Ottawa New Music Festival 2024

October 17th - "Almost Homeless"

On October 17th, the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, ONMC's Artistic Directors SHHH!! Ensemble are joined by Ottawa-based violinist Erica Miller in the world premiere of Frank Horvat's "Almost Homeless" project.

“Almost Homeless” examines the realities faced by a growing number of people, and more specifically, Ottawa residents, who are grappling with financial hardships and the high cost of living. Frank’s composition takes field recordings of Ottawa residents talking about their life/financial story, reflections on the cost of living or struggling to make ends meet and combines this footage with music to create a highly personal Ottawa-centred composition.

The evening will be rounded out with performances by SHHH!! Ensemble and Miller of works by Canadian composers Jocelyn Morlock, Harry Stafylakis, and others. After the show (and at intermission), join us in the OAG's Skylounge where refreshments will be available.

October 18th - "Triple Header"

The second event of this year's fest features an epic triple header bringing together Halifax-based cellist, composer, and improviser India Gailey, Montreal-based percussionist David Brongo, and Ottawa-based harpist Michelle Gott. Each artist will perform a 30-40 minute set, followed by a short intermission.

Gailey and Brongo will perform selections from their latest albums (Problematica and Confluence respectively), which includes music by Nicole Lizée, Claude Vivier, Thanya Iyer, Patrick Giguère, and more; while Gott will perform works by Ottawa-based composer John Gordon Armstrong and herself, alongside other pieces by Andrew Staniland, and Takashi Yoshimatsu.

After the show (and at the intermissions), hang out with the ONMC Festival Artists in the OAG's Skylounge where refreshments will be available.

Meet the artists:

SHHH!! Ensemble, piano/percussion duo & artistic directors:

Percussionist Zac Pulak and pianist Edana Higham are the SHHH!! Ensemble, described as “truly virtuosic and intense” (Confluence Concerts) and “a beautiful discovery” by the Société de musique contemporaine du Québec. Their appetite for collaboration and experimentation has led to bold new works written for them by John Beckwith, Frank Horvat, Jocelyn Morlock, Mari Alice Conrad, Harry Stafylakis, Monica Pearce and more.

In February 2023, SHHH!! Ensemble “enthralled” (Winnipeg Free Press) as soloists in the world premiere of Kelly-Marie Murphy’s concerto Machines, Mannequins, and Monsters with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. Other world premieres include JUNO-winning composer Jocelyn Morlock’s Spirit Gradient with the Tuckamore Festival in Newfoundland, and Noora Nakhaei’s Echoes of the Past for the Ottawa International Literary Festival. Across the country, their performances at the Open Ears Festival, New Works Calgary, Ottawa Chamberfest, GroundSwell, the Banff Centre, and for the National Arts Centre captivate audiences and critics with their “avant-accessible” approach, calling them “inspiring” and “inventive”.

SHHH!! Ensemble’s debut album Meanwhile (Analekta), nominated for Classical Recording of the Year at the 2023 East Coast Music Awards, was released in October 2022 to critical acclaim, reaching top positions on Apple Music and Spotify playlists. In the fall of 2023 they released their 2nd CD, a large-scale commission by Toronto composer Frank Horvat on the Leaf Music label, titled An Auditory Survey of the Last Days of the Holocene. La Scena Musicale gave the album a 5-star rating, calling it a “masterpiece” and “a much needed reminder of the world we are all working towards”. 

Erica Miller, violin:

Erica Miller was born to a musical family in Queens, NY and began her musical education at the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College at the age of 3. She received her bachelors in violin
performance from the Schulich School of music at McGill University where she fell in love with
Canada. After an active 12 year freelance career in Philadelphia, Erica returned to Canada where she
plays regularly with the National Arts Center Orchestra, the Montreal Symphony Orchestra and is the
newly appointed Concertmaster of the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra. In her spare time she enjoys
gardening, knitting, and all things food related.

Michelle Gott, harp:

A native of Las Vegas and a dual citizen of the United States and Canada, harpist Michelle Gott is ever seeking to expand her creativity through interdisciplinary artistic collaborations, contemporary commissions, and improvisation. Through both performance and education, Michelle strives to integrate the strengths of classical training while encouraging curiosity and uninhibited creativity. In early 2024, Michelle founded HarpSparks – an initiative to celebrate unfamiliar soundscapes and build a community of “sonic explorers” through workshops, performances, and a biannual festival in Ottawa. Her interdisciplinary work includes several immersive projects with dance and film, exploring a range of subjects from trauma in abusive relationships to glacial deterioration. On the orchestral stage, Michelle has extensive experience subbing as guest principal and second harp with the major orchestras of Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, St. Louis, Phoenix, Houston, Dallas, and others. As soloist, she has appeared at the National Arts Centre and the National Art Gallery in Ottawa, the Brevard Music Festival, Ottawa ChamberFest, and for the Arizona Friends of Chamber Music. Michelle deeply values her work as educator and mentor for students of all ages and backgrounds. She maintains a small private studio of both in-person and virtual students. Michelle received her BM, MM, and DMA degrees from the Juilliard School, where she studied with Nancy Allen. She is grateful to the many mentors and teachers throughout her life.

David Brongo, percussion:

Based in Montreal, percussionist David Therrien Brongo has carved out a career as a performer, a pedagogue and a researcher. He collaborates regularly with a number of ensembles; he holds the position of Timpanist and principal percussionist with the Orchestre de l’Agora and the Orchestre symphonique du Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, and he is a founding member of Duo AIRS. From 2016 to 2023 he held the principal percussion position in Ensemble Paramirabo. David also plays in numerous other ensembles like the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestre Métropolitain, the Orchestre symphonique de Québec, the Société de musique contemporaine du Québec, Sixtrum Percussion Ensemble and the Nouvel Ensemble Moderne. David obtained his doctorate in music performance from the Schulich School of Music of McGill University under the tutelage of Fabrice Marandola, where he conducted research, financed by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, pertaining to solo percussion works in Quebec. He previously studied at the Université de Montréal as well as at the Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya in Barcelona. Over the course of his career, David has earned several prizes and grants: fourth place at the 2021 Prix d’Europe competition, a grant from the Fondation Père Lindsay as well as various Prix Opus and JUNO award nominations with Ensemble Paramirabo. He has received grants from the Canada Council for the Arts and the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec in support of several of his projects.

David Therrien Brongo is an artist endorser of Bergerault and Dream Cymbals and Gongs.

India Gailey, cello:

India Gailey (she/they) is a cellist, composer, vocalist, and improviser who appears most often in the realms of classical and experimental music. Recently named by CBC as one of “30 hot Canadian classical musicians under 30,” she works as a soloist, chamber musician, and collaborator with various disciplines to create works of exploratory art. She has worked with numerous living composers, including Nicole Lizée, Amy Brandon, Philip Glass, Fjóla Evans, Andrew Noseworthy, and Michael Harrison. India’s album to you through (Redshift Records), was praised as “a truly exceptional display of unparalleled talent” (Take Effect) that “flows like poetry” (The Whole Note). Her newest solo album Problematica presents a series of specially commissioned works and was just released on People Places Records.

As a composer, India has written music for concert, film, dance, and theatre, often exploring environmentalism or magical realism in her work. In 2022 she composed music for Symphony Nova Scotia to illustrate Mi’kmaw poet Rebecca Thomas’s children’s book I’m Finding My Talk. She premiered her own cello concerto Butterfly Lightning Shakes the Earth with Symphony Nova Scotia in 2024.

India is the recipient of numerous honours, including awards from Arts Nova Scotia, the Nova Scotia Talent Trust, the Canada Council for the Arts, Upstream Music, and Acadia & McGill Universities. Her recent work has been presented by organizations such as the Canadian Music Centre, International Contemporary Ensemble (NYC), Metropolis Ensemble (NYC), and Government House (NS). India is currently based in Kjipuktuk (Halifax, Nova Scotia). She loves raspberries, large marimbas, and the smell of burning thyme.

Frank Horvat, composer:

Frank Horvat is one of the most inventive songwriters to come out of the contemporary scene in Canada (WholeNote Magazine). This award-winning composer’s music is emotional and intense. As a multi-genre composer and pianist, he has carved a niche for himself among today’s composers, wearing his fragile heart on his sleeve (CBC Classical). Frank explores a wide array of themes in his music from love to the environment, mental health and social justice issues. He gives his audiences time and space to reflect in this fast-paced world. Frank’s compositions tell deeply personal stories while permitting audiences to ponder their own.

His works have been featured on over twenty albums on labels including ATMA Classique, Azul Music, Leaf Music, and Centrediscs. With composition premieres on four continents, his music has been showcased internationally in theatre, feature films, and radio/TV networks including BBC Radio 3, Bravo, CBC, CBS, Discovery, HBO, Vice, and featured in publications such as Gramophone, The Strad, BBC Music Magazine, Toronto Star and Vancouver Sun.

He ignores boundaries and isn’t afraid to mix politics with art (Ludwig van Toronto) as many of his composition projects revolve around social issues. He has been a panelist at the Classical:NEXT conference speaking on the topic of ‘Artivism’ and featured in Chris Gunness’ UK Classical Music Magazine podcast.

Born in Ottawa, a graduate in composition from the University of Toronto, he lives and composes by the lake in Toronto with his wife/manager. Frank is an Associate Composer at the Canadian Music Centre, and the inaugural recipient of the Kathleen McMorrow Music Award for contemporary composition.

We can't wait for YOU to hear THIS!

ONMC's 2024 Festival is made possible through the generous support of the City of Ottawa, Ontario Arts Council, and the SOCAN Foundation; the Canadian Music Centre, and community partnerships with the Ottawa Art Gallery and Steinway Piano Gallery Ottawa.

ONMC is committed to showcasing the very best in new music, with a focus on Canadian and Ottawa-based artists. The Ottawa New Music Festival's 2024 edition features the world premiere of one Ottawa based work (by Michelle Gott), the world premiere of Ottawa-born (and Toronto-based) Frank Horvat's "Almost Homeless", and the entirety of the festival features 98% Canadian music by length!