EAR #22 - PIVOT

EAR - a newsletter for choral pedagogues

EAR #22

Dear choral colleagues

In today’s edition of our EAR newsletter, I would like to introduce the final participant in the Pivot program: Félix-Antoine Coutu. His work will be premiered, alongside 5 other compositions, this Sunday at 3PM MST at the Westbury theatre, and on tv.procoro.ca. Don’t forget that as a student you can have access to our livestream AND in-person concerts for just $39.- per season with a Pro Coro Discovery Passport.

Félix-Antoine’s work explores a static, slow shifting texture which the singers create through moving repetitiously between vowels, and using sounds like MM, ZZZ, LLL, and the French RR. In the sheet music, those sounds are notated in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA): ɱ, ɴ, ʒ, ʀ, or ʃ Our livestream rehearsals are still available on our TV channel, and you can observe how we approach these eclectic pieces in different ways.

In less than one month, we will be performing the Little Match Girl Passion by David Lang. Pro Coro presents this work every December and this will be the 8th instalment. Over the years I have given various talks about the structure and musical concept of the work, and I hope you’ll tune-in later in December to hear about this great work.

With my best wishes,

Michael Zaugg

PIVOT Composer Spotlight:

Félix-Antoine Coutu

Music composer, arranger, drummer and emerging producer, Félix-Antoine Coutu has always enjoyed diversifying his artistic practice.

His works have been performed in Canada, United States, France and Australia by ensembles and musicians such as the Quatuor Bozzini, the Orchestre de la Francophonie, the Duo Airs, the Trio Émerillon, the McGill Wind Orchestra and the soprano Mireille Asselin. As an arranger, since 2017, he has written a dozen pieces for the Orchestre de Jeux Vidéo.

In 2020, with his piece Têtard, tête à tête, he won the Grand Prize and the Choral Prize at the Socan Foundation’s Young Composers Awards. That same year, he participated in the PIVOT mentorship program presented by the Canadian League of Composers in partnership with Pro Coro. The album “Une vélo, une auto, un boulevard et de la neige” which he co-produced, mixed and wrote the title track, was released on the renowned label Atma Classique in early 2020.

Since 2019, he has been collaborating with the Collectif Tôle and has participated in four dramaturgical works, either as sound designer, drummer or head soundman. In September 2021, Tôle released the album-audio-book “Têtard tout au plus” which Coutu produced, mixed and recorded.

As a drummer, since 2010, Félix-Antoine has performed with his band IDALG in the psych-rock music scene of Canada, Europe, United States and Mexico.

1 - Major musical influence (either a style or a personality)?

Synthesizers, by the way of building and manipulating the sound. And more recently, I have been very inspired by the mechanical energy produced by DC motors, in order to merge and transpose this energy to acoustic instruments.

2 - What is your favourite instrument to write for?

I would say percussion because of my musical background. Otherwise, I don’t think I really have a favourite instrument.

3 - Where do you write your music?

Mostly in my home studio, with a keyboard, a computer and my voice.

4 - Would you rather read the book before the movie or after?

After… if I read it…

5 - Are you an early bird or a night owl?

I’m pretty much in between. Probably a midday hummingbird.

Join us this Sunday, November 28 at 3PM at the Westbury Theatre or online (ProCoroTV) to hear new works by the PIVOT program composers.

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Proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 or proof of negative Covid-19 test results within 48 hours of attendance is required to attend a Pro Coro Canada event in person. The only valid proof of vaccination accepted is the Alberta Vaccine Record QR Code.