Explore every episode of the podcast Notes of the North
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Composer's Responsibility: A Talk with Cris Derksen | 17 Feb 2026 | 00:21:41 | |
Juno-nominated composer and cellist Cris Derksen talks using composition to shine light on what we should look at as a society, being about the “feel,” and so much more! Featured music: Round Dance Instrumental Powwow Rhapsody Mozart's Ghost Improvisations on the Sunset New Women Song | |||
| Sound Freaks and Sensuality: A Talk with Rodney Sharman | 03 Feb 2026 | 00:30:06 | |
Rodney Sharman talks being a "sound freak", the unique sounds of Toronto, Montréal, and the West Coast, his incredible volunteer and advocacy work, what is at the heart of artistic change, and much more! Featured music: Incantation Missing You Known and Unknown Three Songs | |||
| What Unfolds in Time: A Talk with Luke Blackmore | 20 Jan 2026 | 00:28:11 | |
Newfoundlander Luke Blackmore talks his process of how rhythm is everything, overcoming writer's block, music with fog, and much more! Featured music: Something Sawed Spectral Chorale | |||
| Humans First, Tech Second: A Talk with Keiko Devaux | 06 Jan 2026 | 00:28:15 | |
Keiko Devaux (joined by a special guest) talks being honest with your sound, composition as much more than the final piece, the problems of even having a "sound", and so much more! Featured music: L’écoute du perdu : III. « Voix jetées » | |||
| Rhythm, Patterns, Timbre: A Talk with Jascha Narveson | 20 Dec 2025 | 00:26:05 | |
Jascha Narveson talks growing up surrounded by vinyls, being captivated by the technology rather than the instruments in the room, being a listener rather than a composer, the rewarding process of collaborating with dancers, and much more! Featured music: Soundpaper roll two, 8Bit Elf Coffe Shop - 5 minute excerpt In Line (PLOrk Sideband) Flash Crash action/reaction (BounceBounce) Late_Night_Project 100 | night swim Late_Night_Project 101 | shortburst Late_Night_Project 102 | newmood Late_Night_Project 106 | gates Late_Night_Project 103 | wheel Late_Night_Project 104 | hall Late_Night_Project 107 | burrs | |||
| “Everything good begins with a question”: A Talk with Andrew Staniland | 02 Dec 2025 | 00:29:32 | |
Andrew Staniland talks providing good questions rather than good answers, caution in bringing in the outside world through electronics, writing music only for friends, and much more! Featured works: Adventuremusic - Toca Loca True North The Laws of Nature | |||
| Music for the People: A Talk with Daniel Pelton | 18 Nov 2025 | 00:30:00 | |
Boundary-pushing, community-oriented, genre-blurring composer Daniel Pelton hails from Calgary, Alberta. Join us as we talk finding the fun in live concert, music for the people, the necessity in putting yourself out into the world and “doing the thing,” and much more! Featured works: Long Time No Time - Get Up Get Down live at The Palomino Frank Zappa Roxy The Movie - T'Mershi Duween For S. - The Daniel Pelton Collective 34902 - 32407 Prelude - Letters from Taylor Prelude and Jig - The Daniel Pelton Collective Sweet Child O’ Mine - Letters from Taylor All Along the Watchtower - Letters from Taylor Why - Letters from Taylor | |||
| Every Story Has its Sound: A Talk with Ryan Shore | 04 Nov 2025 | 00:47:15 | |
Ryan Shore talks his writing process and "throwing down the clay", the two-way street of music, the true skills needed to succeed, improvisation's influence in his work, and so much more! Featured works: Odd's Victory Numb The Parents First Solo Flight News on the March Mike, Amy and Carver Rex Steele Main Theme Full Suite Ahead Allumette Arden's Wake Floyd's Theme | |||
| "Chasing the Thrill of Inspiration": A Talk with Matthew Emery | 15 Feb 2025 | 00:25:34 | |
Dr. Matthew Emery talks the intricacies of writing for voice, “honest music,” removing unnecessary pitches, the relevance of Canadian choral music, finding great inspiration in the little atmospheric details, mentorship coming full circle, and much more! Featured music: Walk Safely Over Soft Places From Dewy Dreams, My Soul Arise Mist trapped in the trees Lead Us Home | |||
| Sketching the Soul: A Talk with Kevin Lau | 01 Feb 2025 | 00:28:31 | |
