“Gestures, Words, Sounds”: The Creative Worlds of Cathy Berberian and Luciano Berio
A Celebration on the Occasion of the Centenary of their Births
Workshops, Lectures, and Concerts
This event celebrates the work of two extraordinary creative minds, mezzo-soprano Cathy Berberian (1925-1983), whose vocal versatility and imagination had an enormous impact on twentieth-century avant-garde art music and music theater, and composer Luciano Berio (1925-2003), who broke new ground in serialism, the concept of the open work, and the application of linguistic principles in musical composition. Focusing on their collaborations as well as on their individual artistic activities, the workshops aim to advance fresh knowledge about Berberian and Berio through the lens of new primary sources from the Berberian and Berio archives at the Paul Sacher Stiftung in Basel, Switzerland, that illuminate the context and inner dynamics of their creative worlds and performance practice. Also discussed will be sources from the McGill Archives pertaining to the collaboration between Berberian and Canadian composer Harry Somers (1925-1999), who wrote one work for her.
Held at McGill University and a few other venues in Montreal, Canada, to mark the centenary of the births of Berberian and Berio, as well as Somers, the event is co-organized by the Paul Sacher Stiftung and the Schulich School of Music of McGill University in collaboration with the Centro Studi Luciano Berio, the Istituto Italiano di Cultura (Italian Cultural Institute of Montreal), the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Music Media and Technology (CIRMMT), and Paramirabo, with support from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. We are pleased to feature interactive scholarly sessions and lectures held by an international group of performers and scholars, three concerts, and other activities.
All events are free and open to the public, except for the concerts of Paramirabo (October 2) and the McGill Symphony Orchestra (October 5), for which tickets may be purchased.
Register here!
Thursday, October 2, 2025
Location: Conservatoire de musique de Montréal, 4750 Av. Henri-Julien | Salle de concert
Salle de concert du Conservatoire | Concerts
5:00 p.m.-6:30 p.m. Selections of Sequenze by Luciano Berio
8:00 p.m. Paramirabo performs works by Cathy Berberian, Luciano Berio, and Pierre Boulez
Friday, October 3, 2025
Locations:
- Elizabeth Wirth Music Building, McGill University, 527 Sherbrooke Street West | Wirth Lobby, Tanna Schulich Hall
Wirth Lobby | Posters and Registration
9:15 a.m.-10:00 a.m. Registration
Student posters from graduate seminar on Berberian and Berio on display October 3 to 6.
Tanna Schulich Hall | Workshops and Lectures
10:00 a.m. Opening Remarks:
Jonathan Wild (Associate Dean, Research and Administration, Schulich School of Music, McGill University)
Angela Ida De Benedictis (Paul Sacher Stiftung) and Christoph Neidhöfer (McGill University), co-organizers
Session 1: Workshops on Berberian and the New Vocality
10:15 a.m.-11:15 a.m. Candace Smith (Director, Cappella Artemisia): “5 Years, and 45 More: Honoring the Legacy of a Mentor”
11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m. Giovanni Cestino (University of Milan), Angela Ida De Benedictis, and Christoph Neidhöfer: Conversation with Candace Smith
With the participation of Rebecca Gray, soprano
Session 2: Lecture and Workshop on Berberian and Identity
2:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m. Camilla Bork (Freie Universität Berlin): “Performing Music History – Cathy Berberian as Curator and Artistic Researcher”
3:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m. Giovanni Cestino (University of Milan): “Berberian’s Performing Scores as Artifacts, Documents, and Sources”
With the participation of Rebecca Gray, soprano
Session 3: On the Materials for an Exhibit
5:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m. Meeting with Marina Berio (visual artist) on her exhibit Berio Bambino, Berio Papà: Family Drawings, Letters, and Music
Tanna Schulich Hall | Workshop
Session 4: Workshop on Luciano Berio's Sequenza VII
