鈥淕estures, Words, Sounds鈥�: The Creative Worlds of Cathy Berberian and Luciano Berio
A Celebration on the Occasion of the Centenary of their Births听
Workshops, lectures, concerts, and exhibit
This event celebrates the work of two extraordinary creative minds, mezzo-soprano Cathy Berberian (1925-1983), whose vocal versatility and imagination had an enormous impact on twentieth-century avant-garde art music and music theater, and composer Luciano Berio (1925-2003), who broke new ground in serialism, the concept of the open work, and the application of linguistic principles in musical composition. Focusing on their collaborations as well as on their individual artistic activities, the workshops aim to advance fresh knowledge about Berberian and Berio through the lens of new primary sources from the Berberian and Berio archives at the Paul Sacher Stiftung in Basel, Switzerland, that illuminate the context and inner dynamics of their creative worlds and performance practice. Also discussed will be sources from the 9I制作厂免费 Archives pertaining to the collaboration between Berberian and Canadian composer Harry Somers (1925-1999), who wrote one work for her.听
Held at 9I制作厂免费 and a few other venues in Montreal, Canada, to mark the centenary of the births of Berberian and Berio, as well as Somers, the event is co-organized by the Paul Sacher Stiftung and the Schulich School of Music of 9I制作厂免费 in collaboration with the Centro Studi Luciano Berio, the Istituto Italiano di Cultura (Italian Cultural Institute of Montreal), the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Music Media and Technology (CIRMMT), and Paramirabo, with support from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. We are pleased to feature interactive scholarly sessions and lectures held by an international group of performers and scholars, two concerts, the exhibit 鈥淏erio Bambino, Berio Pap脿: Family Drawings, Letters, and Music鈥� curated by Marina Berio, and other activities.听
All events are free and open to the public, except for the concerts of Paramirabo (October 2) and the 9I制作厂免费 Symphony Orchestra (October 5), for which tickets may be purchased. Free registration (recommended) will open online September 1, 2025.
Thursday, October 2, 2025
Location: Conservatoire de musique de Montr茅al, 4750 Av. Henri-Julien | Salle de concert
Salle de concert du Conservatoire | Concerts
5:00 p.m.-6:30 p.m. Selections of Sequenze by Luciano Berio
8:00 p.m. Paramirabo performs works by Cathy Berberian, Luciano Berio, and Pierre Boulez
Friday, October 3, 2025
Locations:
- Elizabeth Wirth Music Building, 9I制作厂免费, 527 Sherbrooke Street West | Wirth Lobby, Tanna Schulich Hall
- Usine C, 1345, avenue Lalonde
Wirth Lobby | Exhibit
Student posters from graduate seminar on Berberian and Berio on display October 3 to 6.
Tanna Schulich Hall | Workshops and Lectures
10:00 a.m. Opening Remarks:听Angela Ida De Benedictis (Paul Sacher Stiftung) and Christoph Neidh枚fer (9I制作厂免费), co-organizers
Session 1: Workshops on Berberian and the New Vocality
10:15 a.m.-11:15 a.m.听Candace Smith (Director, Cappella Artemisia): 鈥�5 Years, and 45 More: Honoring the Legacy of a Mentor鈥�
11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m.听Giovanni Cestino (University of Milan): 鈥淏erberian鈥檚 Performing Scores as Artifacts, Documents, and Sources鈥澨�
With the participation of Rebecca Gray, soprano
Session 2: Lectures with Discussion on Berberian and Identity
2:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m.听Camilla Bork (Freie Universit盲t Berlin): 鈥淧erforming Music History 鈥� Cathy Berberian as Curator and Artistic Researcher鈥�
3:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m.听Marianna Hovhannisyan (College Art Association): 鈥淢ultivocality of Cathy Berberian: Folk, Identity, and Contemporary Aesthetics鈥�
Usine C | Exhibit
