A new music festival in Ottawa is looking to introduce arts lovers to Canadian-made classical music while also tackling the city’s homeless crisis.
On Oct. 17 and 18, the Ottawa New Music Festival will be launched by the Ottawa New Music Creators at the Ottawa Art Gallery. While the organization has been around for 12 years, this is the first time they are producing a festival of their own.
“In the past we have produced concerts scattered throughout the year and we thought it would be entertaining to focus on one weekend where we could draw a bigger crowd and have people in Ottawa get excited about contemporary music,” said organizer Zac Pulak. “Pretty much every single major city in Canada whether it’s Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, or even Saskatoon, have new music festivals, yet Ottawa has none that are focused on contemporary music.”
Leading the show will be the world premiere of Frank Horvat’s “Almost
Homeless – Ottawa”, which examines the realities faced by a growing number of people who are grappling with financial hardships and the high cost of living.
Horvat, who lives in Toronto but grew up in Westboro, said the composite is one he’s been thinking of for many years.
“I started reading reports about how many high level musicians were leaving and moving out of the city because the cost of living was becoming so drastic,” Horvat told KT. “I found it so fascinating since Toronto promotes itself as an arts and culture hub. It’s a cruel irony that the arts workers can’t afford to live here. The vision of it was to use a composition to highlight the state of how it impacts the music community, but it also doesn’t take much time to realize that everybody from all walks of life are struggling to make ends meet.”
The Westboro-born composer, who started taking music lessons at five years old, said he tries to compose songs that address the current state of society. Oct.17 is also the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, and hopes his music will eventually be played world-wide on that day to inspire all walks of love.
Back in June, Horvat took a trip to Ottawa’s Arts Market on Daly Avenue where the New Music Creators set up a booth to speak with young people who have been impacted by the cost of living crisis. Their voices will echo through the music during the Oct. 18 performance.
“Individuals were very gracious and were able to share their struggles, hopes and dreams for the future. It was a really moving thing for me because on a personal front, having grown up in Ottawa, it’s a side of the city I don’t know,” said Horvat.
“Almost Homeless” features ONMC Artistic Directors SHHH!! Ensemble and Ottawa-based violinist Erica Miller. The second half of the concert will include SHHH!! performing works by Harry Stafylakis, Jocelyn Morlock, and Micheline Roi.
Then on Oct. 18, an epic triple header will bring together Halifax-based cellist, composer, and improviser India Gailey, Montreal-based percussionist David Brongo, and Ottawa-based harpist Michelle Gott, who will each perform a 40-minute set.
Gott, who was born in Las Vegas but now lives near the Central Experimental Farm, has been playing the harp since the age of five after being taught by her mom. The soloist said she is excited to be part of an experimental music community in Ottawa.
“I was looking to expand beyond my imaginary lines and where I’m at with my creative project, and this event really resonated with me,” she said. “My opinion is that Ottawa for its size has a ton going on — you just have to look at all the different layers of creativity happening.”
Organizer Pulak is no stranger to taking on social justice issues. Last year, he released an album about the climate crisis to raving reviews. The Winnipeg native said it’s art for those in creative fields to make a living wage and wants to draw more attention to that. While this year is a pilot of the festival, there is hope it will grow to feature even more local performers and composers.
“We are feeling the pinch as much as anyone, especially being independent artists. A lot of our friends and colleagues are in similar boats. It’s tricky. We just felt like music is a really useful and interesting avenue to explore issues and draw awareness,” said Pulak. “This might be the last niche that hasn’t been filled in Ottawa yet. We are happy to be the ones to do that.”