jaz takes great joy in blending art forms — drawing from their background of drawing, musical performance, and dance — and exploring the multitude of ways these practices can influence, inspire, and interact with each other. Having a colourful and versatile musical background, Jaz has had various performance opportunities spanning orchestral and chamber music to noise-based free improvisation. In their free time, Jaz likes to bake focaccia and take care of isopods.

Jaz holds a Masters Degree in percussion performance as well as an Advanced Certificate in performance from the University of Toronto, studying under the tutelage of Aiyun Huang, Beverley Johnston, and Charles Settle. She is a co-founder of Duo Cichorium with friend and collaborator, Louis Pino

jaztsui.netlify.app

This season through to 2025, Bruce A. Russell is in residence.

Bruce A. Russell aka Ibrahim El Mahboob (he/him, b. 1968) is a composer and self-taught pianist living and working in Toronto (Tkarón:to, the traditional territory of many nations including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat). He studied at York University with James Tenney and Phillip Werren. His early years were spent playing in bands and releasing DIY cassettes of art pop and experimental music, as well as composing predominantly electronic scores for dance, theatre and interdisciplinary productions.