For Presenters

Cosmophony is a wonderful vehicle to bring contemporary music to new audiences. Wherever it has been presented, the idea has captured the public imagination.

The subject matter of Space seems to open people’s minds to exploring new sounds, to boldly going where they may not have gone before. The stunning visuals, collected from top astronomical research facilities worldwide, turn the show into a feast for the eyes as well as the ears, in what the Vancouver Sun described as a “multi-sensorium.”

The music is beautiful, engaging, and accessible. It has proven its appeal not only to contemporary connoisseurs, but also New Music neophytes. The program showcases 11 Canadian composers, from well-established luminaries Denis Gougeon and Rodney Sharman, through exciting rising stars Jocelyn Morlock and Marci Rabe, to emerging new voices Christopher Kovarik and Stefan Udell. With so many brief works by different composers, the program presents a wide variety of contemporary idioms, giving a tantalizing taste of each style before moving on.

Young audiences in particular are fascinated by George Crumb’s encyclopedic range of extended techniques, performed inside the piano, which give the piano an orchestral range of tone colour. This program provides great opportunities for workshops and pre- or post-concert talks on contemporary music styles, or how to play inside the piano without harming the instrument.