Composer Kevin Lau talks his composition ideation and sketching process in comparison with an author’s, conveying the universality of hardship and healing through music, how music moves through time, consideration of the collaborator, the idea of “deep connection amidst surface diversity,” responding to your authentic intuition, and so much more! Featured music: Under a Veil of Stars | |||
| Glitched Memories & Musical Invention: A Talk with Nicole Lizée | 18 Jan 2025 | 00:26:36 | |
2024 JUNO winner Nicole Lizée talks coffee-fuelled composition rituals, being born into an immersive malfunctioning technological environment, visuals fully embedded in coexistence with music as a member of the ensemble, favourite and most precious equipment, conversations rather than answers, and much more! Featured music: This Will Not Be Televised (2007) RPM | |||
| Capturing the Wild: A Talk with Matthias McIntire | 04 Jan 2025 | 00:22:14 | |
Dr. Matthias McIntire talks finding pieces of unfinished pieces, taking inspiration from animals, the process of field recording, and more! Featured music: Mysterious Island Seaside Town Earthbound and Skyward for solo piano Komqwejwi'kasikl 3 Old Water Cathedral Grove (and the Gray Jay) | |||
| Composing Chocolate that Connects: A Talk with Maxime Goulet | 21 Dec 2024 | 00:34:31 | |
Juno-winning video game and concert composer Maxime Goulet talks his background in rock combo, importance of sensory experience, composing what you like rather than others, and much more! Featured works: Maxime Goulet: Symphonic Chocolates Ice Storm Symphony, I. Turmoil | |||
| Chido, Competitions, & Cinematic Soundscapes: A Talk with Luis Ramirez | 14 Dec 2024 | 00:24:14 | |
Luis Ramirez talks his unique take on folklore in music, the role of competitions in the life of a musician, the strengths and challenges of diversity, and much more. Featured music: Chido, for symphony orchestra Leaven, for string quartet Picante, for symphony orchestra | |||
| When Words Escape, Song Remains: A Talk with Lavinia Kell Parker | 30 Nov 2024 | 00:22:39 | |
Choral and concert composer Lavinia Kell Parker talks her background in church music, music as a shared experience, the idea of "comprovisation," and much more! Featured music: Other Names for Birds, Audio Excerpt (Penderecki String Quartet/Lavinia Kell Parker) Soli Deo Gloria Crawford Road | |||
| Finding Something from Nothing: A Talk with Roydon Tse | 16 Nov 2024 | 00:21:46 | |
Composer and educator Roydon Tse talks musical and conceptual balance between Eastern and Western, the intersection of traditional and contemporary, and much more! Featured works:
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| From Istanbul to the Icefields: A Talk with İlkim Tongur | 15 Jun 2024 | 00:21:59 | |
İlkim Tongur joins Brianna for the Season 2 finale! Join us as we talk soundscapes, not taking innovation seriously, drawing the trajectory of music and more. Featured music: Yakamoz | |||
| Tripartite Thinking: A Talk with Dinuk Wijeratne | 06 Jun 2024 | 00:20:43 | |
Dinuk Wijeratne talks composing for the performers rather than the listener, the tripartite relationship of creation, the exciting future of concert programming, and more! Featured music: Gajaga Vannama | |||
| Seed Songs, Snowflakes, & Specifics: A Talk with Carmen Braden | 19 May 2024 | 00:24:23 | |
Composer and songwriter Carmen Braden talks the Northern experience, music impacting parenting style, the significance of specificity, and more! Featured music: Small Town Song The Raven Conspiracy Menu | |||
| Crossing Genres, Crossing Borders: A Talk with Bekah Simms | 28 Apr 2024 | 00:26:07 | |
3-time Juno-winning concert composer Bekah Simms talks metal music, sonic trickery and abstraction, complete lack of natural influence, the listener experience, and so much more! Featured music: metamold (sextet + electronics) Foreverdark | |||
| "A Rebel in Advance": A Talk with Sophie Dupuis | 07 Apr 2024 | 00:24:59 | |
Join Dr. Sophie Dupuis and Brianna as they discuss opportunities for contemporary Canadian composers, comedy vs creepy, the value of art and more! Music featured: Elles ont peint le crépuscule de noir et blanc There will be no ice left in the Arctic in 22* years from now Taken by the Locos for Violin and Percussion | |||
| Composing Curiosity: A Talk with Martín Kutnowski | 28 Mar 2024 | 00:24:07 | |