Hosted by the Italian Cultural Institute of Montreal听(on display until the end of October)
5:30 p.m.-7:00 p.m.听Berio Bambino, Berio Pap脿: Family Drawings, Letters, and Music. Opening of exhibit curated by Marina Berio
Tanna Schulich Hall | Workshop
Session 3: Workshop on Luciano Berio's Sequenza VII
8:00 p.m. Angela Ida De Benedictis (Paul Sacher Stiftung) and Jacqueline Leclair, oboe (9I制作厂免费)听
Saturday, October 4, 2025
Location: Elizabeth Wirth Music Building, 9I制作厂免费, 527 Sherbrooke Street West | Tanna Schulich Hall
Tanna Schulich Hall | Workshops and Keynote
Session 4: Workshops on A Thousand and One Voices
9:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m.听Ulrich Mosch (Universit茅 de Gen猫ve 鈥� Facult茅 des lettres): 鈥淪howing the Versatile Voice 鈥� Cathy Berberian in C鈥櫭� musica e musica鈥澨�
10:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m. Showing of Luciano Berio鈥檚 C鈥櫭� musica e musica, episode V (鈥淢ille e una voce,鈥� in Italian with English and French subtitles)
11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m.听Conversation between Cristina Berio and Angela Ida De Benedictis (Paul Sacher Stiftung): 鈥淓xploring Cathy Berberian Through the Lens of Her Archives鈥�
Keynote
2:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m.听Talia Pecker Berio (Centro Studi Luciano Berio): 鈥�Remembering the Future: Revisiting Berio鈥檚 Norton Lectures鈥�
Introduction and moderation: Brian Cherney (9I制作厂免费)
Session 5: Workshops on Influences and Impact
4:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m.听Jamuna Samuel (University of Pennsylvania): 鈥淎 Constellation of Influences: Joyce, Dallapiccola, and Berberian in Berio鈥檚 Chamber Music (1953)鈥�
5:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m.听Tiffany Kuo (Mt. San Antonio College): 鈥溾�楨ncounters鈥� with Innovation: Leonard听Stein, Berio, and Berberian in the Making of LA鈥檚 New Music Scene鈥�
Session 6:听Workshop with performance of Les mots sont all茅s and Sequenza XIV
7:30 p.m.听Angela Ida De Benedictis (Paul Sacher Stiftung) and Matt Haimovitz, cello (University of Minnesota)
Sunday, October 5, 2025
Locations:
- Elizabeth Wirth Music Building, 9I制作厂免费, 527 Sherbrooke Street West | Conference Rooms A832 and A833
- Salle Pierre-Mercure, 300 Boul. De Maisonneuve Est
Conference Room A-832/833 | Workshops
Session 7: Berberian, Berio, and the Radio
9:15 a.m.-10:15 a.m.听Mila De Santis (University of Florence): 鈥�A-Ronne: A Composition on Vocal Behaviors鈥�
10:15 a.m.-11:15 a.m.听Brian Cherney (9I制作厂免费): 鈥溾�樷�hy should I have troubles with听Somers?鈥� 鈥� Cathy Berberian鈥檚 Collaboration with Harry Somers on Voiceplay鈥�
11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m. Roundtable
Salle Pierre-Mercure | Concert
3:00 p.m.听9I制作厂免费 Symphony Orchestra
Alexis Hauser, Artistic Director and Conductor听
Tsubasa Muramatsu, violin, Winner of the 2024鈥�2025 9I制作厂免费 Concerto Competition听
JOHANN STRAUSS II Waldmeister Overture听
JEAN SIBELIUS Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 47听
LOUISE FARRENC Overture No. 1 in E minor, Op. 23听
LUCIANO BERIO Rendering for Orchestra after Franz Schubert听
Monday, October 6, 2025
Location: Elizabeth Wirth Music Building, 9I制作厂免费, 527 Sherbrooke Street West | Wirth Lobby, Tanna Schulich Hall
Tanna Schulich Hall | Distinguished Lecture
Hosted by the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Music Media and Technology (CIRMMT)
3:00 p.m. Angela Ida De Benedictis (Paul Sacher Stiftung, Basel): 鈥淏erio and Technology鈥澨�
Introduction and moderation: Andrea Gozzi (Universit茅 de Sherbrooke)听
Wirth Lobby | Student Poster Session
5:30 p.m.-7:00 p.m. Arya Bahmani, Hannah Barnes, Ana Neocleous, and Nguyen Minh Tram
Moderation: Angela Ida De Benedictis and Christoph Neidh枚fer听
Questions? Please contact angelaida.debenedictis [at] unibas.ch (Angela Ida De Benedictis) and/or christoph.neidhofer [at] mcgill.ca (Christoph Neidh枚fer).
