ELECTRIFY: Charlotte Juillard, Megumi Masaki, and BMIR Artists

Charlotte Juillard is the Concertmaster of the Strasbourg Philharmonic Orchestra since 2014. In addition to the symphonic repertoire that she particularly enjoys, Charlotte conducts and performs concerti with the orchestra. She is also guest concertmaster for Paris Chamber Orchestra, Aurora Ensemble in London, Orchestre des Champs Elysées with period instruments and gut strings, co-concertmaster at Les Dissonances with David Grimal and Sinfonia Grange au Lac in Evian. Passionate about chamber music, she was first violin of Zaïde quartet from its beginnings until 2017. From 2021 to 2023  Charlotte Juillard also joined Paloma Kouider and Louis Rodde in the Karénine Trio. It was in Evian in 2019 that Charlotte founded the Trio Miroir with violist Grégoire Vecchioni and cellist Christophe Morin. 

Megumi Masaki is a pianist, multimedia performing artist, educator and curator. She is recognized as an innovator that reimagines the piano, pianist and performance space. Her work pushes boundaries of interactivity between sound, image, text and movement in multimedia works through new technologies, including hand-gesture-motion tracking to generate and control live-electronics and live-video, AI, 3D visuals, keyboard-controlled computer game, e-textile sensors and active infra-red tracking. As a Japanese-Canadian artist, her work also explores how human rights and environmental issues can intersect and be communicated through music. Over 70 compositions have been created with/for Megumi and she has premiered 150 works worldwide. Megumi was appointed to the Order of Manitoba and Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.
www.megumimasaki.com

Camilo Ángeles is a flutist, composer, sound artist, researcher, music curator and educator born in Arequipa, Perú, lived several years in Buenos Aires, Argentina, now based in México City. Works with interest on the hybridization of aesthetics, standing outside specific genres, the search for an own aesthetic vision through a deconstructed approach on his own instrument and musical language; the sonorous re-exploration of the flute, a non-traditional approach crafted by his own history as a human being, as an immigrant and as a Latin American artist. The axis and core in his music is the search for an identity. His music is built of explosive sounds created with different extended techniques, preparations on the flute, microtonal textures, electronic processing and hyper amplification of the flute, altering its sounds to make microscopic air gestures become big waves of sound. He is constantly focused on the obsessive study of ways to expand the sound spectrum of the flute. In his music, improvisation and composition are procedures used for the same purpose: the construction of a particular identity and space for expression. 

He co-directs his record label TVL REC among Violeta García and Carlos Quebrada. And worked as the curator of the Lima Jazz Festival (2018-2021). Camilo has presented his work in festivals and concert series around the world. He has received awards and scholarships from the National Fund for the Arts of Argentina, has participated at the OMI International Arts Center Residency and also received the Science, Art and Technology Award from the Museum of Contemporary Art of Lima, Perú, with his project Isla de Huacos, a sound installation of islands hanging in space containing ceramic whistles from ancestral cultures of Perú with water inside whistling constantly and a live sound processing sounding through an octophonic sound design. 

Apart from working as a composer and producer making music for films, dance and theater works, he currently composes and directs the music for his ensemble Nicotina es Primavera, a sextet with whom he has published two albums and has a third one coming out by the end of 2023. Has played music and worked on collaborations with artists such as Tyshawn Sorey, Brandon Seabrook, Chris Pitsiokos, Kaja Draksler, Wade Matthews, Elias Stemesseder, William Winant, Joanna Mattrey, Paula Shocron, Matiss Cudars, Tony Malaby, Anaïs Maviel, Cara Stacey, Ben Bennett, Levi Lu, Andrew Drury, Sales de Baño, Violeta Garcia, Carlos Quebrada, Ido Bukelman, Samuel Hall, Javier Bustos, Aviva Endean, Chatori Shimizu, Susana Baca, Mono Fontana, Martín Escalante, Concepción Huerta, Mabe Fratti, Henry Fraser, Jason Nazary, Gabby Fluke-mogul, among many others.

Camilo Ángeles was generously supported by the Raul Urtasun/Frances Harley Argentina Artists Scholarship.

Federico Isasti is a drummer, composer, improviser and software developer from Buenos Aires. Studied classical percussion, holds a degree in jazz drums from Manuel de Falla conservatory and attended the Expanded Music program at the National University of San Martín (UNSAM, Argentina). He participated in workshops in Italy and USA and artistic residencies in Canadá (Banff Centre) and Switzerland (Lyseloth Residency). He has released over 20 albums of original music with musicians from Latin America, Europe and North America and won awards with La Disidencia de las Máquinas and Sales de Baño. His work includes compositions for different acoustic ensembles, electronic music for dance pieces and short films. In 2023 he won the Second Prize in the National Music Competition (FNA, Argentina) for the piece Boruro, featuring his trio La Disidencia de las Máquinas with live electronics. He currently focus’ his work in composing for acoustic ensembles with electronic audio processing. He leads La Disidencia de las Máquinas, Lo Bueno no es de Nadie (drums, electronics and recited texts solo set), co-leads NUDO (piano and drums duo) and performs in several other groups.

