In order to feed my creative thoughts, I would welcome your sentiments about Saint-Exupéry and what he represents for you. This would help me out in sketching my musical ideas.
Beyond Petit Prince and Vol de nuit books that I know well, Saint-Exupéry gives me a feeling of huge solitude similar to the desert he used to fly over with love. Despite everything, you could see his fondness for the humans, his brothers and sisters. He was born right at the begining of the XXth Century and disappeared at the end of the Second World War. His plane has been found at last a few years ago.
As if he could not survive a murderous era from which he escaped thru a poetic yet without being naive neither complacent. He was a fine human soul observer. He knew all its mechanism and subtilities. He is the elder brother I never had.
And for you, what does it represent?
Thank you for sharing your thoughts with me.
P.-S. Interestingly enough, for those curious about intellectual property, here is a particular fact about the copyright extension of Saint-Exupéry :
« Due to Saint-Exupéry's wartime death, his estate received the civil code designation Mort pour la France (English: Died for France), which was applied by the French Government in 1948. Amongst the law's provisions is an increase of 30 years in the duration of copyright;[65] thus most of Saint-Exupéry's creative works will not fall out of copyright status in France for an extra 30 years. »[1]
Composer in residency for the Eurochestries in France in 2012
I have the privilege to compose an orchestral piece for the Festival Eurochestries to be held in the Charente-Maritime in France in august 2012. I will also conduct the work at this festival together with the Quebec City's festival in august as well. I would like to thank Mr Claude Révolte, president of the Férération des festivals Eurochetries, for his confidence. I have also a special thank for Mr Laurent Breton who made this possible thru his generosity.
2012 Congres of the Fédération des festivals Eurochestries
From the January 20th to 22dn I will participate to the annual congres of the Fédération des festivals Eurochestries in Paris. It is a first for me. I will meet with contributors from all over Europe and Quebec who are involved with the organization of the seven festivals to be held during summer 2012 (Spain, France, Poland, Quebec, Russia and Slovakia)
Eurochestries, high level of international musical ensembles exchange
The Eurochestries were created in 1989 by Mr. Marcel CORNELOUP to promote orchestral practice of youth aged 15 to 25 years, through international exchange. The Eurochestries doesn't bring together isolated instrumentalists but formed bands. Each year, young people are separated by languages, but united in the universal language of music. The Festival offers to each guest orchestra the opportunity to get discovered composers of his country and his own repertoire to a wide audience. Numerous concerts held in the department allow these young musicians to showcase their band and their country. On this occasion, they discover the heritage tourism of the host region.
There is a small revolution occurring in Quebec. Have you noticed the infiltration of composers in the schools? Have you thought about how these shapers of sound can have an impact on our youth and their perception of contemporary music? For a telling example, have a look at this article from The Gazette[1] on Robert Frederick Jones[2], who finished composing a muiscal work from his hospital bed.
A much loved and respected artist, composer and educator, Jones has taught at Vanier College since 1976. Dr. Jones saw his oratorio La Terra Promessa brought to life on the stage by young artists of the Vanier College Choir. The work was premiered this spring at a gala year-end concert under the direction of Philippe Bourque at Saint-Sixte Church in Ville Saint-Laurent. The Vanier Choir teamed with the 80-voice St. Lawrence Choir and the Joseph-Francois Perrault School Symphony Orchestra. A grandly conceived and thoroughly modern musical fresco over forty minutes in duration, La Terra Promessa received a huge ovation. It is the most recent in a growing catalogue of Jones’ contemporary works. His ongoing collaboration with Vanier students is a rare and inspiring example of the regular integration of modern composition within a public educational institution.
The times are changing...for the better!
Public schools are facing major challenges as they cope with educational reform. One example: how to integrate musical composition within already over-charged music programs while dealing with the problem of alloting adequate time for instrumental practice? Many teachers are often at a disadvantage since they do not have the necessary training in this area. Several experimental programs have been launched, aimed at stimulating interest in musical creations and the creators. These programs reveal a variety of creative approaches and styles.
