Lori Freedman

Being accustomed to play the clarinet parts in her scores, blending the roles of performer and composer within a total engagement in the service of the musical work, Freedman expressed a desire to take a step back from this approach and created for the CEM a project where she mostly focussed on directing the musicians in the performance of several semi-written, semi-improvised pieces, prepared expressly for the ensemble. This series of ensemble pieces was heard in the first part of the concert, after which Freedman resumed her role as a performer and joined the band for the performance of a kind bass clarinet concerto followed by a substantial group improvisation. All of this within the context of a concert harmonizing aspects of direction, composition, improvisation, enriching the musical interactions and opening up our ears.

Biographie

Born and raised in Toronto and living in Québec since 2001, clarinetist and composer Lori Freedman has built a solid international reputation, closely linked to her profound artistic originality, her constantly renewed creativity and a professional commitment reflected in a career including concerts in nearly a hundred cities across 19 countries, tours, masterclasses and recordings, as well as several commissions for compositions for various eclectic groups such as Ensemble SuperMusique, Le Grand groupe régional d’improvisation libérée (GGRIL) and Ensemble Paramirabo. Mainly active in contemporary and improvised music circles, she distinguished herself by her virtuoso performances on four types of clarinets (double bass, bass, in B flat and in E flat) and also by her compositions for all kinds of instrumental ensembles with varied configurations, but which most of the time give a place of pride to the clarinet.