Music on Main explores the future of sound with biennial Modulus Festival, November 7 to 10

Offerings range from the world premiere of Hildegard Westerkamp’s cinematic tone poem Klavierklang to the multidisciplinary project Resonant Transmutations

SPONSORED POST BY Music on Main

Mark Takeshi McGregor’s Doubt is a Way of Knowing at Music on Main’s Modulus Festival in 2021. Photo by Jan Gates

Music on Main’s internationally celebrated Modulus Festival returns with bold ideas, powerful stories, and genre-defying music from November 7 to 10. Known as one of Canada’s most important new music events, the biennial festival showcases groundbreaking performances, heartwarming storytelling, and unexpected collaborations that push the boundaries of sound and experience.

In a time when people are searching for connection, Modulus Festival invites audiences to imagine and build futures together. From high-energy concerts to intimate mixed-media installations staged at the Roundhouse Community Arts and Recreation Centre and the Annex, the four-day festival highlights how creativity can bridge divides and spark dialogue.

Eve Egoyan and Mauricio Pauly’s Hopeful Monster at Music on Main’s Modulus Festival in 2023. Photo by Jan Gates

One of the first events in store is the Modulus Opening Night Concert on November 7 at 7:30 pm, featuring vocalist Sarah Jo Kirsch, flutist Mark Takeshi McGregor, and guitarist Adrian Verdejo. The evening will celebrate the brilliance and creativity of Vancouver’s artistic community with the world premiere of Klavierklang, a cinematic tone poem composed by Hildegard Westerkamp; it features an onscreen performance by Rachel Kiyo Iwaasa, with direction by Nettie Wild and editing by Michael Brockington.

Modulus Festival invites audiences to experience expositions and art installations, as well. This year includes the two-day, community-engaged textile creation and live performance Luddite Land Assembly. The Only Animal does magic tricks with natural dye in this multidisciplinary experience featuring Tsimka Martin and Michael Red, Caley Watts, and a welcome by Musqueam artist Rita Point Kompst. Inspired by the history of the Luddites—skilled textile workers of the Industrial Revolution who resisted automation and fought for fair work—this contemporary reimagining invites audiences to slow down, connect, and co-create.

Eve Egoyan and Mauricio Pauly’s Hopeful Monster at Music on Main’s Modulus Festival in 2023. Photo by Jan Gates

Another festival offering is the multidisciplinary project Resonant Transmutations, wherein Pedram Baldari and Matthew Rahaim transform objects of systemic violence (primarily decommissioned rifles) into vessels for contemplation and healing. Then there’s Building Together II: Acoustic Reactions, an exhibition that comes as the result of a workshop series during which artists created new sound sculptures, instruments, and sound objects.

There is much more in store on the Modulus Festival program. Browse all the offerings through Music on Main, and purchase single tickets or an all-access pass here.

Post sponsored by Music on Main.

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