New-music societies and ensembles
New-music societies and ensembles. The mid-20th century in Canada saw the rise of several societies devoted to public performances of contemporary music in general or music by contemporary Canadian composers in particular, or, in a few cases, to an emphasis on both these repertoires in a varied context of older music. After 1960, and most markedly during the 1980s, such organizations increased in number and became geographically more widespread. At the same time there appeared individual performers and small ensembles for whom new styles and techniques became a specialty. The existence of these sponsoring societies and specialist performers influenced the work of many composers. Contemporary music societies and performing ensembles include the following (those with only a founding year indicated were still in existence in 1990):
ACREQ, Montreal 1976
ARRAY, Toronto 1971
ArtSound, Hamilton 1985
Assn de musique actuelle de Québec, Quebec City 1978
Batterie Park, Toronto 1990
Canadian Contemporary Music Workshop, Toronto 1983
Canadian Electronic Ensemble, Toronto 1971
Canadian Electroacoustic Community, Montreal 1986
Canadian Music Associates, Toronto 1952-8
CCMC, Toronto 1974
COMUS Music Theatre, Toronto 1975-87
Concordia Electroacoustic Composers' Group, Concordia University Electroacoustics, Montreal 1982
Contemporary Chamber Ensemble, Saskatoon 1972-6
Contemporary Directions Ensemble, Regina 1978
Contemporary Music Projects, Toronto 1983
Corporation de musiques nouvelles de Montréal, Montreal 1987
Cymbali, Vancouver 1987
Days Months and Years to Come, Vancouver 1974-83
Edmonton Composers' Concert Society, 1985
Elektra Concerts, St Catharines 1982-9
Espace Musique, Ottawa 1979
Esprit Orchestra, Toronto 1983
Les Événements du neuf, Montreal 1978-90
Evergreen Club Gamelan Ensemble, Toronto 1983
Ex Tenebris, Toronto 1983
Fusion, St John's, Nfld, 1976
Fusion 5, Banff 1980-2
GIMEL, Quebec City 1973-9
Glass Orchestra, Toronto 1976
Gropus 7, Montreal 1975-82
Hemispheres, Toronto 1988
Infonie, Montreal 1968-73
Isaacs Gallery Mixed Media Ensemble, Toronto 1965-7
IZ Music, Winnipeg 1981
Latitude 54, Edmonton 1973
Lyric Arts Trio, Toronto 1964-83
Magnetic Band, Burnaby, BC, 1982
McGill Percussion Ensemble, Montreal 1969
MetaMusic, Montreal 1971-8
Montreal Saxophone Quartet, Montreal 1982
Murphy's Law, Halifax 1974
Musica antica e nuova, Montreal 1951-5
Musicdance Orchestra, Toronto 1979
Music Inter Alia, Winnipeg 1977
Music New Space, Calgary 1981-3
Musique de notre temps, Montreal 1956-8
Musique en vie, Montreal 1979-82
Musiques itinérantes MI Ltée, Montreal 1986
New Music Concerts, Toronto 1971
New Music Co-operative, Toronto 1974
New Orchestra Workshop Society, Vancouver 1977-81, 1986
New Works of Art Calgary Society, 1984
Nexus, Toronto 1971
Nouvel ensemble moderne, Montreal 1989
NOVA MUSIC, Halifax 1971-86
Numus Concerts, Waterloo 1986
Open House, Toronto 1987
Open Score, Ottawa 1984
Pierrot Ensemble, Ottawa 1987
Productions Traquen'Art, Montreal 1982
Quatuor de saxophones de l'Infonie, Montreal 1973-82
Société de musique contemporaine du Québec, Montreal 1966
Société des concerts alternatifs du Québec, Montreal 1985
Society of Canadian Music, Montreal 1953-69
Sonde, Montreal 1976-88
Sonic Lab, Victoria 1982-9
Sound Pressure, Toronto 1986
Sound Symposium, St John's, Nfld 1983
Ten Centuries Concerts, Toronto 1962-7
Thira, Winnipeg 1987
Traditions musicales du monde, Montreal 1978-82
Trillium Plus, London, Ont, 1983
TRIO 3, Montreal 1976
Upstream, Halifax 1989
Vancouver New Music Society, Vancouver 1973
Vancouver Pro Musica, Vancouver 1987
Vogt Society, Toronto 1936-45
See also Canada Music Week; Canadian League of Composers; Canadian Music Centre; Electroacoustic music; Electronic instruments; First Symposium of Canadian Contemporary Music; International Conference of Composers; International Week of Today's Music; International Year of Canadian Music; Music Gallery; Musicworks; World Music Days (ISCM).