Additional Information
No Hay Banda, founded in 2016, is a variable geometry ensemble that brings a breath of fresh air and innovation to the avant-garde music scene in Montreal. The group, whose merits we have often praised here, has just been recognized at the international level. Indeed, the Swiss-based Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation announced the news two weeks ago. No Hay Banda shares the honour with an Estonian orchestra, the Ensemble for New Music Tallinn. Each will receive the substantial sum of 75,000 euros, the equivalent of $120,000 . But what is this prize, and what does it mean in the life of a group like No Hay Banda? I spoke with No Hay Banda’s percussionist and co-founder, Noam Bierstone.
To read elsewhere on PanM360 :
M/NM | No Hay Banda : Red Dada Theatre
M/NM | Il teatro rosso, a tribute to Montreal’s legendary Red Light era – Interview
No Hay Banda – I Had A Dream About This Place
PANM360 : What is the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation, and were you aware of it before receiving this honour?
Noam Bierstone (No Hay Banda) : The EvS Music Foundation is a European foundation that supports contemporary music through grants and prizes. We did know about the foundation before; we have applied for composition commission grants from them in the past, including one that we received for our commission of Steven Takasugi for our project Il Teatro Rosso.
PANM360 : How did you react at first?
Noam Bierstone (No Hay Banda) : With shock! We never expected to receive the prize, and while you always have a little hope when you apply for these kinds of things, it doesn’t totally feel real when the news comes in. It was also difficult not to share the news – we actually found out a few months before the official announcement, but we had to keep it a secret until mid-October.
PANM360 : What does it represent for you to receive this?
Noam Bierstone (No Hay Banda) : It’s a huge honour and privilege, first and foremost. It’s incredible to receive this kind of recognition, not only from a foundation that has been around for over 50 years, and that has been – and still is – so important in supporting contemporary music, but also from our peers, colleagues, and the community. The ‘banda’ formed quite naturally out of projects we developed through our concert series, which is perhaps not a common way of creating an ensemble, so it truly means a lot to see that alternative ways of working and creating are recognized and celebrated through this prize.
PANM360 : What kind of consequences will it have for you?
Noam Bierstone (No Hay Banda) : There are some very direct consequences, such as an invitation to perform at the Warsaw Autumn festival in 2026, along with other international festival appearances in the works for the coming years. But it really allows us to further develop and sustain the ensemble’s activities, through exciting upcoming projects, structural development, and hopefully finding a permanent space for the group (if anyone reading this knows of a rehearsal studio opening up, please let us know!). It’s an incredible opportunity for the group and we really hope to make the most of it.
PANM360 : Will you use the money to make some new project? Do you have an idea of what it will be?
Noam Bierstone (No Hay Banda) : Yes! We have some great projects that we are developing this year: a new collaborative work with the Colombian composer and interdisciplinary sound artist Ana Maria Romano, that we’ll be performing in March in Rimouski and Montreal, a project with Sarah Pagé coming in May, a big work by Alvin Lucier for organ and ensemble in June, and a new commission to the British-Jordanian composer Sam Salem that we will premiere and tour in autumn 2026. We’re also recording Three Unisons for Four Voices, a 70-minute work that we commissioned to Sarah Davachi, for a release in 2026. Then there are some longer-term projects that we’ll be developing out of this in the coming years, but we can’t really talk about those just yet!
PANM360 : What are your upcoming concerts and events?
Noam Bierstone (No Hay Banda) : Our album with composer Zihua Tan will be released on November 7: https://zihuatan.bandcamp.com/album/what-came-before-me-is-going-after-me
December 3, we will present a concert at La Sala Rossa featuring David Rosenboom and Arya Deva Suryanegara & Srayamurtikanti.
Our 2026 concerts will be announced shortly, which people can find out about by signing up for our newsletter, through our website, and social media.
