Tag: Open Ears

Every two years the Open Ears Festival of Music and Sound is presented right here in Waterloo Region. Last year’s edition was the first one that Zeitspace sponsored. I wrote almost exactly a year ago about why Zeitspace was sponsoring this wonderful festival. Here’s the main message from that post:

Open Ears has been a consistent presenter and instigator of innovative programming that extends the boundaries of what a musical experience can be. Given the work that we do at Zeitspace designing and building great experiences for our innovative clients, Open Ears seemed like a natural fit for us. Sponsorship is an easy way for us to support what Open Ears is doing, providing some of the resources they need to do their work.

And what does Open Ears do in the off years? Well, it runs the Between the Ears Festival, with the 2019 edition happening May 31 and June 1. And Zeitspace is sponsoring it as well.

Between the Ears is a wonderfully named festival that features some amazing music presented in a variety of interesting spaces that include Carl Zehr Square in front of Kitchener City Hall, the Walper Hotel, Victoria Park, and Perimeter Institute. Needless to say, these are not traditional music venues, but they work beautifully for the music that Between the Ears presents. Check out the program, and get out to experience some of the music!

Finally, as I suggested last year, please consider having your company sponsor Between the Ears. As a board member I know that it’s a great festival and organization that every year delivers deep and joyful music experiences that are accessible to anyone. And if not Open Ears, consider supporting any of the other great arts organizations here in Waterloo Region. There are plenty of innovative and creative folks in our arts communities, and supporting them will help ensure that they can continue to make and present art right here where we live and work.

This post originally appeared on the Zeitspace blog.

As I wrote a few weeks ago, Zeitspace is a sponsor of the Open Ears Festival of Music and Sound, which wrapped up on Sunday. We’re proud to have been associated with the 20th anniversary edition of the festival. This post isn’t a review, though this year’s edition was an amazing musical experience. Instead, here are a few highlights that capture the breadth of intent for Open Ears.

Studio Dan, from Vienna Austria, create an amazing mix of jazz, classical, rock, and more. Last week they came to North America to perfom in just two cities: Philadelphia, and Kitchener as a part of Open Ears. At Open Ears it’s important to bring gifted musicians from around the world to perform in our region.

On Sunday morning there was a debut of a new piece of music by Katerina Gimon in which musicians performed in small groups in various locations at Victoria Park before moving to the island gazebo for the finale. At Open Ears it’s important to foster and showcase emerging composers by commissioning and performing new works.

Music for percussion quartet and string quartet were featured in the Night at the Museum concert, which was also a part of the downtown Kitchener festival presented as a part of Communitech’s True North event as well as QuartetFest. At Open Ears it’s important to build new audiences for the music and build bridges between communities.

The music of composer Jason Doell was the focus for a concert featuring the Nü Ears Ensemble, which includes some of the our region’s best musicians. The concert also launched a new album (in both physical and digital media forms) of Jason’s music. At Open Ears it’s important that local musicians be able to perform new music by renowned composers.

Onion Honey are a local group that make “folk music” and who played at an after-event gathering at TWH Social. In addition to their usual repertoire they inclued some lovely surprises for Open Ears folks, including covers of Laurie Anderson’s O Superman and Terry Riley’s iconic In C! At Open Ears, it’s important to create opportunities to mix and mashup musical genres.

Things that are important to Open Ears clearly align with things that are important to Zeitspace. As I wrote earlier: “Open Ears has been a consistent presenter and instigator of innovative programming that extends the boundaries of what a musical experience can be. Given the work that we do at Zeitspace designing and building great experiences for our innovative clients, Open Ears seemed like a natural fit for us.” This year’s festival was a wonderful affirmation of that.

This post originally appeared on the Zeitspace blog.

The Open Ears Festival of Music and Sound is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. Twenty years of delivering something of value is a substantial achievement in any endeavor. In the tech ecosystem here in Waterloo Region it’s not often seen among companies — Zeitspace, for example, is not even two years old yet. And in the arts community, it’s also an organizational milestone that isn’t easily reached.

Zeitspace, at some level, reflects the interests of our still-young team. Given that, it’s perhaps not surprising that Zeitspace is sponsoring Open Ears this year. Some of you, of course, may be asking why that is.

In past years, Open Ears has been somewhat associated with Fluxible, which I co-chair, and where various Open Ears associated musicians have delivered wonderful musical performances as a part of the Fluxible Conference program. (That’s a relationship that will continue this year, by the way, with more details to come.) As well, I’ve been on the board of directors for Open Ears for several years now, doing what I can to support an organization whose mission and activities are meaningful for me.

Open Ears has been a consistent presenter and instigator of innovative programming that extends the boundaries of what a musical experience can be. Given the work that we do at Zeitspace designing and building great experiences for our innovative clients, Open Ears seemed like a natural fit for us. Sponsorship is an easy way for us to support what Open Ears is doing, providing some of the resources they need to do their work.

I think that it’s fair to say that there’s a tension between two thriving communities in Waterloo Region, with each of the large and diverse arts and tech communities not necessarily having a good understanding of what the other is, and what the other brings to our region. My own view is limited by my own experiences, of course, but I’ve been fortunate to have some visibility into each community. And the arts and tech communities each make Waterloo Region a place where I want to live and work.

The programming for the 2018 edition of Open Ears will be, as it is for every edition, amazing. Check it out, and then get yourself a festival pass.

And, finally, if you have any kind of influence where you work, please consider having your company sponsor Open Ears as well. The impact will be huge, and you’ll be able to say that you helped deliver world class music to our very own region. If Open Ears isn’t your thing, there’s plenty of other creative activity happening here. Consider sponsoring or otherwise supporting any of the other arts groups that help make Waterloo Region such a wonderful place to live and work. And please share with us — and others — your thoughts on the arts groups that you care about and that you think people should know about.

This post originally appeared on the Zeitspace blog.