2023-24 Winners
Project: exhale. Ambient & experimental music for organ.
Award Recipient: Maria Gajraj, D.Mus. Performance; organ/Isabel Castillo, M.Mus. Sound Recording
The organ is a versatile instrument, with a multitude of colours and timbres, although it is unfortunately often reduced to its liturgical role. This proposal is to embark on a transformative project that explores the intersection of minimalism and experimentalism within the realm of organ music. This project aims to produce an album that pushes the boundaries of traditional organ music, with transcriptions of minimalist piano works by women and non-binary composers; a commissioned piece, written in 2024 for the performer; as well as recorded improvisations by the performer on the medieval organetto, with electronics.
One of the most fascinating capabilities of the organ is its ability to sustain notes seemingly forever, without wavering in pitch or volume. This makes the organ a perfect instrument to create minimalist textures, with ostinatos that spin endlessly and relentlessly, and layered harmonies on multiple keyboards. Additionally, the wind flowing through the organ pipes is reminiscent of the wind rushing through trees in a forest, or the wind whipping through the skies in a summer storm. The music in this project was inspired by nature, especially water, wind, and skies; and the organ is the ideal instrument to give homage to nature, with its pipes harnessing the very essence of wind, allowing the performer to create music that echoes the fluidity and breath of the natural world.
The pieces by Hania Rani (b. 1990) and Ann Southam (1937-2010) are originally for solo piano. This project will feature reimaginings of these works for organ, augmented versions with added textures made possible through shifting registrations, or changes in organ stops. “Forest Fire” was written in 2024 for Maria Gajraj by Esther-Ruth Teel (McGill MMus’ 21), a SOCAN award- winning composer. For organ and electronics, this piece imagines the chaotic roars of the forest fire, demonstrated through chromatic pedal clusters and ostinato figures across the keyboards, culminating in crashing cluster- arpeggios on full organ; before the smoke clears, with solemn closing notes played on quiet flutes. These pieces are framed by introductory and concluding recorded improvisations, with the sounds of the medieval organetto amplified and looped using electronics, creating unique, ambient soundscapes. The album is approximately 35 minutes long.
