the array new music centre

A longstanding champion for artists who boldly explore today's creative music, Arraymusic is now in its 37th season. The Array New Music Centre exists to support Canada's premiere chamber ensemble devoted to new music, The Array Ensemble, a vanguard of creative music artists through The Array Studio, and The Array Workshops. Arraymusic is also the developer and administrator of www.smashedpiano.com, a community and concert listing website devoted to helping creative music artists build a new home, and audiences, online.

Arraymusic’s artistic vision aims to extend the depth and appreciation of contemporary chamber music by presenting works that delight, challenge and inspire audiences through an emphasis on excellence, diversity and eclecticism. Array invites collaborations with artists from all the artistic disciplines and, in the process, challenges its ensemble and studio artists, and Toronto's larger new music community, to extend the new music art form as far as can be imagined.

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Formed in 1972 when a small group of musicians at the University of Toronto began meeting to perform an exciting new style of music rarely heard in Canada, Arraymusic now has over 350 commissions written for the group by distinguished composers from the world over. The next year, Array presented its first volunteer-run concert at the university and, in March,1973, made a first tour to Montreal’s McGill University. In 1975, Array won its first commissioning grant and in 1976 established regular concerts at The Music Gallery. In the late ‘70s, Arraymusic started programming international composers and changed its name to ‘Array Contemporary Music Ensemble/ACME’, which became ‘Arraymusic.’

In the early ‘80s Arraymusic took a studio (343A Albany) so its ensemble could rehearse regularly. In 1983, Arraymusic established its first board and soon-after hired its first administrator. Eight artistic directors have guided Arraymusic: John Fodi (1972-1976); Marjan Mozetich (1976-1979); Douglas Perry (1979-1983); Henry Kucharzyk (1983-1988); Linda Catlin Smith (1988-1993); Michael J. Baker (1993-2000); Allison Cameron (2000-2005); and Bob Stevenson (2005-present).

The group has explored many styles of new music �" e.g. tonal/pattern/minimalism under Kucharzyk; new music meets rock; new music with dance under Michael Baker; and experimental and improvisational music under Allison Cameron �" all the while observing the same guiding principles �" commissioning, presenting and promoting risk-taking contemporary chamber music that pushes the boundaries of musical expression. Known for virtuosic performances, innovative repertoire and strong relationships with exceptional composers, the Arraymusic Ensemble is now an 8-member chamber group that is comprised of clarinet, trumpet, double percussion, piano, violin, and double bass.

In 1987, then chair Linda Caitlin-Smith established the first Young Composers' Workshop for mentoring talented emerging composers. Tours have included appearances at Athens, Huddersfield, Belfast and Vienna Modern festivals, as well as at Festival Musiques en Scène in Lyon, New Music America, and the North American New Music Festival. Arraymusic has released seven compact discs under its own name on the ArtifactMusic Label. These are: Strange City/Ville Étrange, Chroma, New World, Music from Big Pictures, 25 Miniatures, Arraylive and Array Legacy. Additional performances are available on collaborative CDs. In addition to presenting an annual concert series in Toronto, Arraymusic collaborates with composers, choreographers, singers and visual artists to discover new modes of expression. Many excellent repertory programs for dance and new music have resulted.

In 2006/07, The Arraymusic Ensemble appeared on-stage at the National Arts Centre as part of a three-week run of Allen Cole’s The Wrong Son, marking director Peter Hinton’s first production as the NAC’s new Director of English Theatre and Arraymusic’s first on-stage theatrical performance. When Arraymusic moved to Artscape’s 60 Atlantic Avenue facility years ago, it started sharing the space with others who needed suitable rehearsal space. During Allison Cameron’s directorship, the studio started to house regular concerts and renter-activity increased. A recent grant from the George Cedric Metcalf Charitable Foundation enabled Arraymusic to pioneer webstreaming with a live concert webcast via the internet simultaneously to five North America five cities. Allison successfully ‘incubabated’ Toronto’s improvisational community and forged strong ties between Arraymusic and artists of The Netherlands.

In 2005, Arraymusic hired long-time ensemble member Bob Stevenson to bring about artistic renewal.

News

Arraymusic was recently awarded $10,500 by the Imperial Tobacco Arts Council to support its 2007/08 SCATCH!4 Festival of Experimental Music & Sound, featuring music by Montreal-based technology wizard Zack Settel.

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