PianoLab at ILA 2024 Program

A TWO DAY FESTIVAL THAT DEFIES BOUNDARIES

TRADITIONAL RECITALS MEETS DIGITAL TECH AND EXPERIMENTAL COMPOSITION AT PIANOLAB

JUNE 14 & 15

ILA acknowledges that we are meeting, creating and working on the traditional land of the Kaurna People.

We recognise and respect their cultural heritage beliefs and relationship with the land.

We pay our respects to the Elders past, present and future.

FOREWORD I -

ABOUT PIANOLAB AT ILA

Adelaide’s Centre of Immersive Light and Art

Reintroducing PianoLab, a follow-up to the ambitious music festival which debuted at The Lab in 2022. Highlighting the nations finest pianists, PianoLab 2024 pushes the boundaries of traditional recitals through immersive technology, and now, experimental composition.

Presenting five recitals across two days, PianoLab aims to expand dialogue between established institutions and emerging technology, through a program encompassing recitals in both The Lab and The Light Room Studio - the former referencing the rich history of piano composition and the latter contrasting with an entirely experimental approach.

PianoLab shines a spotlight on the commanding presence of the piano and seeks to reimagine its role in the digital age through immersive spaces, and new creative ideas.

PianoLab has been made possible with thanks to the Adelaide City Council, the Elder Conservatorium, Australian Piano Warehouse and with support from Recitals Australia.

PROFESSOR

ANNA GOLDSWORTHY Director of Elder Conservatorium of Music

PianoLab is a celebration of the piano: the most protean of all instruments, that can be singer, or orchestra, or storyteller, and convey us through space and time.

In this festival, we combine the enduring technology of the piano with the immersive technology of ILA in an inventive program curated by Benjamin Nicholls and Lewis Godwin.

The Elder Conservatorium of Music is thrilled to partner again with ILA for a snapshot of our thriving community of musicians in Piano Town, Australia!

BENJAMIN NICHOLLS

Co-Curator PianoLab 2024

The piano has had a hold on music production for more than three hundred years. The vital breakthrough was made in Italy around the year 1700 when Bartolomeo Cristofori replaced the pluck of the harpsichord with the punch of a hammer blow. This made it possible to vary the loudness of each note in proportion to the speed of every keystroke.

PianoLab 2024 considers this technological wonder of the Renaissance, and its resonances today. Three concerts downstairs in The Lab explore the piano’s repertoire from the early 1800s to the present. The piano and its music have inspired new visual artworks using cutting-edge technology at ILA. Following the concerts in The Lab, the piano is sonically deconstructed upstairs in the Studio each night. Across the five events, brilliant artists combine to reimagine the piano’s history and to sound its pasts and possible futures.

We are so lucky to have a thriving community of pianists in Adelaide, and it is exciting to see that reflected in this program. It has made co-curating PianoLab a great pleasure, especially bringing emerging and established musicians together in this weekend festival.

LEWIS GODWIN

Creative Producer at ILA

A formidable beast, the piano demands both strength of character and great skill to approach. Intimidating and rarely mastered, it stands as a symbol of profound musical depth and significant gravitas.

Having spent eight years sparring with such a creature as a child, co-curating the festival this year has been a cathartic process. No longer seeking to subdue the instrument, my approach has become one of curiosity rather than mastery.

I believe PianoLab 2024 embodies this desire for play. To play with rather than against the beast - not to tame it, but to see where it will wander when left unchained.

Similarly, ILA is an organization that exemplifies these ideals. It is the direct result of dreamers and their penchant for play. It applauds new ideas and those that create them.

In co-curating this year’s festival my applause is for the artists and musicians brave enough to play with the piano - not as a tug of war, but from a place of curiosity. They play and dream, letting go of the reins to explore where the beast will take them.

May it be a cathartic experience for you.

