WESTERN FRONT – The New Improvisers Studio

Western Front, in partnership with Coastal Jazz, is pleased to present The New Improvisers Studio—a free, weeklong educational program for emerging musicians aged 17 to 24, offered as part of the 2025 Vancouver International Jazz Festival.

Now in its second year, The New Improvisers Studio supports collaborative exploration in musical improvisation, guided by a leading international artist featured in the festival. This year, participants will work closely with acclaimed Filipinx-American composer, percussionist, and sound artist Susie Ibarra.

Through workshops focused on listening practices, field recording, spatial mapping, ensemble playing, and alternative forms of musical notation, Ibarra will lead participants on a creative journey rooted in the rhythms and patterns of the natural world.

The names of this year’s selected participants will be announced soon.

The program will culminate in a free public performance on Saturday, June 28 at 1:00 p.m.—offering audiences a glimpse into the sonic discoveries made over the course of the week.

About the Artist

Susie Ibarra is a Filipinx-American composer, percussionist, and sound artist. 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.

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 (link to come). Further details about accessibility at Western Front can be found here.

Acknowledgements

Presented in partnership by Coastal Jazz and Western Front, with the support of the Government of Canada, Creative BC, Deux Mille Foundation, and the 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.