Talk by Susie Ibarra with François Houle
- François Houle
- Susie Ibarra
As part of the Vancouver International Jazz Festival, join us for a conversation with renowned Filipinx-American composer, percussionist, and sound artist Susie Ibarra. Known for her boundary-defying work that bridges traditional rhythms with avant-garde innovation, Ibarra brings a unique voice to contemporary music. The talk, moderated by celebrated clarinetist François Houle, will blend conversation with live musical improvisation, offering insight into Ibarra’s artistic process and creative practice through both words and sound.
About the Artists
Susie Ibarra is a Filipinx-American composer, percussionist, and sound artist from New York, United States and based in Berlin, Germany. Her work encompasses performance, mobile sound-mapping applications, multichannel audio installations, recording, and production. Across her interdisciplinary practice, many of Ibarra’s projects are based in cultural and environmental preservation. Her sound research focuses on the stewardship of glaciers and freshwaters, and she has published writing on the ecology of rhythm in the environment. Ibarra has also worked to support Indigenous and traditional music cultures from the North and South Philippine islands, and collaborates with The Joudour Sahara Music Program in Morocco on initiatives that preserve sound-based heritage and support the participation of women and girls in traditional music communities. Ibarra leads several ensembles including Talking Gong Trio, is the founder of Susie Ibarra Studios, and is a co-founder of the label and publisher Habitat Sounds.
François Houle is a clarinetist based in Vancouver, Canada. Shaped through deep artistic collaboration, Houle has developed a singular improvisational language rich with sonic embellishment and technical extensions. Performing as a soloist and chamber musician, Houle has actively expanded the clarinet’s repertoire by commissioning and premiering over one hundred new works by leading Canadian and international composers. He has released more than twenty albums as a leader, toured extensively across North America, Europe, and Australia, and is a founding member of ensembles Sea and Sky, Turning Point Ensemble, and Standing Wave. Houle teaches at Vancouver Community College and is the founder of the record label Afterday Audio.
Accessibility
The Grand Luxe Hall is located on the second floor of Western Front, which is accessed by a flight of 26 stairs. While plans for a full building upgrade to facilitate access for wheelchair users are still underway, all events in the Grand Luxe Hall are made available virtually via high-quality livestream (see link above). Further details about accessibility at Western Front can be found here.
Acknowledgements
Presented in partnership with Coastal Jazz with the support of the Government of Canada and SOCAN Foundation.
Western Front is a non-profit artist-run centre in Vancouver.
We acknowledge the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and səl̓ílwətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations as traditional owners of the land upon which Western Front stands.