VIVIAN CHOI MILTON

Franz Liszt DeuxLégendes

Olivier Messiaen

SelectionsfromVingtRegards sur l’Enfant-Jésus, os.1,8,10,11,12,13

Kate Moore

SpinBird

VIVIAN CHOI MILTON Flight

Described as ‘an exemplar of the modern global pianist’, Vivian Choi Milton presents a bird’s eye view of piano music via Franz Liszt, Olivier Messiaen, and Kate Moore. These composers all revel in birdsong, and so enliven the concert with scenes and sounds of flight.

Entrancing visuals provided by The Lab across 50sq metres of immersive LED screens will take the audience on an accompanying journey through each composition, promising an outstanding experience with one of Australia’s most talented pianists.

Includes an overview of PianoLab from this year’s co-curators Benjamin Nicholls and Lewis Godwin plus an introduction to the festival by Anna Goldsworthy.

Friday 14 June, 7:00pm – 8:30pm The Lab, Ground Floor, 63 Light Sq, Adelaide Tickets: immersivelightandart.com.au

TIM KOCH + ANDREW LANG

Comminuere Communitas

ANDERS BOGDANZOWICZ + JAZMINE DENG + MAX BRADING

Reflections

Conceived as an exploration into the duality of beauty within chaos, musicians Tim Koch and Andrew Lang collaborate in this unique performance of experimental sound and art. Employing granular synthesis, live sampling, and generative visuals into their workflow, the two Kaurna Yerta artists will explore the question: ‘what space is left for the piano in 2024?’ and seek to push the answers into uncharted territory.

Joining in support is a unique collaboration from electronic musician Anders Bogdanowicz, contemporary performance artist Jazmine Deng, and multimedia digital artist Max Brading. Sound, movement, and vision combine in an evocative new work entitled ‘Reflections’. The audience are invited to experience a unique dialogue between sound and motion, history and modernity in which historical piano recordings are reinterpreted through innovative digital manipulation.

Friday 14 June, 9:00pm – 11:15pm The Light Room Studio, Level 1, 63 Light Sq, Adelaide Tickets: immersivelightandart.com.au

*Strobe lighting and other intense lighting may be used during this show. Please note this may not be suitable for those with epilepsy and other conditions with sensitivity to light.

TIM KOCH + ANDREW LANG ANDERS BOGDANOWICZ + JAZMINE DENG + MAX

BRADING

EURELIA TRIO SIMÓN PAZOS QUINTANA

Foundry

A foundational figure in the Russian classical tradition, Mikhail Glinka’s music is contrasted with that of Futurist Alexander Mosolov - famed for his 1926 composition, Op. 19, Iron Foundry,

Pianist and Mosolov scholar Simón Pazos

Quintana will present two of the composer’s piano works, while the Eurelia Trio perform Glinka’s TrioPathétique

A program of extremes, presented by some of Adelaide’s most exciting emerging musicians.

Saturday 15 June, 4:00pm – 5:30pm

The Lab Ground Floor, 63 Light Sq, Adelaide

Tickets: immersivelightandart.com.au

‘I have known love only by the sorrow it has caused’

Epigraph to Glinka’s Trio Pathétique

Mikhail Glinka TrioPathétiqueinDminor

Alexander Mosolov TurkmenianNights

Piano Sonata No.2 in B minor

EURELIA TRIO SIMÓN PAZOS QUINTANA

CIARA FERGUSON

MICHAEL IERACE + HELEN AYRES

Fusion

Glimmers of jazz and hints of impressionism combine in this multi-genre performance exploring the affinities and fusions of classical and jazz traditions.

Michael Ierace and Helen Ayres present a selection of French music for the violin and piano, including the precocious talents of Boulanger, the sparkling harmonies of Debussy’s Clair de Lune, and the blues-infused second movement from Ravel’s Violin Sonata

Emerging pianist, singer and composer

Ciara Ferguson will then trace these affinities through to the works of American jazz pianist Bill Evans, paired with her own ethereal jazz-folk compositions.

