Charlottetown Improvisors Orchestra

The newly formed Charlottetown Improvisors Orchestra will present its debut performance at 7 pm on June 12 at the Beaconsfield Carriage House. 

Bringing together musicians from across the Island’s jazz, classical, rock, and folk music communities, the orchestra expands on the spirit of the Charlottetown Improvisation Laboratory series with a larger ensemble and the incorporation of conducted improvisation. Directed and curated by bassist Adam Hill, the ensemble explores collective creation, deep listening, and musical risk-taking. 

The concert on June 12 will feature violinists Karen Graves, Sean Kemp, and Jeffrey Bazett-Jones; drummers Mat MacEachern, Matt Bridges, and Max Gallant; pipa player Tiffany Liu; bassist Maya Márquez Calle; and pianist/conductor Sandro Manzon.

The ensemble will perform some of their favourite compositions that were commissioned for the Improv Labs, interwoven with conducted group improvisation using Soundpainting, a live-composition sign language that allows a conductor to shape musical ideas in real time through gesture. 

The performance will emerge as a single extended work moving fluidly between composed material, spontaneous interaction, texture, rhythm, and silence. Musicians will respond to each other moment by moment, creating a one-of-a-kind performance that is constantly unfolding in real time.

Admission is pay-what-you-can, with a suggested donation at the door.