Additional Information
Flux is still a young festival, now in its third year. Flux embraces the aesthetics of contemporary jazz, avant-garde rock, noise, drone, electroacoustic music, and indigenous creative music—in short, all the cutting-edge genres that fascinate the most adventurous music lovers. Peter Burton serves as artistic and general director; he is a great connoisseur of music, an experienced promoter, and remains passionate about his field—having previously been deeply involved with Suoni Per Il Popolo, La Casa, and La Sala. This new phase of his career is marked by organizational independence and greater responsibilities in that role. Here, Peter explains the first four nights of Flux, which runs from October 1 to 11.
Thursday October 1st
Peter Burton : Guitarist Mary Halvorsen is really starting to make a name for herself. In the past, she used to play in small venues in Montreal; she was named Guitarist of the Year for 2026 by Downbeat magazine, her reputation has grown significantly, and she has won several awards. And she’s performing in Montreal with her partner, drummer Thomas Fujiwara, who is also very well known on the New York scene. We’ll also have performances by Stretching the Unison, a new project by saxophonist Adam Kinner featuring musicians Erin Hill, Naomi McCarroll-Butler, and Frédérique Roy.
These sets will be preceded by a project by double bassist Nicolas Caloia titled el sonido se aleja de nosotros (The Sound Drifts Away from Us), a piece for four double basses featuring Adriana Camacho, Pablo Jimenez, Andres Bohorquez, and Nicolas Caloia. It appears that the project originated in 2025 during a stay in Mexico City.
Peter: That same evening, the festival expands to Turbo Haüs with This Quiet Army; Eric Quach is known for his blends of electro, metal, drone, and noise. We also have Lane Shi Otay Onii, known by her stage name Otay:onii, a multidisciplinary artist—performance, composition, installation. We’re trying to diversify the lineup by exploring hardcore, metal, and noise. Also on this program is cellist Mark Molnar in a duo with Bruna Wanderley, another classical cellist who sings and plays in a metal band. Opening the show is a great local band, Fumerolle, featuring Frédérique Duval and Rosalie Chrétien .
Friday, October 2nd
Quatuor Bozzini: Le Quatuor Bozzini interprète George Lewis + Patrick Giguère au Théâtre La Chapelle
Peter Burton : We have only one concert: string quartets composed by George Lewis and performed by the Bozzini Quartet, which has been working with him for many years. George Lewis needs no introduction: an American composer, writer, and innovator in computer-generated music, he was originally a world-renowned contemporary jazz trombonist. He began his career with Count Basie at the age of 16! He remains very active and unfettered since retiring from Columbia University, where he taught composition for over 20 years. Also appearing will be Patrick Giguère, whom Isabelle Bozzini mentioned to you in connection with Québec Musique Parallèles—with whom we are presenting this program, in collaboration with Le Vivier.
Samedi 3 octobre
Moe Clark + Melody McKiver à daphne ▴ Portes: 19h00
Peter Burton: At the self-managed Indigenous artists’ center Daphne, we meet Moe Clark and Melody McKiver. Moe is a Métis artist based in Montreal. They perform with Melody, an Anishinaabe artist from Winnipeg who is a violist and composer. These artists identify as two-spirits (non-binary). The idea behind the Flux festival is to invite Indigenous artists into their own contexts and spaces, and to draw in a broader community. There is an emerging wave of cutting-edge Indigenous music in Canada, and Moe and Melody are part of this movement. These artists reflect on, propose, and assert how they believe Indigenous music should be created, and how they can remain consistent with Indigenous sovereignty. We are very pleased to have them in our lineup; we believe they are doing something important.
Dimanche 4 octobre:
No Hay Banda: Beatings Are in the Body + Tallado En El Aire à La Sala Rossa ▴ Portes : 19H30
Peter Burton: Presented and distributed by No Hay Banda, Beatings Are in the Body brings together pianist, composer, and improviser Róisín Adams (Vancouver), singer, instrumentalist, producer, and composer Erika Angell (Montreal), and cellist, composer, and improviser Peggy Lee (Vancouver). As their name suggests, their music possesses a raw and volatile quality: it explores how memories, pain, and a range of emotions are stored in the body and continue to be carried within it. Their compositions seek to release deeply felt neural memories through sound vibrations, while acting as a balm for weary bodies and tormented souls.
There is also Tallado en el aire. To develop the electronic framework for Tallado en el aire, Daniel Áñez and Geneviève Liboiron delved into the sound archives of the Suoni Per Il Popolo Festival, incorporating excerpts from concerts held in 2009, 2017, and 2018 at the Sala Rossa. Tallado en el aire consists of Adrianne Munden-Dixon (a world-class violinist), Daniel Áñez (piano), and Daniel Leguizamón (composition). The latter two are of Colombian origin.
Everyday Ago: Caroline Davis + Helen Gillet à La Zone
At another venue, La Zone, a loft space on Avenue du Parc near the Metropolitan Expressway. In fact, many artists are moving to this more affordable industrial neighborhood. People are living there and buying spaces. Caroline Davis, a saxophonist, composer, and activist who is very prominent in Brooklyn and New York City in general, will be performing there. Considered a rising star on the saxophone, she performs with Helen Gillet, a singer-songwriter, vocalist, and cellist who explores synthetic sounds and instrumental textures.
