Land's End in Cornwall, England, reaches out into the Atlantic Ocean into what were uncharted waters before the time of Columbus. The chamber ensemble of the same name was created to explore the boundaries of contemporary music, and to create compelling aural experiences.
Sometime during the mid-1990's, past Artistic Director Kyle Lamont decided that not enough contemporary chamber music was being performed in Calgary, and that emerging composers and performers needed an organization which would help them to be heard. To address these needs, in 1997 he and a number of like-minded individuals founded the Land's End Chamber Ensemble and its governing body, the Land's End Chamber Music Society of Calgary. The first of many exciting concerts was held on February 1, 1998, at the Rozsa Centre, University of Calgary.
Now commencing its thirteenth season, the Society is dedicated to introducing audiences to new music by local and Canadian composers, and to performing landmark chamber works of the 20th and 21st centuries. The Society sponsors a concert series featuring the Land's End Chamber Ensemble in combination with extraordinary guest artists, and an annual competition for emerging Alberta and Saskatchewan composers. Land's End presents the work of emerging composers and performers in each concert. By presenting events in non-traditional venues, Land's End endeavours to expand the audience for contemporary classical music in Calgary and beyond.
The spring of 2004 marked the release of the debut Land's End CD, Four Degrees of Freedom, which won the 2005 Western Canadian Music Award for Outstanding Classical Recording. In May 2005, Land's End was chosen to perform at Alberta Scene in Ottawa. Rollin' down #1, the second CD, was released in January 2006, and it was also awarded the 2006 WCMA in the same category. It is a survey of Alberta and Saskatchewan chamber music since 1898, and was made possible by generous centennial grants from Canadian Heritage and the Alberta Lottery Fund. In March 2006, Land's End completed a successful centennial tour of nine cities in Alberta and Saskatchewan. In May, 2007, Land's End presented the premiere of a new work written for Stacie Dunlop, soprano, and the Land's End Chamber Ensemble, by R. Murray Schafer.
Land's End Chamber Music Society of Calgary and Land's End Chamber Ensemble were founded to meet several needs in the Calgary music community. These needs include:
- The promotion and development of emerging local and Canadian talents, in both performance and composition.
- An ensemble dedicated to the performance of post-Romantic works (ranging from Impressionist to contemporary pieces) of local, Canadian and international composers.
- Bridging a recognizable gap which has evolved between contemporary classical music and audiences.
Land's End fills these needs by contracting emerging musicians to work with the ensemble, by offering educational workshops and masterclasses, by implementing flexible concert programming philosophies which emphasize diversity, and by providing audiences with an atmosphere that is more informative, social and relaxed.
Richard Sutherland - President
Vacant - Past President
Vacant - Vice President
Richard Ayotte - Secretary / Treasurer
John Lowry - Musicians' Representative
Christopher Sandvoss - Director
Roger Feria - Director
Lucie Alaimo - Director
Hendrik Vorster - Director
Mary Westell - Director
Land's End Chamber Music Society of Calgary
LandsEndMusic@gmail.com
Mailing: PO Box 94084, Elbow River RPO, Calgary, Alberta T2S 0S4
www.landsendensemble.ca
