The Happenstancers: BROKEN

This page is also available in / Cette page est également disponible en: Français (French)

In BROKEN, The Happenstancers construct a binary, placing the perceived stateliness of the Baroque into conflict with the raw ferocity of twenty first century chamber music. Playful and disorienting curatorial choices — jarring stylistic turns, anachronistic reimaginings of ornate historical music, and the sublimation of the acoustic within the electronic — coalesce within this performance to manipulate societal preconceptions of genre and period.

Can the stability of baroque musical architecture be understood as an image of a balanced psyche? Within this performance, The Happenstancers utilize stylistic contrast to create a sonic metaphor for a mind disrupted, and depict the dissolution of the 18th century musical paradigm.

Kaija Saariaho’s Folia and Antonio Vivaldi’s La Folia (madness), create the framework for BROKEN, a space within which The Happenstancers play with form and expectation.

BROKEN features two world premieres by Torontonian composers; Saman Shahi’s Misshapen — for mixed winds and strings, a “broken” consort — in which Baroque forms are forced into dialogue with 21st century sounds and gestures; and Kalaisan Kalaichelvan’s La Notte, a multilayered work for solo cello and electronics in which a repeating ground bass — a Baroque compositional device — is smothered under layers of disintegrating sound.

REPERTOIRE

Kaija Saariaho – Folia, for double bass and electronics

Johann Rosenmuller – 3 Sonatas (arr. Trevor Wilson)

Du Yun – I Am My Own Achilles Heel (A Shape That Cannot Form), for string quartet

**Saman Shahi – Misshapen, for broken consort

Georges Aperghis – Recitations (selections), for solo voice

**Kalaisan Kalaichelvan – La Notte, for solo cello and electronics

Vivaldi – Trio Sonata ‘la folia’, for 2 violins and continuo

** denotes world premiere performance

Event Artists

Danika Lorèn, voiceChristopher Whitely, violinJulia Mirzoev, violinLauren Spaulding, violaPeter Eom, celloTravis Harrison, bassMatti Pulkki, accordionJoonghun Cho, harpsichordAleh Remezau, oboesBrad Cherwin, clarinets and artistic directionFish Yu, electronics and soundBilly Wong, lightingHoi Tong Keung, production manager

The Happenstancers: BROKEN

Date/Time
Friday, September 26, 2025
7:30 pm - 9:00 pm

Location
Redeemer Lutheran Church
1691 Bloor St W
Toronto, ON
Canada, M6P 1B1

Price
$0-44

Phone
No Information

Website
https://thehappenstancers.ca/upcoming

Facebook