Ten years ago, a handful of young Canadian composers met for coffee to discuss new ideas for presenting music to a broader public. On January 20th, 2002, they mounted their first production at the Vancouver East Cultural Centre with the percussion quartet, Four Gallon Drum.... that day, "Redshift" was born.  

What began in that Vancouver coffee shop a decade ago has transformed into one of the most important ongoing collaborations of composers, performers, and artists on the Canadian new music scene.  

And now Redshift Music is 10 years old!  
To celebrate our 10th Anniversary we are offering our new compilation CD for FREE.

Available for free download at http://bit.ly/RedshiftX

Vox Terra is the brainchild of Canadian clarinetist Cris Inguanti, who wished to explore the kaleidoscopic variety of some of the most recent works for his instrument. The programme is cosmopolitan, and the musical styles almost dizzying in their diversity: from the groove-driven multitracking of Lowenstern’s Ten Children #3, to the austere flight-inspired arcs of Joan Tower’s Wings, to the folk-infused melodies of Peter Sculthorpe’s Songs of Sea and Sky. The works of Canadian composers feature prominently on this album, including the playful, neo-classical Arts and Letters by Juno-nominated David Occhipinti; Three Island Duos by Michael Tenzer, a testament to the composer’s passion for non-western musical cultures (both real and imagined); and Triple Witching for clarinet, cello and piano by Jeffrey Ryan — a pulsing, virtuosic reflection of the evils of monetary greed. Along with Inguanti this recording features Corey Hamm (piano), Marie-Julie Chagnon (clarinet) and Joseph Elworthy (cello). This CD was made possible by generous funding from the Canada Council for the Arts.

Available through the Canadian Music Centre and on itunes

Undercurrents is performed by the acclaimed Toronto-based new music ensemble Contact, and is dedicated exclusively to the music of composer Jordan Nobles. Fast becoming one of the most performed composers in Canada, Nobles has built a reputation for mesmerizing, ethereal works that literally immerse the listener in the music. Jerry Pergolesi and the musicians of Contact began their professional association with Nobles in 2007 — it seemed only natural that one of the manifestations of such a fruitful partnership would be this present CD. It is fitting that this album — aptly titled Undercurrents, the piece dedicated to Pergolesi and his band — should be a “first” for both composer and ensemble: it is Contact’s first commercially available recording, as well as the first CD dedicated exclusively to Nobles’ music. Nearly all the works on this album were written “open score” (i.e., with no fixed instrumentation) and many were written “open form”: granting the musicians the freedom to choose whichever phrases, dynamics and registers that happen to inspire them at a particular moment. This unique demand for creative responsibility on the part of the performer ensures that these works are never performed the same way twice. They are, in every sense, an artistic collaboration.

Available through the Canadian Music Centre and on itunes

Download the Liner Notes in PDF

Twelve composers share their inner reflections on outer space in Cosmophony, Rachel Kiyo Iwaasa’s solo piano project inspired by the beauty and mystery of the cosmos. Praised by the Vancouver Sun as “brilliant” and “unforgettable,” Cosmophony includes works by Canadian composers Denis Gougeon, Rodney Sharman, Marci Rabe, Alexander Pechenyuk, Jocelyn Morlock, Jordan Nobles, Chris Kovarik, Jeffrey Ryan, Stefan Udell, Jennifer Butler and Emily Doolittle alongside George Crumb's monumental Makrokosmos II: 12 Fantasy Pieces After the Zodiac.

Hailed in the press as a "keyboard virtuoso" (Georgia Straight) and for her ability to take a piece “from notes on a page to a stunning work of art” (Victoria Times Colonist), pianist Rachel Kiyo Iwaasa is well known for her bold and innovative interpretations of new music.

Available through the Canadian Music Centre and on itunes

Different Stones features works for ten flutes by seven Canadian composers, all premiered at Redshift multiple flute events from past seasons. This album explores the timbral and expressive capacity of an often-overlooked genre, with new music by Christopher Kovarik, Gregory Lee Newsome, Jennifer Butler, James Beckwith Maxwell, Marci Rabe, Tudor Feraru and Jordan Nobles. This CD was multi-track recorded by flutist Mark Takeshi McGregor, praised by the press as “a mind-blowing flutist,” for performances that “verged on the superhuman.” Different Stones was nominated for “Classical Album of the Year” at the 2010 Western Canadian Music Awards.

Available through the Canadian Music Centre and on itunes

Download the Liner Notes in PDF