NOW Improvisation Workshops Spring/Summer 2023
for up to 15 players & 5 observers
Workshops at 8EAST and online
June 12 - July 3
Mondays 7 - 8:30pm PDT
FREE with NOW Membership, Donations gratefully accepted (here).
Please register for the online workshops, these workshops will be presented on Zoom. The in person workshops will be held at 8EAST, 8 East Pender Street, Vancouver. No registration is necessary for the in person workshops, arrive 15 minutes early with your instrument!
Since 1978, the New Orchestra Workshop Society (NOW) has presented music improvisation workshops, offering space for exploration and participation. Our workshops are for improvisers of all levels of ability and ranges of experience, regardless of gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, age, race or religion. We protect privacy in our workshops and adopt the We Have Voice Collective Code of Conduct. Read more about NOW workshop policies here.
Workshop Facilitators:
June 12 - Lisa Cay Miller
Photo by Laura Krutz
Presently living on the unceded Territories of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), Tsleil-Waututh, and Musqueam peoples, Lisa Cay Miller (she/her) is an improvising pianist and composer who loves to create in the moment. Dr. Lisa Cay is the Artistic Director of the NOW Society, and is so honoured to have been part of the NOW workshops for a number of years, both in person and online.
June 19 - Mili Hong online (register here)
Photo by Evan Shay
Mili Hong began playing drums at the age of 16. She spent most of her life in South Korea until her early 20s when she moved to Vancouver, Canada to study English and Music. Although she originally planned to move back to Korea after completing her studies, she decided to remain in Canada to experiment and explore her new life in Canada’s thriving and diverse music scene. Mili is an important member of Canada’s Jazz scene through her playing in a variety of different projects including Eli Davidovici and The Watermill Project and has also been involved in several alternative rock projects, including Moondle and Corey Gulkin. Her lifetime goal is to continue learning about her art and herself through her continuous study of music and language.
June 26 - Ida Toninato online (register here)
Photo by Laura Krutz
Montreal-based saxophonist, composer and improviser Ida Toninato has an ear for the unknown, exploring reverberant spaces with uncommon acoustics with which she develops artistic partnerships with a strong sense of bonding. After years of playing contemporary music with various collaborators, she has dived head first into pursuing a music after her own daring musical intuitions.
July 3rd - Peggy Lee
Photo by Victoria Johnson
Cellist, improviser, composer Peggy Lee makes her home in Vancouver, BC where she is part of a rich creative music community. In addition to her work with Standing Wave and the Vancouver Opera Orchestra, Peggy leads or co-leads a number of musical projects: The Peggy Lee Band, Film in Music, Waxwing (with Tony Wilson and Jon Bentley), Handmade Blade (with Aram Bajakian and JP Carter), The Sands (with Julie McGeer) and Beautiful Tool (with Mary Margaret Ohara). She has also collaborated extensively in theatre and dance with companies and artists such as the Electric Company, Ruby Slippers, Rumble Theatre, Presentation House, David Hudgins, Kokoro Dance, Peter Bingham, Delia Brett and Ziyian Kwan.