NEWS RELEASE
UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH
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The International Institute for Critical Studies in Improvisation (IICSI) at the University of Guelph is thrilled to announce the second annual edition of a 24-hour improvised arts festival: IF 2021. Starting on Aug. 13 at 7 p.m. (EDT), this free, multi-disciplinary festival will feature a stream of curated improvised works by 150+ artists from more than 20 countries.
World-class artists performing at IF 2021 include legendary Scottish percussionist Evelyn Glennie; iconic free jazz musicians Matthew Shipp and William Parker; prolific Japanese composer and pianist Satoko Fujii; Czech avant-garde violinist Iva Bittová; renowned soprano saxophonist and bandleader Jane Bunnett; former poet Laureate of Toronto George Elliott Clarke; playwright and Order of Canada recipient Judith Thompson; Governor General’s Award-winning poet Lorna Crozier; and curator/composer team Candice Hopkins and Raven Chacon. Take a look at the full line-up on our website.
IF 2021 will showcase a range of creators - including musicians, dancers, theatre practitioners, poets, visual artists, filmmakers, and more - exploring the limitations the pandemic has imposed and, in turn, imagining the world anew. It builds upon the success of last summer’s inaugural festival, which attendees praised as “deeply touching and beautiful” and which the Italian music magazine Musica Jazz called “a huge, cathartic rite.”
IF 2021 is curated by IICSI director Dr. Ajay Heble (Founder and former artistic director of the Guelph Jazz Festival) and features sponsored performances courtesy of 25+ partnering organizations across Canada (such as Hillside Festival, Suoni per il Popolo, Mariposa Festival, Downtown Toronto Jazz Society, Calgary Opera, Small World Music, and Wavelength Music) and international partners including Lasalle College of the Arts (Singapore), Sonic Arts Research Centre (N. Ireland), Onassis Cultural Centre (Greece), Música UNAM (Mexico), and Elysium Gallery (UK).
IF 2021 is presented by IICSI, with support from Musagetes, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), and the Art Gallery of Guelph, as well as the Office of the Vice-President (Research) and the College of Arts at the University of Guelph.
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