Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Special price extended until July 12!


Studio d'Improvisation de Montréal 
presents an intermediate/advanced workshop with
Ellwood Epps

4 Sunday afternoons:
July 19, 26, and August 2, 9, from 1-3pm

Let's delve deep into musical improvisation! We'll work on aspects of melody, rhythm, and sound, and explore the personalities, strategies and working methods of the modern improviser. Participants should have an intermediate or advanced ability on their instrument and/or experience in improvising in a group. Musicians of all musical styles are welcome! The workshop will be presented in French and English.

The workshop will take place at La Passe (1214 de la Montagne), a beautiful concert space and an important nerve center of Montreal's creative music scene.

Piano, drums, and p.a. system will be provided on-site.

The cost of the workshop is $85 if prepaid by July 12 (non-refundable).
After July 12, the cost is $100 ($25 non-refundable to reserve, and the balance on first day of workshop) The price includes all four afternoons.


Trumpeter Ellwood Epps founded the workshop in 2009. He is one of Canada's foremost improvising musicians, and has performed and recorded across Canada and the US with musicians like Jean Derome, William Parker, and Axel Dorner. He is passionate about music through performing,  teaching,  and concert presentation. He is the artistic director of l'Envers and the Festival of New Trumpet Music Canada.


Some pieces from past SIM workshop concerts:

''I love these workshops where we can explore and develop with others and with complete freedom our own freely improvised music.''
-Isabel Serra, saxophonist

'' The workshop has been a great experience in the foundations of improvisation, listening, response, sensitivity, sounds etc. Ellwood thank you again for this great experience and inspiration during these workshops.''
-Francois Corbeil, trumpeter

''A space of sound experimentation, boundary breaking and the bending of preconceived notions ...A great class to step outside the box.''
-Tarek Burgan, guitarist

''The worshop with Ellwood Epps was a way for me to try something new with my voice.''
-Vincent Bergeron, vocalist  



Sign up at studioimpromontreal@gmail.com

Sunday, April 19, 2015

Introduction to Infinity:a workshop in rhythm and improvisation with Rainer Wiens

Studio d’Improvisation de Montreal presents 
Introduction to Infinity
a workshop in rhythme and improvisation with 
Rainer Wiens

Mercredi le 29 avril 20h00-22h00
La Passe, 1214 de la Montagne
This workshop costs $25. Space is limited, so sign up now at studioimpromontreal@gmail.com.


This is a workshop about giving improvisers the tools to create a personal approach to rhythm. Open to musicians of all styles, any instruments, and all levels of experience. This workshop will be conducted in English and French.

''I think of my approach to rhythm as being modal. Instead of thinking vertically (one ee and a ,2 ee and a) -I think of long and short units of pulsation arranged into coherent rhythmic-melodic patterns. I believe a strong rhythm already implies a melody.

In modal rhythms strong accents are determined by the nature of the rhythmic phrase, not by the downbeat. To fight the gravity of downbeats is the most difficult part ,but leads to fresh new rhythms. A lot of the rhythms in the course will be presented orally first. The rhythms are easy to hear because of their coherence even if they look strange on paper because they are not cliched.

The course is an introduction but will give participants a process whereby they can work out their own new ways of manifesting rhythm for the next 10 years.''


Rainer Wiens is one of Canada's leading creative guitarists. Known equally for his profound grasp of rhythm and his sonic imagination, his work as an improvising composer draws from the deep wells of African thumb piano traditions, prepared guitar abstractions, and the group interplay of jazz. As a respected veteran of creative music, Rainer has longstanding collaborations with Malcolm Goldstein, Jean Derome, and Thom Gossage, and has traveled the world in search of new sounds, collaborating with musicians and dancers everywhere.


www.studioimpromontreal.blogspot.com
www.rainerwiens.com
http://actuellecd.com/en/bio/wiens_ra/discog/