New-music societies and ensembles

New-music societies and ensembles

New-music societies and ensembles. The mid-20th century in Canada saw the rise of several societies devoted to public performances of contemporary music in general or music by contemporary Canadian composers in particular, or, in a few cases, to an emphasis on both these repertoires in a varied context of older music. After 1960, and most markedly during the 1980s, such organizations increased in number and became geographically more widespread. At the same time there appeared individual performers and small ensembles for whom new styles and techniques became a specialty. The existence of these sponsoring societies and specialist performers influenced the work of many composers. Contemporary music societies and performing ensembles include the following (those with only a founding year indicated were still in existence in 1990):

ACREQ, Montreal 1976

ARRAY, Toronto 1971

ArtSound, Hamilton 1985

Assn de musique actuelle de Québec, Quebec City 1978

Batterie Park, Toronto 1990

Canadian Contemporary Music Workshop, Toronto 1983

Canadian Electronic Ensemble, Toronto 1971

Canadian Electroacoustic Community, Montreal 1986

Canadian Music Associates, Toronto 1952-8

CCMC, Toronto 1974

COMUS Music Theatre, Toronto 1975-87

Concordia Electroacoustic Composers' Group, Concordia University Electroacoustics, Montreal 1982

Contemporary Chamber Ensemble, Saskatoon 1972-6

Contemporary Directions Ensemble, Regina 1978

Contemporary Music Projects, Toronto 1983

Corporation de musiques nouvelles de Montréal, Montreal 1987

Cymbali, Vancouver 1987

Days Months and Years to Come, Vancouver 1974-83

Edmonton Composers' Concert Society, 1985

Elektra Concerts, St Catharines 1982-9

Espace Musique, Ottawa 1979

Esprit Orchestra, Toronto 1983

Les Événements du neuf, Montreal 1978-90

Evergreen Club Gamelan Ensemble, Toronto 1983

Ex Tenebris, Toronto 1983

Fusion, St John's, Nfld, 1976

Fusion 5, Banff 1980-2

GIMEL, Quebec City 1973-9

Glass Orchestra, Toronto 1976

Gropus 7, Montreal 1975-82

Hemispheres, Toronto 1988

Infonie, Montreal 1968-73

Isaacs Gallery Mixed Media Ensemble, Toronto 1965-7

IZ Music, Winnipeg 1981

Latitude 54, Edmonton 1973

Lyric Arts Trio, Toronto 1964-83

Magnetic Band, Burnaby, BC, 1982

McGill Percussion Ensemble, Montreal 1969

MetaMusic, Montreal 1971-8

Montreal Saxophone Quartet, Montreal 1982

Murphy's Law, Halifax 1974

Musica antica e nuova, Montreal 1951-5

Musicdance Orchestra, Toronto 1979

Music Inter Alia, Winnipeg 1977

Music New Space, Calgary 1981-3

Musique de notre temps, Montreal 1956-8

Musique en vie, Montreal 1979-82

Musiques itinérantes MI Ltée, Montreal 1986

New Music Concerts, Toronto 1971

New Music Co-operative, Toronto 1974

New Orchestra Workshop Society, Vancouver 1977-81, 1986

New Works of Art Calgary Society, 1984

Nexus, Toronto 1971

Nouvel ensemble moderne, Montreal 1989

NOVA MUSIC, Halifax 1971-86

Numus Concerts, Waterloo 1986

Open House, Toronto 1987

Open Score, Ottawa 1984

Pierrot Ensemble, Ottawa 1987

Productions Traquen'Art, Montreal 1982

Quatuor de saxophones de l'Infonie, Montreal 1973-82

Société de musique contemporaine du Québec, Montreal 1966

Société des concerts alternatifs du Québec, Montreal 1985

Society of Canadian Music, Montreal 1953-69

Sonde, Montreal 1976-88

Sonic Lab, Victoria 1982-9

Sound Pressure, Toronto 1986

Sound Symposium, St John's, Nfld 1983

Ten Centuries Concerts, Toronto 1962-7

Thira, Winnipeg 1987

Traditions musicales du monde, Montreal 1978-82

Trillium Plus, London, Ont, 1983

TRIO 3, Montreal 1976

Upstream, Halifax 1989

Vancouver New Music Society, Vancouver 1973

Vancouver Pro Musica, Vancouver 1987

Vogt Society, Toronto 1936-45

See also Canada Music Week; Canadian League of Composers; Canadian Music Centre; Electroacoustic music; Electronic instruments; First Symposium of Canadian Contemporary Music; International Conference of Composers; International Week of Today's Music; International Year of Canadian Music; Music Gallery; Musicworks; World Music Days (ISCM).