Federico Isasti was generously supported by the Raul Urtasun/Frances Harley Argentina Artists Scholarship.

Born and raised in Tehran, Iran, Aida Shirazi is a composer of acoustic and electroacoustic music. Shirazi’s music is described as “unfolding with deliberation” by The New York Times, “well-made” and “affecting” by The New Yorker, and “unusually creative” by San Francisco Classical Voice. In her works, Shirazi mainly focuses on timbre for organizing structures inspired by language and literature.

Shirazi’s music has been featured at festivals including Manifeste, Wien Modern, Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, Mostly Mozart, ACHT BRÜCKEN, Beethovenfest, and Tehran Contemporary Music Festival in venues such as Maison de la Radio France, WDR Funkhaus, Radialsystem Berlin, Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center, and Carnegie Hall. Her works are performed by Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Miranda Cuckson, International Contemporary Ensemble, Ensemble Dal Niente, and Bilkent Symphony Orchestra, among others.

Shirazi holds a Ph.D. in composition and music theory from the University of California, Davis. She is a 2022 graduate of IRCAM’s Cursus Program in Composition and Computer Music. Shirazi studied santoor (Iranian traditional hammered dulcimer) with Parissa Khosravi Samani. Shirazi is a founding member and co-artistic director of the Iranian Female Composers Association (IFCA.)

Aida Shirazi was generously supported by the Repsol Emerging Artists Award.

Kamancheh player and composer Niloufar Shiri began her musical journey at the Tehran Music Conservatory in Iran. She later immigrated to the USA and pursued her studies in composition at the University of California, San Diego, and Integrated Composition, Improvisation, and Technology (ICIT) at the University of California, Irvine. Niloufar’s musical world lies at the intersection of classical Iranian music, contemporary music, and improvisation. Her focus revolves around exploring the concept of displacement in relation to familiar and distant environments. Her music closely examines textural and timbral spaces, drawing inspiration from staggered pitch relations found in the Radif, as well as bird sounds, noise, and feedback. Her unique and radical approach to kamancheh performance significantly expands the sonic capabilities of the instrument and places her at the forefront of its practice. 

Niloufar Shiri was generously supported by the Isobel and Tom Rolston Fellowships in Music Endowment.

Passionate about early 19th-century music, Charlotte’s research studies the interactions between Schubert’s pedal indications and his quiet dynamics. She is a doctoral candidate at the University of Toronto, where she is generously supported by the Alice and Armen Matheson Graduate Scholarship, Guerrero Alberto Graduate Scholarship, Dina and Hosie Austin Graduate Piano Fellowship and the Nour Private Wealth Award. She is especially grateful for the mentorship from James Parker, Caryl Clark and the late Marietta Orlov. Before relocating to Canada, she had the privilege to study with Jeffrey Cohen at Manhattan School of Music and Roberto Plano at Indiana University. She has also attended prestigious music festivals and benefited from master classes and coaching by Ronan O’Hora, Angela Cheng, Rebecca Penneys, Anton Nel, Logan Skelton, John Perry, André Laplante and Marina Lomazov, among others. Concurrent to her modern piano studies at Indiana University, Charlotte focused on early 19th-century Viennese pianos and works by Schubert and Schumann under Elisabeth Wright. She has been actively exploring and performing on historical pianos, including a recent recital at the 2023 Conference of Westfield Center for Historical Keyboard Studies, as well as past performances at the University of Toronto, Indiana University and Cornell University.

Charlotte Tang was generously supported by the Edith Marion Ramsay Memorial Endowment.

Canadian singer-songwriter Lindsay Kay creates music that is “ethereal, melancholy, and dabbles in unreality while keeping gracefully attached to this world,” says New Sick Music. Her debut, full-length album For the Feminine, by the Feminine is a meditation on themes of femininity, written and produced solely by Kay herself and made from top to bottom by a female team. For the Feminine has been called “a manifesto of solidarity and inclusion,” and “a record that gives comfort in hearing one’s own experiences mirrored back, and there is solace in knowing we are not alone in our pain…” 

In 2019, Kay’s rendition of Billy Strayhorn’s jazz standard Lush Life garnered her an Independent Music Award. Her music videos have been award-winners in over a dozen international film festivals. Kay has staged multimedia performances throughout North America and Europe. She has been an artist in residence at JIWAR Creation & Society, The Banff Centre, and La Porte Peinte Centre pour les Arts. 

