Stefan Smulovitz Album Release Party!

Saturday, November 16, 8pm
By donation
$20/$10/XX/FREE

2 Sets

Stefan Smulovitz
A live solo set by Stefan inspired by the creation of his first album. Layers of various string instruments and electronics traversing intergalactic wormholes.

Alchemical Musings #2
Stefan Smulovitz – electric violin & electronics
Christopher Kelly – sax & electronics
Xel – electronics & visuals
Johanna Hauser – bass clarinet

November 16, 2024
8EAST
8pm
$20/$10/XX/FREE

One of the defining characteristics of Stefan Smulovitz’s diverse artistic practice is his penchant for collaboration, especially across disciplinary lines. The award-winning technologist, composer, violist, sound artist, electronic musician, and improviser has worked with such legendary musical figures as Pauline Oliveros, Mark Dresser, John Oswald, Evan Parker, Uri Caine, Lori Freedman, Francois Houle, Peggy Lee and Paul Plimley. Commissioned by the Vancouver Symphony, the PuSh International Performing Arts Festival, and others, Smulovitz is also noted for his collaborative works in the theatre world (including Radix, Rumble, Boca Del Luppo), dance (Mascall Dance, Kinesis, Kokoro, Noam Gagnon), art installations (ECIAD, Interurban, GoldMoss), and digital media (Pierre Hebert, Matthew Talbot-Kelly). As leader of Eye of Newt he has created and performed over 100 live film scores since the ensemble’s inception in the early 2000’s. He’s also the creator of Kenaxis, a widely used and expressive software platform for electronic music.
Smulovitz’s investment in exploration of this kind is so potent that even his forthcoming album, Bow & Brush: 12 Scores of Nadina Tandy emerges from this same creative trajectory. The impetus for this project came when he was paired with visual artist Nadina Tandy in 2021 through a Vancouver New Music commissioning project entitled One Page Scores where visual artists were invited to create single-page graphic scores to be interpreted by a partnering musician.
It’s easy to see what prompted Tandy and Smulovitz to continue their partnership beyond this initial phase. This first painted score (corresponding with opening cut “The Pier”), manages to resemble a landscape, nod in the direction of abstract expressionism, and at the same time readily inviting musical interpretation through its distinct vertical sections and evocative gestures. Smulovitz’s response maps all of these attributes in its texture, style and choice of sounds. Underpinned by an aquatic field recording, he situates us in a place while unfurling swooping, reverberant string lines with various microtonal inflections amid sparse gong punctuations. It embraces the traditional alongside the abstract, soundscape alongside melody, and somehow inhabits a similar emotional register as its visual counterpart.
The album’s other pieces are quite diverse yet consistent in their core materials, much like their respective scores. For instance, as Tandy’s images pivot toward pure form, colour, and brushwork, Smulovitz follows with more electronically-generated and -processed sounds. Yet all the while he maintains the strong organic and instrumental foundation which matches the palpably human fluidity found in his collaborator’s paintings. The works also each inhabit a durational scale that approximates the single page, with all but three of the tracks falling within the three to four-minute range.
Some of these miniatures pair electric string melodies with molten bubbles of synthesized texture, whereas others such as “Maple Seed Pods” and “Owl Watching” use digitally-diffused bowed sonorities as the basis for rich sonic environments. The striking score for “Quartz Veins” (as pictured on the album’s front cover) is dominated by a large red, blue, and purple blotch, adorned with fine etched lines throughout and desiccated-leaf hued figures around the periphery. The music it elicited skews toward the ominous with plodding synth pulsations anchoring thick smears of distorted viola and dry, eerie whispers slicing through the air.
Not only does Bow & Brush offer a singular and beautiful extension of the graphic score tradition it’s also a vivid portrait of one Canada’s most intriguing composer-performers. Smulovitz’s amalgam of instrumental improvisation, ensemble composition, and various exploratory electronicas is both incisive and accessible; flattered by repeated listening.

~8EAST ACCESS STATEMENT ~

The 8EAST social space for new culture is a project of the NOW Society, located on the Territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm, Skwxwú7mesh and səlil̓wətaʔɬ Peoples, in Chinatown, in the DTES, in Vancouver.
We are committed to making 8EAST a safe(r), welcoming and more accessible space. We do not tolerate discrimination based on age, gender, neuro a-typicality, disability, place of origin, cultural background, religious beliefs, or sexual orientation. We do not tolerate racism, sexual aggression, assault, or harassment which can include unwanted touch or comments that objectify or sexualize. We adopt and follow the We Have Voice Collective Code of Conduct.
We can accommodate a variety of needs, including assistance dogs, walkers, wheelchairs, scooters, and strollers. To arrange for American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation, please contact now@nowsociety.org.
We recognize that access is an ongoing and evolving discussion, and acknowledge that this statement may be insufficient. Concerns or suggestions can be addressed, discussed or expressed anonymously by emailing safety@nowsociety.org. 8EAST ventilation: Open windows and door, 3 HEPA air purifiers and UV lights on return air in the HVAC system. Mask wearing is recommend and masks will be available. Seating, wooden stackable chairs without armrests, is movable.

Seating is generally arranged in groups of two or threes with 1 meter between groups for easy mobility. Wheelchair seating is easily accommodated. The 34 inch wide main entrance to 8EAST has a threshold of approximately 0.5 inches high. There is no door automation. During events, the door is open or can be opened by the Front of House person. There are no ramps or stairs to navigate. Internal floors are smooth concrete. Outdoor plaza events are held on concrete pavers, some are uneven. Paths and hallways are kept free of impediments.

8EAST has a wheelchair accessible, non-gendered toilet on site with a door width of 35 inches. Additional public toilets, not wheel chair accessible, are located in the adjacent hallway. The NOW Society emergency evacuation procedures are in place for all individuals. The Front of House person or a staff member onsite is trained in naloxone administration and will be the contact person in case of emergencies.

GETTING THERE AND PARKING:

8EAST is located within 50 meters of buses 004, 007, 019, 022, 209, and N19 on Pender Street. Stops for buses 003, 008, 014, 016, 020, N8, N20, and N35 are located within 250 metres on Hastings Street. Stadium–Chinatown SkyTrain Station is approximately 400 metres away. General metered street parking is available on surrounding streets. A passenger drop-off zone without a curb is located within 50 metres at 531 Carrall Street. To arrange for HandyDART transportation and accompanying assistants, please contact now@nowsociety.org.

There is a bike rack on the SW corner of Pender and Carrall Street, viewable while inside 8EAST and on the Plaza. Covered bike parking is available at the Main Street – Science World Skytrain Station. From there, one can take the #3 bus, then walk West down Pender to 8EAST (c. 5 mins), walk to 8EAST (c. 15 mins) or ride one skytrain stop to Stadium – Chinatown and walk Northwest to 8EAST (c. 5 mins). The closest Bike Locker to 8EAST is located at VCC Clark. From there, one can take trains to Stadium – Chinatown Skytrain Station and walk NorthWest to 8EAST