Tim Brady, composer-in-residence[3] with the Laval Symphony Orchestra, does much more than compose music. He is also charged with putting in place the elements that can provide a creative environment for youth in the Laval secondary school system. In this sense composer Tim Brady[4] is OSL Chief Alain Trudel’s right-hand man. Together they have created a program called OSL and the Schools [5]. They have developed a unique approach:
Over the course of several weeks Tim visits an average of twenty young people at each school, where he invites them to take part in the composition of a musical work. Students are aware from the outset that credit for the success or failure of the project - always at issue when it comes to artistic creation! – rests with them.
Tim commits the final orchestrations to paper (rigously following the young composers’ directions and concepts). Under the direction of Alain Trudel, OSL musicians present the work within the context of the OSL Youth Matinee program. Trudel schedules the student work within a Youth Matinee concert that will fit the theme of the created piece. Students hear their ideas interpreted by the professionals.
What a beautiful way to inspire creativity, get young people interested in concert music, and strengthen the senior orchestra’s direct ties to the community!
The OSL program is only one of many interesting creative partnerships that have been formed in recent years in schools throughout Quebec. To mention just three others:
L’Orchestre métropolitain du Grand Montréal had a major success in creating a work for orchestra and the ORFF percussion ensemble, entitled Choses étonnantes vues en rêve[6]. The piece was created by composer Nicolas Gilbert[7] in 2009, with the participation of twenty students at Maisonneuve Primary School in Montreal.
Following directly on its successful On joue ensemble program, Pointe-de-l’Île School Board brought in composer André Hamel[8] under the framework of its Libre comme l’art program. Students from five schools took part in collective workshops directed by the composer aimed at the creation of musical works, then the presentation of the fruits of their work together.
For my part, I had the privilege of being composer-in-residence at FACE School and working with students on works celebrating the school’s 35th anniversary. After my experience at FACE, following in André Hamel’s footsteps, I participated in both the Libre comme l’art and On joue ensemble programs at Pointe-de-l’Île School Board. And writer-composer Mario Chenart[9] invited me to take part in composition workshops with students of music teacher Esther Gonzalez at St. Dorothy’s, an English primary school in Montreal. Mario led the composition of songs; I was in charge of instrumental creation.
All of these experiences and programs involve direct student particapation, nurturing musical:
Creation
Performance
Creation working toward performance
The goal is to provide both teachers and students with tools enabling them to make the most of the artistic experience and vision only a professional composer is equipped to offer. They get a glimpse of writing techniques and the composition of musical structures - essential elements in acquiring an understanding of contemporary music. The more a young student is exposed to the basics of composition, the more readily he may develop an interest in non-traditional musics. Direct contact with a composer enriches a student’s musical vocabulary and critical appreciation.
I would like to mention the FAMEQ initiative, aimed at programming musical works composed by Quebecers. Several works will be presented at a Grand Concert set for Nov. 18, 2011 during the Annual Meeting. As well, we will have an opportunity to hear the works of Ana Sokolovic[10], André Jutras[11], Jonathan Dagenais[12], Luc Lévesque[13], Richard Poulin[14], myself, and several other talented Quebec composers still to be added to the program.
I should also note the work of the Quebec branch of the Canadian Music Centre[15], the source of several projects mentioned above. And I tip my hat to Mme. Mireille Gagné, who is leaving her position as CMC Quebec Regional Director after thirty years of dedicated work. Mireille has contributed so much to raising the profile of our Canadian composers, Quebecers in particular, and helping in the diffusion of their works.
Whether through broadcast or live performance, diffusion of musical works is key. The future of our composers necessarily means engaging in the public domain and it ultimately depends on the acceptance of their work by today’s youth. In that regard, we have been putting the tools in place. And we can feel an optimistic wind blowing across the fields of promise...
This article has been published in the Canadian Music Educator - Volume 53 - Number 2 - Winter 2011
Also in Musique et pédagogie from FAMEQ Volume 25 - numéro 3 - printemps/été 2011
[1] Link to article by Bernard Peruse – The Gazette, 3 May 2011-07-22
The bells of Place Claude-Léveillée: When music and community meet
I have the pleasure of acting as consultant to the Maison des arts de Laval on a musical project currently installing a carillon in the new Place Claude-Léveillée, which will be inaugerated October 2nd. The new carillon will have an impact both artistic and community oriented.
I have produced a short, silent video showing the brand new carillon in its environment. The video introduces the project team composed of experts from Netherlands and the USA who built it and are now supervising the installation.
A vibrant student population creates a unique energy pervading the square. And don’t forget the Montmorency métro station and the several dynamic buildings in various stages of construction surrounding the site. Thousands of people passing through the square each day will experience a special moment when they hear the bells of the new carillon.
The album Carnival & Concertos featuring the trumpeter Frédéric Demers on which I collaborated gets incredible reviews, again! Here is the article appearing in the International Trumpet Guild Journal.
Saint-James United Church – 463 Saint-Catherine W., Montreal
Oboe Concerto, AV144, Richard Strauss
Soloist: Tamàs Balla
Conductor: Wanda Kaluzny
Also in the program:
Symphony no.40 in G. Minor, KV550 by W.A. Mozart
Suite du promeneur by L. Babin
Symphony no.52 in C Minor, Hob.I: 52 by F. J. Haydn
Pavane, op.50 by G. Fauré.
Strauss' Oboe Concerto dates from the final stages of the composer's career and ranks as one of the finest works ever composed for the instrument. Strauss wrote the concerto at the suggestion of John De Lancie, an American soldier and professional oboist stationed near Garmisch at the end of the Second World War. The concerto is notable for Strauss' economical scoring which is characteristic of his later compositions, compared to the expansive instrumentation of his earlier symphonic poems and operas. In three movements played without pause, the Strauss Oboe Concerto contains many lengthy and technically challenging passages for the soloist, particularly with regard to breathing and phrasing.
Born in Hungary in 1984, Tamàs Balla began his formal musical training at the Béla Bartók School of Music in Budapest. He later attended the Franz Liszt Academy of Music where, in 2007, he graduated with both a Master of Music in oboe performance and a teaching diploma. Since 2006, Balla has continued his performance studies in Madrid at the renowned Escuela Superior de Musica Reina Sofia, thanks to a tuition scholarship from Foundation Albeniz. He won the National Oboe Competition of Hungary for three consecutive years and went on to win other competitions in France, Poland, England and Italy. In 2008 the Queen of Spain presented Mr. Balla with an award for best oboist of the year. Tamàs Balla was the winning oboist at the 2008 AudiMozart! Competition held in Rovereto, Italy. His appearance tonight with the Montreal Chamber Orchestra is a part of that prize and marks his Canadian début.
For the complete concert season of the Montreal Chamber Orchestra, please visit their website at www.mco-ocm.qc.ca
As I was making some sort of cleaning up thru the music I worked on this year, I realized I didn't publish this lovely short animated movie done by Sanaa Legdani. It was presented during the final projection called Vortex 2010 at the Maison Théâtre of the Collège du Vieux-Montréal on May 26th 2010. For Sanaa, this represents her final project going out of College.
A big thanks goes to Roger Guérin for the 5.1 mix.
It is with great pride I present to you this press release :
Composer Louis Babin receives Special Jury Mention
at 2010 IBLA Grand Prize international competition
Montreal –August 10, 2010 – Composer Louis Babin has earned a Special Mention for his piano composition Duel, as well as the second highest score awarded to composers at the 19th international IBLA Grand Prize competition. Organized by the New York IBLA Foundation, this annual competition recognizes excellence in the work of composers and performers around the world.
In its Special Mention the IBLA jury cited the originality of Duel, a work composed for piano by Louis Babin and debuted by young pianist Philippe Prud’Homme in December 2009. A recording of this work by Mr. Prud’Homme is anticipated for the spring of 2011. In describing his composition, Louis Babin said, “Duel speaks to Man’s interdependence with his fellow Man. It is our shared social environment that is celebrated here. No one can ignore the fact of the Other. We all need the Other in order to truly live and move beyond ourselves. In that sense, Duel is an ode to love.”
IBLA jury members selected from among 31 works submitted by composers representing North America, Europe, Asia and Oceania. Louis Babin was the sole Canadian composer in the running.
This is a piece I orchestrated and partly composed : Le carnaval de Venise à Montréal. It demonstrates the virtuosity of Frédéric together with the excellence of the OVNI. The humerous side does not alter the great musicianship they offer to us. The recording was done by Philippe Bouvrette. (Duration : 14'20")
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To give you a glimpse about my work as a composer in residency at FACE, here is one of the six pieces created at the June 4th concert : To Dream.
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The string ensemble is conducted by Theodora Stathopoulos.
The student are from grade 10 and 11.
If you want to hear more from the concert, go to the page Composition.
