Quiet Concerts
Performance series
Headphone-based experimental music concerts
Produced in partnership with the Toronto Public Library
Quiet Concerts was a series of performances at the Toronto Public Library organized by artist-in-residence Christopher Willes. Each event featured musicians and poets in an intimate concert that was broadcast live, on site and heard in wireless headphones. Audience members were invited to wander the library, read a book, rest, draw or watch up the performer up close while the sounds played out in their ears. The series presented an unusual concert experience in a public space, and reflected on how listening and reading together with others can create a deeply embodied experience of quietude.
Presentations
Scarborough Civic Centre, Toronto 2017
Cedarbrae Branch, Toronto 2019
Credits
Contributing Artists (2019): Robin Dann & Christopher Willes, Gayle Young & Thomas Gill, Philippe Melanson & Christopher Dela Cruz, Germaine Liu & Aisha Sasha John, Karen Ng & Fan Wu
Contributing Artists (2017): Philippe Melanson, Allison Cameron, Invisible Out (Jason Doell and Xuan Ye), Anne Bourne, and Debashis Sinha
Project: Christopher Willes. Production assistance: Maria Patricia Abuel, Matthew Pencer, Pony and Philippe Melanson. Photography: Claire Harvie.
Thank you to Radha Shilash, Raymond Bai, Erika Hennebury for assisting with project development and outreach.
Produced as part of the Toronto Arts Council’s Artists in the Library Program
