C'Mon Festival

After a two-year, pandemic-induced hiatus, Edmonton’s innovative classical music event, the C’mon (Chamber music old & new) Festival is excited to reconnect with its audience. Returning to the Winspear Centre this summer from July 14 - 17, the festival is pleased to continue its policy of “pay what you can.” The C’mon Festival presents Edmonton’s finest professional musicians - many from the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra (ESO) - in a relaxed atmosphere, performing “seriously fun classical music.”

The vibe of the C’mon Festival is casual, eclectic, full of surprises - from the great beauty and emotional intensity of Fanny Mendelssohn’s Romanze to the baroque-flavoured quirkiness of (Pulitzer Prize-winning composer) Caroline Shaw’s Boris Kerner (featuring the haunting tones of clayflower pots). The festival is thrilled to present Julia Wolfe’s Blue Dress- this Appalachian folk-flavoured music inspired a whole program for violins around this powerful piece. There’s a generous dollop of genre-blurring in master jazz artist Wynton Marsalis’ writing for the bassoon. And the fabulous Blue Danube festival finale returns!

In addition to the festival’s three main programs (July 15 and 16 at 7:30 pm, July 17 at 3pm), there will be a noon hour preview concert on July 14 with two-time Canadian Grand Masters Fiddle Champion Daniel Gervais and festival favourite, violinist Alissa Cheung of the Montreal-based Bozzini Quartet. Following Saturday’s concert is an extra, late night set, showcasing improvised sounds by percussionist Mark Segger and Alissa.

Artistic director Kathryn Macintosh, also the assistant principal trombonist of the ESO, is really looking forward to this year’s festival. “The last couple of years have been a challenging time for so many people. I’m glad we can finally enjoy an in-person festival. There’s nothing like live music to help us feel rejuvenated and connected to each other, for musicians and audience alike”.

Program to include:

The violin (or fiddle) has been a favourite instrument for both classical composers and traditional musicians for centuries. This program features violin solo, duo and quartet music from around the world, and finishes with Julia Wolfe’s Blue Dress for five violins. If you’re not already familiar with her music, it “is distinguished by an intense physicality and a relentless power that pushes performers to extremes and demands attention from the audience. (Wolfe) draws inspiration from folk, classical, and rock genres, bringing a modern sensibility to each while simultaneously tearing down the walls between them. Blue Dress is pretty much a hoedown – (her) folk roots come to the fore.” (from the composer’s program notes)

J.S. Bach (1685-1750) Prelude from Suite in E major
Bela Bartok (1881-1945) Selections from 44 Duos for Two Violins Sz. 98
Reena Esmail b.1983 Darshan (2018)
Michael Oesterle b.1968 Stand Alone (2019)
Murray Adaskin (1906-2002) Sonatine Baroque (1952)
Grazyna Bacewicz (1909-1969) Quartet (1949)
Miroslav Skoryk (1938-2020), arr. Kozak Melody (1982)
Julia Wolfe b.1958 With a blue dress on (2010, rev. 2014)

Late Night Improv Set with Alissa Cheung and Mark Segger at 10:00 PM

Program subject to change.