Now Hear This 2026
Echo Ensemble 悦耳歌 | Virginia Wan – Consensus 43
Date: Saturday, June 6, 2026 7:30 PM
Venue: Mile Zero Dance Space (9931 – 78 Avenue NW, Edmonton)
Echo Ensemble is delighted to present 管弦回響: Echoes of Winds and Strings – an evening of Chinese cultural music. With a repertoire ranging from traditional folk songs, to covers of our favourite music, we aim to take you through and exploration of the capabilities and unique tone colours of these different folk instruments, such as the erhu, dixi, yangqin, zhongruan, and Chinese percussion.
Echo Ensemble: Nanyen Lau, Chris Leung, Joshua Ching, Huisun Lau, Alan Ching, Shawn Gan, Chloe Ching, Leeying Lau
Consensus 43 by Virginia Wan is a composition written for guided improvisation, a sonic exploration of spontaneous interaction between three instrumentalists, where they consciously listen and respond to each other by making instant decisions of what they need to perform in achieving consensus to move through the forty-three blocks of predetermined pitches unfolded in three different gestures, ultimately creating subtly intertwining sound streams that repeatedly propel toward and away from tension.
Performed by Benjamin Whittier, Alexander McNaughton, and Andreas Wegner
Thank you to our festival media sponsors Taproot Edmonton and Exclaim!, equipment sponsor Long and McQuade, and refreshment sponsor Sea Change Brewing Co!
The Artists
Echo Ensemble 悦耳歌 is a semi-professional music ensemble made up of some of Edmonton’s best Chinese traditional instrumentalists. It began as a group of friends who share a passion in playing music together while promoting the art of Chinese cultural music to the local community. They have performed at various celebrations and cultural events around the city, and enjoy playing a mix of folk music and contemporary songs, many of which are arranged by the members themselves.
Virginia Wan is an emerging Hong Kong-born Canadian composer currently based in Calgary, AB, Canada. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree and Master of Music degree in Composition. She is particularly interested in topics on notation and performance, and has continued to explore different possibilities in her own compositions. Her works, which cover a wide range of instrumentation and forms, including instrumental solos, works for mixed ensemble, live-processing, guided improvisations and works for stage and multimedia, are her nonverbal, undisguised and unfiltered ways of responding to the people, things, and events surrounding her everyday life.
Benjamin Whittier completed his Doctor of Music in saxophone performance at the University of Alberta in 2021. Ben currently works at the University of Alberta and Concordia University of Edmonton teaching music theory and saxophone. He also performs and improvises on the saxophone in the community. In addition, he serves as the board president for New Music Edmonton, and on staff with the Edmonton International Jazz Festival.
Alexander McNaughton is a local Edmonton composer and horn player. This concert will be his first time playing with New Music Edmonton. Alex studied composition at the University of Alberta under the tutelage of Scott Smallwood and Mark Hannesson. He also studied horn with the Principal Horn of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, Allene Hackleman. Alex completed his studies in 2021 with a Bachelor of Music with Specialization in Composition.
Andreas Wegner is an acoustic and electric bassist based in Edmonton, Alberta, and a consistent presence in the city’s vibrant music scene. He performs across a wide range of genres, including jazz, musical theatre, rock, and country. In addition to his performance work, Andreas is passionate about music education. He currently serves as the double bass teaching artist with the Youth Orchestra of Northern Alberta (YONA). He’s also active behind the scenes in music production, with experience in recording, mixing, mastering, and live sound. Andreas holds a Bachelor of Music degree from MacEwan University.
Accessibility
Mile Zero Dance Space (9931 – 78 Avenue NW, Edmonton): accessible building with multiple all-gender washrooms. There is a cleared path from the front door to the warehouse space. We have two accessible washroom facilities on the main floor as well. There is an automatic front door and the sidewalk outside needs to be improved. The #523 bus stops at 99 St and 78 Ave, approx 120 meters from the venue (stop #1542 SB, stop #22729 NB), and the #8 bus stops at Whyte Ave and 99 St, approx 500 meters from the venue (stop #1035 EB, #2824 WB)