Saturday 15 June, 7:00pm – 8:30pm The Lab Ground Floor, 63 Light Sq, Adelaide Tickets: immersivelightandart.com.au

Lili Boulanger Nocturne for Violin and Piano

Claude Debussy Laplusquelent

Maurice Ravel Violin Sonata No.2 inG major, mvt.2

Claude Debussy Clair de lune

Bill Evans Selections

Ciara Ferguson Selections

CIARA FERGUSON MICHAEL IERACE +

HELEN AYRES FUSION

CORIN [EORA / NSW]

Lux Aeterna

SEBASTIAN COLLEN + MARYAM RAHMANI + CAPITAL WASTE

Trapezia

A dissection of sound as a sentient being, morphing and growing in the eternal light.

Corin Ileto (Eora / Syd) delivers a dynamic exploration of other worldly soundscapes through her use of granular synthesis, ethereal production, and transcendental visual storytelling. Mechanical figures consult the monolith. A fantastical and impactful presentation of sound and vision.

Continuing the digestion of the mechanical, Sebastian Collen offers a conversation in preparation, the disassembly of instrumentation, and the joy of deep sound. Partaking in this deconstruction will be Maryam Rahmani, combining a traditional mastery of the Iranian santur with a decidedly experimental approach. Strings collide in this exploration of audiovisual resonance, with additional visual texture produced live by Liam Somerville, aka CAPITAL WASTE.

Saturday 15 June, 9:00pm – 11:30pm The Light Room Studio Level 1, 63 Light Sq, Adelaide

Tickets: immersivelightandart.com.au

*Strobe lighting and other intense lighting may be used during this show. Please note this may not be suitable for those with epilepsy and other conditions with sensitivity to light.

LUX AETERNA

AETERNA + TRAPEZIA CORIN [EORA

/ SYD]

SEBASTIAN COLLEN + MARYAM RAHMANI + CAPITAL WASTE

Tickets

Accessibility

Photosensitivity Warning

Tickets are available to purchase online through www.immersivelightandart.com.au

Per Event:

Full Price: $35+ BF ($45 on the door)

Student price: $25 + BF ($35 on the door)

Lab Pass:

$90 + BF (3 x performances)

Studio Pass:

$60 + BF (2 x performances)

The Lab is fully accessible via Aurora Restaurant. The Light Room on Level 1 can be accessed via an elevator. Ground floor and Level 1 both have dedicated unisex accessible bathrooms. Please contact prior to the event if you require assistance.

Strobe lighting and other intense lighting may be used throughout the festival. Please note this may not be suitable for those with epilepsy and other conditions with sensitivity to light.

Under 18s

Getting to ILA

Contact

PianoLab is an all ages event, however attendees under 18 years of age must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

ILA is located at 63 Light Sq, Adelaide. Both The Lab and The Light Room Studio are accessible via The Lab Garden.

info@immersivelightandart.com.au @weare_ILA

MORE ABOUT ILA

ILA IS ADELAIDE’S CENTRE OF IMMERSIVE LIGHT AND ART.

ILA is dedicated to supporting the arts, the immersive arts in particular. Our mission is to create opportunities for artists to give audiences new experiences in the world of immersive art - to extend the work of traditional digital artists, performers and musicians by providing the support and the venue that brings their vision to life.

In the process, establishing for Adelaide a unique venue where creativity, tehnology and hospitality blend to deliver innovative new experiences.

ILA is home to The Lab, a live performance and event venue with a canvas of 50sqm of LED screens, Aurora, an award-winning restaurant, and The Light Room, a three part bar, gallery and studio.

As a not-for-profit social enterprise, profits made through ILA’s events, hospitality and immersive technlogies are invested back to support our mission.

Explore ILA.

DINING

Aurora Restaurant [Ground Floor]

Wednesday to Saturday | 6pm - Late

DRINKING

The Light Room [Level 1]

Wednesday to Saturday | 4pm - Late

The Lab Garden [Ground Floor, Outside]

Open before and after PianoLab recitals