Episode 3.4 (August 2023) Welcome back to The No Normal. Please note this important caution: this episode includes discussion of mental health issues experienced by the artists, and including experiences of suicidal ideation and a depressive episode. Listening to this may be triggering for some listeners.
This episode is dedicated with thanks to everyone at The Canadian Mental Health Association.
Back in February 2023 New Music Edmonton presented an extraordinary event, the premiere of a new composition by Mike McCormick, performed by Edmonton vocalist, and long-time friend of Mike, Jessica Wagner. The work, under: went is a powerful, very personal artistic gesture, a work and performance unlike anything I have ever experienced in a concert hall. We were honoured to have present at the show staff and volunteers from The Canadian Mental Health Association. They led us through a post-performance discussion group focused on the topic of suicide, and of the ideas brought forth by the composition.
In the following conversation, we caught up with Mike and Jessica only a few days after the event, and we had a chance then to really get to the heart of the work, and also to get to know a little more about both of their backgrounds.
Program:
02:11 – Underwent (excerpt)
Jessica Wagner, soprano
Composed and with electronics by Mike McCormack
6:11 – Regnevejr (excerpt)
Jessica Wagner, soprano/ Natalie Dzbik, violin
Composed and with electronics by Brandon Chow
08:22 – Duo 1 (excerpt)
Jessica Wagner, soprano
Composed and with electronics by Nico Arnáez
14:02 – Rootpat (excerpt)
Composed by Mike McCormack
25:40 – Underwent (excerpt)
43:33 – Underwent (excerpt)
58:58 – Underwent (excerpt)
Artists Bio:
Jessica Wagner is a soprano currently residing in Edmonton, Canada. She holds a Master’s degree in Voice Performance from the University of Victoria, having studied under Benjamin Butterfield. As a performer, Jessica has a diverse repertoire and performance interest, having pursued further studies at both baroque academies and contemporary music labs. She is an active performer, singing many Canadian and world premieres, as well as joining choirs, orchestras and ensembles as a guest soloist. Jessica also regularly joins ensembles, such as Pro Coro Canada and St. Joseph’s Basilica Schola Cantorum in Edmonton.
Mike McCormick (he/him) is an artist and programmer working with sound, text, and visual media. Equally inspired by the constrained writing techniques of the Oulipo and the technomaterialism espoused by Xenofeminism, his work combines custom algorithms with human performers and autobiographical material to explore human intimacy, male vulnerability, and our relationship with emerging technologies. He grew up in Canada’s subarctic, lived nomadically for a decade, and has been based in Oslo since 2017.
For More Information
- Jessica Wagner: www.jessicawagnermusic.com/
- Mike McCormack: mccrmck.com
- The Canadian Mental Health Association:
