Toca Loca takes Halo Ballet to the Ottawa Chamberfest, also paired with Christine Fellows and Shary Boyle. Halo Ballet is my piece for virtual dancers, choreographed within the Halo videogame environment and performed “live” by gamers alongside the ensemble.

Ensemble Klang gives the première performance of Schizo Psycho, a video piece based on a clip from Alfred Hitchcock’s movie Psycho and the score written for the film by Bernard Herrmann.

Gregory Oh, Toca Loca, and the “Halorinas” reprise Halo Ballet, originally premièred in Oct 2010. This time, they are performing the version with electric guitar.

The Montréal-based Quatuor Bozzini performs a new work of mine for string quartet, written for the 2011 Composers Kitchen programme.

March 9 and 10, 2011

From the Tapestry website:

“Sung in Ukranian, Russian and English, this opera vérité with prologue and epilogue uses non-operatic music from various cultures to enhance the composed score and drama. The tragic ménage à trois is a topic as ancient as Greek drama, but in Oksana G. it takes on a life as immediate as today’s headlines, yet honours the ingredients common to all great operas: universality, timelessness and high emotion.”

Luciane Cardassi and I have the privilege of opening UCSD’s first Sonic Diasporas Festival, featuring the works of the music department’s alumni. On this concert, Luciane gives a repeat performance of Hockey Story, which she commissioned in 2009. The piece, for piano, electronics, and the voice of the pianist, takes a look at hockey in all of its dimensions, from the pro level to young children, players to fans, suspense to stats.

Gregory Oh and Toca Loca première my new piece, Halo Ballet (Bipolar Disorder NOS) on the X AVANT Festival’s all-dance programme. Halo Ballet is a piece for live performers (piano, keyboard, percussion, harp or guitar) and electronic dancers, performed in real time within the Halo videogame environment.

The programme also includes works by John Oswald and Georges Aperghis.

Toronto chamber ensemble extraordinaire, Continuum, performs Jackhammer Lullaby on their final concert of the season, Wisdom of the Elders. Also includes a new work by Juliet Palmer and pieces by American Tom Johnson and Brit Geoff Hannan. Continuum commissioned Jackhammer Lullaby in 2008.

Jason Caslor conducts Love in the Time of Connectivity with members of the Arizona State music department.

The Canadian Opera Company does a rehearsed reading of one scene from the opera I am developing with Colleen Murphy and Tapestry New Opera. This is the same scene that was workshopped in Banff in August 2009. This scene includes several of the principal roles, the chorus, full orchestra, and an electronic component.