Kay has received grants from FACTOR, the Canada Council for the Arts, SOCAN Foundation, and the Calgary Arts Development Association to compose, record, and research female-made art. Kay is currently based in Paris, France.

Lindsay Kay was generously supported by the Fondation David R. Graham Awards, and Sylvia & Jack Chetner Endowment.

Megaria is a collaborative pianist currently based in London, Ontario. She graduated with DMA in Piano Performance in 2023 under Dr. Angela Park and MMus in Literature and Performance at the University of Western Ontario in 2019 under Prof. John Hess. Megaria is very passionate about sharing music and collaborating with other musicians. Performance offers her a unique and precious way of sharing music with others. As a performer, she is given this privilege to serve as a bridge between the composer and the audience. At the same time, through the recreation and re-interpretation of the works, she is able to communicate certain intents and ideas to others. Having opportunities to explore different types of music ranging from the classical repertoire to contemporary compositions, she realized that the various ways through which composers and performers convey their artistic intent is not limited to just the melodies, harmonies, or other conventional musical structures. In fact, ways of communicating musical intent could exist even in aspects not restricted to sounds. Therefore, she is very excited about exploring and experimenting with the different ways in which various sounds, timbre and gestures are being used in the compositional and performance processes.

Megaria was generously supported by the N. Murray Edwards Family Endowment.

Chara Kai-Le is an alt-pop Toronto-based artist. She draws from her multicultural upbringing split between Malaysia, Singapore, England, and Canada to shape her musical style. With her dynamic vocals, she covers diverse themes such as love, relationships, and cultural identity. Chara is also a talented songwriter and collaborator, actively involved in shaping the creative direction of her music, blending genres to create a distinct sound. Her debut EP, LIMINAL, delves into her experiences as a Southeast Asian woman living in a Western society. While specific to her unique lived experience, her heartfelt lyrics resonate deeply, inviting listeners to reflect on their own journeys. Her music has since garnered hundreds of thousands of listeners across Asia, Europe, and her home continent of North America, and her immense potential has been acknowledged by funding organizations such as FACTOR Canada, and the Ontario Arts Council. As she continues to develop her musical artistry, Chara seeks to create art that authentically represents her life's journey and is relatable on a global scale.

Chara Kai-Le was generously supported by the Isobel and Tom Rolston Fellowships in Music Endowment.

Praised by The WholeNote as “showcasing multitudes of colours and possibilities, with much skill and imagination,” Radia, the moniker for Saskatchewan-raised artist Ryan Davis, has swiftly emerged as a singular creative force. Unifying his extensive classical training with the inspiration of folk, electronic, and hip-hop music, he finds himself seamlessly blending in between creative spaces, having been described as a “composer, violist, and electronic Wunderkind” (OperaRamblings). His unique sound has garnered attention and has been featured in diverse spaces, including in Toronto’s Koerner Hall, The Violin Channel, in Los Angeles’s Skid Row, and on ABC Channel 7 News LA. Of Glow & Abandon, his debut EP, was released on all major platforms in December 2021. Ryan was named an Artistic Partner with the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra for their 2022-2023 season. This collaboration featured a concerto performance on opening night, September 24th; as well as the premiering of an original work for viola, electronics, and the SSO musicians on April 2nd. He also joined the Gryphon Trio for featured performances in Halifax, Toronto, Vancouver, and Victoria in 2023, with their Halifax performance being nationally broadcast on CBC Radio’s In Concert. Ryan was named one of “30 Hot Canadian Classical Musicians Under 30” by CBC Music in 2021.

Ryan Davis was generously supported by the Cyril & Elizabeth Challice Fund for Musicians.

Benjamin Portzen is a composer, improviser, and movement artist who strives to make space for connection, healing, presence, and absence through immersive sound and movement works. By enabling performers and witnesses to be with time differently – often through alinear, cartographically-constructed scores – Ben offers the opportunity to create and interrogate relationships between bodies, ideas, sounds, and objects across, around, and through time. At present, Ben’s research interests include designing intelligent computer collaborators for composition and improvisation, illuminating the body as the locus of creative potential in the creation of sound works, the facilitation of “real” experiences for performers and audiences, and the ways in which artistic practice offers the opportunity for radical self-transformation and -dissolution.

Ben sees little boundary between artistic and religious practices, freely embracing the ritualism of repetition, and improvisation’s ability to put us in contact with the unknown by grounding oneself completely in the present. Ben’s work probes the liminal space between creativity and destructivity in search of ways in which art can help us live with greater depth, beauty, and grace.

Benjamin Portzen was generously supported by the Repsol Emerging Artists Award.