j o e s o r b a r a [ d o t ] c o m  .   p r o j e c t s   .   a u r e a l i t i e s

lina allemano . trumpet
christine duncan . voice
paul dutton . voice
anil eraslan . cello
matthais mainz . piano
albrecht maurer . violin
tom richards . trombone
joe sorbara . drums, percussion
samuel stoll . horn
laura swankey . voice
chris tonelli . voice
emily wittbrodt . cello

lina allemano . trumpet    christine duncan . voice    paul dutton . voice    anil eraslan . cello    matthias mainz . piano    albrecht maurer . violin    tom richards . trombone    joe sorbara . drums, percussion    samuel stoll . horn    laura swankey . voice    chris tonelli . voice    emily whittbrodt . cello

In tribute to Canadian poet and soundsinger, Paul Dutton, the Aurealities Ensemble, which takes its name from the title of a 1991 Dutton book of poetry, brings together musicians from Canada and Germany with a rich collective experience spanning musical influences and improvisational cultures from early and new music through jazz and feely improvised music to extended voice and performance art. The instrumentation of violin and cello, trumpet and horn, piano and percussion, with two extraordinary voices affords an interplay of sonic contrasts and correspondences that makes the ensemble sound intimately small and expansive at once.

Matthias Mainz first worked with Dutton in the winter of 2012, when they had the opportunity to play a set of improvisations in Cologne together with French cellist Thomas Charmetant. In the summer of 2013, Dutton and Mainz met again in Toronto and spent about ten days with percussionist Joe Sorbara exploring as a trio, playing a number of concerts, and recording at Grant Avenue Studios in Hamilton. In 2017, when Dutton decided that he would no longer tour abroad, Mainz and Sorbara put together an ensemble that would extend the story further through a series of concerts and recordings in Germany in 2021. They invited cellist Anil Eraslan, violinist Albrecht Maurer, and horn player Samuel Stoll to complete the German side of the ensemble as well as three more Canadian musicians: trumpeter Lina Allemano and soundsingers Christine Duncan and Chris Tonelli, both of whom share a deep connection with Dutton and his work as a vocalist and poet.

New works were commissioned with the help of The Canada Council for the Arts and, with additional help from NKW NRW and Musicfonds in Germany, the eight-piece ensemble was able to gather in Cologne and Berlin in September 2021 for a series of workshops, rehearsals, and concerts, much of which was documented by Mainz through Plattform für Transkulturelle Neue Musik.

In the spring of 2023, the ensemble was able to reconvene, only slightly transformed, at the Festival International de Musique Actuelle de Victoriaville in Qubec after an appearance in Toronto at Annette Studios. Vocalist Laura Swankey, cellist Emily Wittbrodt, and trombonist Tom Richards played in place of Chris Tonelli, Anil Eraslan, and Samuel Stoll in this iteration while Paul Dutton himself joined the fray.

We look forward to sharing more with you soon.



Cobbled
by Christine Duncan
25ix2021 . Spreehalle, Berlin







Birdsong in Parentheses
by Joe Sorbara
25ix2021 . Spreehalle, Berlin







This and That
by Lina Allemano
25ix2021 . Spreehalle, Berlin







No. 5
improvisation
24ix2021 . LOFT, Koeln







Quartet 1
improvisation
25ix2021 . Spreehalle, Berlin







Quartet 2
improvisation
25ix2021 . Spreehalle, Berlin







No. 7
improvisation
24ix2021 . LOFT, Koeln







No. 2
improvisation
24ix2021 . LOFT, Koeln





h o m e


[ i ] bio

[ ii ] events

[ iii ] projects


never was  

françois houle & joe sorbara
(SoHo)
  

alien radio
(houle/ meger/ sorbara)
  

norm adams & joe sorbara  

the imperative  

aurealities  

imaginary percussion ensemble  

reliable parts  

paul dutton & joe sorbara  

~

my misshapen ear  

other foot first  

remnants trio  

squash recipe  


[ iv ] discography

[ v ] gallery

[ vi ] contact






o w m [ d o t ] o r g