Feb 2 (Friday)
7:30 p.m. | Walter Hall
Free Admission
Piano: Megumi Masaki
Program
Vista
Kotoka Suzuki
Frozen Road
Ian Cusson
And bleak blew the easterly wind
Ollie Hawker
Always Sideways
Brent Lee
See the Freeze, Hear the Thaw
Carmen Braden
Megumi Masaki Biography
“Her depth of understanding of narrative is unprecedented and her ability to translate musical composition into something emotionally vivid and alive is quite extraordinary” (The Wholenote 2018)
Megumi Masaki is a pianist, multimedia and interdisciplinary performing artist, educator and curator. For over thirty years, she has established an international reputation as a leading interpreter of Canadian and new music, and as an innovator that reimagines the pianist, piano and performance space. Her work explores new models of interaction and integration of 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, 3D visuals, piano controlled video game, e-textile sensors and artificial intelligence. This expands the possibilities of human expression and augments the piano and its surrounding space as a visual as well as a musical instrument in live interactive performance. As a Japanese Canadian artist, Megumi is passionate about creating environments where all voices are heard and respected. Her work responds to Truth and Reconciliation calls to action and examines how human rights and environmental issues can be communicated through music and multimedia performances to create narratives that speak truth to power. Her work fosters dialogue, promotes action and positive change to seek more inclusive, sustainable and just societies across all communities and borders. In recognition of the significant impacts of her achievements, Megumi has been appointed as a Member of the Order of Manitoba and elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.
Megumi’s long-standing research collaborators with composers, visual artists, writers and choreographers have culminated in 76 original works that have been created with/for her and she has premiered over 180 works worldwide. In May 2023, Megumi was appointed as Director of Music at Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. Since 2006, Megumi is Professor of piano at Brandon University’s School of Music, director and conductor of the New Music Ensemble, curator/founder of the annual BU New Music Festival and appointed Artistic Director of the Eckhardt-Gramatté National Music Competition. Recognizing a lack of Indigenous representation in music universities, Megumi helped advocate for the first Indigenous composition tenure-track position and together with Knowledge Keepers, convened the first annual Indigenous New Music Festival at Brandon University. A highly regarded teacher, Megumi is regularly invited to give lectures and masterclasses, to such international institutions as the Royal Academy, Oxford University, University of York, Trinity Laban, Shanghai Conservatory, Beijing China Conservatory, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Johannes Gutenberg Universität Mainz, as well as to universities across the USA and Canada. She is also on faculty at the Banff Centre, Chetham’s International Summer School in Manchester UK, and Casalmaggiore International Music Festival in Italy, where she also curates the contemporary music concert series. www.megumimasaki.com