8:00 p.m. Angela Ida De Benedictis (Paul Sacher Stiftung) and Jacqueline Leclair, oboe (McGill University)
Saturday, October 4, 2025
Location: Elizabeth Wirth Music Building, McGill University, 527 Sherbrooke Street West | Tanna Schulich Hall
Tanna Schulich Hall | Workshops and Keynote
Session 5: Workshops on A Thousand and One Voices
9:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m. Ulrich Mosch (Université de Genève – Faculté des lettres): “Showing the Versatile Voice – Cathy Berberian in C’è musica e musica”
10:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m. Showing of Luciano Berio’s C’è musica e musica, episode V, “Mille e una voce”
11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m. Conversation between Cristina Berio (cathyberberian.com) and Angela Ida De Benedictis (Paul Sacher Stiftung): “Exploring Cathy Berberian Through the Lens of Her Archives”
Keynote
2:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m. Talia Pecker Berio (Centro Studi Luciano Berio): “Remembering the Future: Revisiting Berio’s Norton Lectures”
Introduction and moderation: Brian Cherney (McGill University)
Session 6: Workshops on Influences and Impact
4:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m. Jamuna Samuel (University of Pennsylvania): “A Constellation of Influences: Joyce, Dallapiccola, and Berberian in Berio’s Chamber Music (1953)”
5:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m. Tiffany Kuo (Mt. San Antonio College): “‘Encounters’ with Innovation: Leonard Stein, Berio, and Berberian in the Making of LA’s New Music Scene”
Session 7: Workshop with performance of Les mots sont allés and Sequenza XIV
7:30 p.m. Angela Ida De Benedictis (Paul Sacher Stiftung) and Matt Haimovitz, cello (University of Minnesota)
Sunday, October 5, 2025
Locations:
- Elizabeth Wirth Music Building, McGill University, 527 Sherbrooke Street West | Conference Rooms A832 and A833
- Salle Pierre-Mercure, 300 Boul. De Maisonneuve Est
Conference Room A-832/833 | Workshops
Session 8: Berberian, Berio, and the Radio
9:15 a.m.-10:15 a.m. Mila De Santis (University of Florence): “A-Ronne: A Composition on Vocal Behaviors”
10:15 a.m.-11:15 a.m. Brian Cherney (McGill University): “‘…why should I have troubles with Somers?’ — Cathy Berberian’s Collaboration with Harry Somers on Voiceplay”
11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m. Roundtable
Discussion with presenters and audience, moderated by Angela Ida De Benedictis and Christoph Neidhöfer
Salle Pierre-Mercure | Concert
3:00 p.m. McGill Symphony Orchestra
Alexis Hauser, Artistic Director and Conductor
JOHANN STRAUSS II Waldmeister Overture
GEORGES BIZET Symphony No. 1 in C major
LOUISE FARRENC Overture No. 1 in E minor, Op. 23
LUCIANO BERIO Rendering for Orchestra after Franz Schubert's Symphony in D major
Tickets to be purchased through the Salle Pierre-Mercure Box Office (Taxes and service fees apply)
Monday, October 6, 2025
Location: Elizabeth Wirth Music Building, McGill University, 527 Sherbrooke Street West | Wirth Lobby, Tanna Schulich Hall
Tanna Schulich Hall | Distinguished Lecture
Hosted by the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Music Media and Technology (CIRMMT)
3:30 p.m. Angela Ida De Benedictis (Paul Sacher Stiftung, Basel): “Berio and Technology”
Introduction and moderation: Andrea Gozzi (Université de Sherbrooke)
Wirth Lobby | Student Poster Session
5:45 p.m.-7:00 p.m.
Arya Bahmani (McGill University): “Comparing the Armenian and Azerbaijani Songs of Berio’s Folk Songs (1964)”
Hannah A. Barnes (McGill University): “Collaboration and Multiplicity at the Core of Luciano Berio’s Laborintus II”
Ana Neocleous (McGill University): “Gesture and Polyphony of Action in Berio’s Gesti for Solo Recorder (1966)”
Nguyen Minh Tram (McGill University): “Phantom Resonance: Timbre in Brin, Erdenklavier, and Luftklavier by Luciano Berio”
Nguyen Minh Tram: “The Illusion of Multiplicity: Listening Beyond Monody”
Moderation: Angela Ida De Benedictis and Christoph Neidhöfer
Questions? Please contact angelaida.debenedictis [at] unibas.ch (Angela Ida De Benedictis) and/or christoph.neidhofer [at] mcgill.ca (Christoph Neidhöfer).