Argentinian-New Brunswick composer and pedagogue Martin Kutnowski joins Brianna to discuss the figures that shape him finding something to say through music, music as a defining facet of culture, and more! Featured music: "En la mar hay una torre" (In The Sea There Is a Tower") Five Tango Études Violin Concerto in E Minor, op. 64, I. Allegro molto appassionato (Felix Mendelssohn) Overture to "Egmont", Op. 84 (Ludwig van Beethoven) | |||
| Music, Memory, & Manitoba: A Talk with Karen Sunabacka | 24 Mar 2024 | 00:26:53 | |
Dr. Karen Sunabacka joins Brianna to talk spoken word in instrumental music, navigating complex issues through music, and transforming the Manitoban environment to sound. Featured music: Hiding for solo piano (1999) Mama's Painting - Louis Riel's Dream | |||
| Psychological Practice & Breaking Boundaries: A Talk with Anthony Tan | 20 Mar 2024 | 00:25:15 | |
Researcher and electronic musician Dr. Anthony Tan discusses innovation in music, the challenges of inclusivity meeting diversity, creating "alienating" music and more. Featured music: "And/Or" - for 14 musicians and electronics "Ways of Returning" III. - for amplified string quartet and electronics "On the Sensations of Tone II" - amplified octet and electronics | |||
| Facing Fear & Finding Flow: A Talk with Vincent Ho | 13 Jan 2024 | 00:28:35 | |
Today Dr. Vince Ho discusses his eclectic and multicultural mosaic of musical influences. We also hear about how the pandemic served as a powerful springboard for his career. How do you fuse together East and West? How can we see fear as an ally? All this and more. Featured works: The Shaman: Concerto for Percussion and Orchestra: I. Ritual The Water Dragon: Concerto For Zhongruan And Chinese Orchestra Whimsical Sketches of Fanciful Birds: Book 3. V. The Angel and the Mockingbird | |||
| Rhythm, Roots & Reinventing Opera: A Talk with Ana Sokolović | 06 Oct 2023 | 00:17:54 | |
Ex-ballerina Ana Sokolović talks theatrics, staying in tune with current society, and calling Montréal home. Featured music: Ciaccona …And I Need a Room to Receive Five Thousand People With Raised Glasses… Or… What a Glorious Day / The Birds Are Singing / Halleluia | |||
| 100,000 Lakes and a Thousand Stories: A Talk with T. Patrick Carrabré | 06 Oct 2023 | 00:12:39 | |
Métis composer Dr. T. Patrick Carrabré discusses his unique compositional style, the Sixties Scoop, and his musical experiences in British Columbia. Featured music: Ancestral Drone Chanson de la Gornouillèr (Métis Songs) Inuit Games | |||
| Composing the North: A Talk with Daniel Janke | 06 Oct 2023 | 00:12:08 | |
Explore the sonic and frigid landscapes of Yukon with Daniel Janke. Daniel talks European influence, musical influences, the challenges of Canada's vastness, and more. Featured music: Dancing Man Time You Thief | |||
| Echoes of the Land: A Talk with Sonny-Ray Day Rider | 06 Oct 2023 | 00:13:33 | |
Composer Sonny-Ray Day Rider of the Kainai Blood Tribe explains his perspective on music-making and composition in Canada. Featured music: Storm Maker Orogeny Binary | |||
| Music from the Heart: A Talk with Marjan Mozetich | 06 Oct 2023 | 00:21:01 | |
Today we spotlight Ontarian composer Marjan Mozetich and his captivating sound. Featured works: Affairs of the Heart Bartók: Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta, Sz. 106 | |||
| Music for the Future and Climate Change: A Talk with Kati Agócs | 06 Oct 2023 | 00:11:39 | |
Join Dr. Kati Agócs as we discover the sound of Newfoundland! Featured music: Concerto for Violin & Percussion Orchestra Perpetual Summer Schoenberg: 6 Orchestral Lieder, op. 8 | |||
| Building Community Through Unity of Voice: A Talk with Paul A. Aitken | 06 Oct 2023 | 00:21:45 | |
Choral composer Dr. Paul A. Aitken brings us to the sound of Nova Scotia. Listen to Paul's anecdotes on his musical journey, biggest inspirations, and building community through unity of voices. Featured works: And None Shall Be Afraid Flanders Fields | |||
| "Bartók on steroids": A Talk with Kelly-Marie Murphy | 26 Sep 2023 | 00:21:48 | |
Dr. Kelly-Marie Murphy's music, described as "Bartók on steroids", is sure to catch your attention. Kelly talks life in Canada's capital VS Saskatchewan, and making somewhere truly your home. Featured music: En el oscuro es todo uno Give Me Phoenix Wings to Fly: III A Thousand Natural Shocks | |||