Ottawa New Music Festival 2026
The Ottawa New Music Festival is back for two days of new music and sound! Join us on November 6 and 7, 2026 at the Ottawa Art Gallery’s Alma Duncan Salon! Stretch Your Ears!
Friday, November 6 @ 7pm - SHHH!! Ensemble “Starry Night” Album Launch & Squid In Chains
Kicking off this year's edition, ONMF Artistic Directors SHHH!! Ensemble launch their third album of Canadian piano-percussion duo music, Starry Night. The new record flows through a dreamscape of beautiful and unexpected sounds. Music written especially for SHHH!! reflects on the night sky, distilling celestial motion into human scale, and exploring how dreams process emotions, memories, and even our own self-conception. SHHH!! Ensemble will perform a selection of works from their new album and guests will have the chance to purchase an early-bird copy of the record.
Next, the all-star Vancouver-based trio Squid in Chains, featuring the combined talents of François Houle (basset clarinet and electronics), Douglas Schmidt (bandoneon and saxophone), and John Oliver (synthesizers, samplers, sound processing) take the stage. Each musician has had a distinguished career in music performance and creation, and the group brings together a wealth of individual musical and life experiences. Squid in Chains' eclectic improvised music presents a dialogue between electronic and acoustic sound, creating rich, ever-evolving sonic landscapes.
Saturday, November 7 @ 10am-12:30pm - Art Crush Discovery Zone (free, ages 6+)
Art Crush Discovery Zone is a hands-on 2.5-hour event for ages 6 and up, bringing children, teens, and adults together to explore music, sound, and performance in a relaxed, creative setting.
Throughout the Alma Duncan Salon guests can move between different stations featuring string and percussion instruments, with musician facilitators there to help people try things out, experiment with sound, and get a closer look at how the instruments work. No musical experience is needed! The experience will be like a musical petting zoo; a chance to get up close to the instruments, discover their sounds, and try them for yourself.
Midway through the event, violinist Marc Djokic will give a special solo performance, offering a chance to gather, listen, and experience the violin up close before the Discovery Zone continues.
Saturday, November 7 @ 7pm - Young Artist Showcase & Rachel Fenlon performs “Sing Nature Alive From My Insides”
The evening opens with a short set of performances by young Ottawa pianists performing contemporary Canadian works.
Next, Sing Nature Alive from My Insides is a 40 minute composition for self-accompanied soprano, piano, and live electronics, featuring live video projections. A multi-faceted and innovative project, bringing together Matthias McIntire’s contemporary approach to composing, Rachel Fenlon’s unique self-accompanied work, and a dynamic visual film world created by Jamie McMillan in response to the music. The poetry weaves a story in a dream-nightmare sequence. The live electronics are sourced sounds of nature, ocean waves, birds, waterfalls, as well as the live processing of Rachel’s voice.
Meet the artists:
SHHH!! Ensemble
piano/percussion duo & artistic directors
SHHH!! Ensemble is the electrifying collision of percussionist Zac Pulak and pianist Edana Higham, two musicians redefining what “classical” sounds like. Described as “truly virtuosic and intense” and “a beautiful discovery”, this powerhouse duo fuse the experimental with the accessible—creating their signature avant-accessible style. SHHH!! craft immersive sound worlds that spark curiosity and defy expectations. Zac and Edana are on a mission to make new music roar, whisper, and shimmer!!
Squid in Chains
improv trio
Squid in Chains is a Canadian trio based in British Columbia. Informed by decades of practice as composers and improvising musicians, Squid in Chains takes the listener on a journey into the contemporary psyche and Zeitgeist. Our unique sound is the result of combining our common deep listening and inventive imaginations with different layers of sound- transforming and generative instruments. Douglas Schmidt interacts solely with his bandoneon, emitting unique sounds, harmonies and counterpoint uncommon to those familiar with his instrument. François Houle brings together an evocative lyrical playing style with his enormous experience with avant-garde clarinet techniques that he dialogues with by transforming them via complex looping and processing. John Oliver plays a chameleon role, at times a clear third voice that may coexist with or morph into electronic textural and soundscape environments in which the group sound sits.
Rachel Fenlon
soprano and pianist
Rachel Fenlon is a soprano and pianist who has carved a unique voice on the classical stages of the world. Known for performing self-accompanied song recitals as both singer and pianist, she also appears widely as a chamber music and opera soloist. Her debut album Winterreise (October 2024) received widespread acclaim, named Album of the Week by BBC Radio 3, CBC, and Gramophone Magazine, and Album of the Month by Classic 106 FM. CBC praised it as “an outstanding new record… extraordinary,” and BBC Radio 3 called it “extraordinary and spellbinding.” It is the first self-accompanied Winterreise ever recorded.
Rachel has performed across Europe, the UK, Canada, Brazil, and the U.S., with appearances at Konzerthaus Berlin, Martha Argerich Festival, Juan March Madrid, Vancouver Recital Society, Oxford Lieder Festival, Music Toronto, Salle Bourgie Montreal, Settimane Musicali di Ascona, and the National Arts Centre. In March 2025, Rachel made her U.S. debut at SXSW Festival in Austin, bringing classical music to one of the world’s most influential pop festivals.
ART CRUSH
discovery zone facilitators
Art Crush | Ensembl’arts is a dynamic cultural organization that merges music, dance, and visual arts into immersive performance experiences. Founded in Montreal in 2013, our multidisciplinary ensemble pioneers innovative productions through research, exploratory rehearsals and collaborative workshops. These processes encourage interconnections between artistic disciplines, resulting a vibrant exchange of movement, sound, emotion, and expression. Throughout our projects, each art form inspires and affects the others in a captivating cycle of creative interpretation.
We are committed to community engagement, arts education, and delivering exceptional performances across Quebec, Canada, and internationally. By reimagining concerts with a unique fusion of artistic expressions, we provide audiences with fresh perspectives and deeper appreciation for diverse repertoires.