The New Music Edmonton 40th Anniversary Season Pass includes:

admission to all shows and outreach events, including the Now Hear This Festival of New Music;
a 2025-26 NME Membership;
1 Bring-A-Guest Ticket!

Join us in celebrating our 40th anniversary season!

40 Years and counting…

Welcome to New Music Edmonton’s 2025-26 season! We’re so excited to be celebrating this milestone in the best way we know how: by celebrating the amazing artists and art practices we are proud to support. We have a brilliant set of live events for you featuring innovative artists from Amiskwaciy-wâskahikan/ Edmonton, along with some very special guests. Mind-blowing live electronics and multimedia, inspiring, genre-bending new compositions, free improvisation, dance, and more!

We’re also offering a hands-on series of outreach events – soundwalks, sound immersion sessions, workshops, and discussions, plus, our wonderful podcast, The No Normal, enters its sixth season.

This season also marks the 15th edition of Now Hear This, the one-of-a-kind festival of new music and sound art.

The adventure began in 1985, when a small group of fearless, emerging creatives started The Edmonton Composers’ Concert Society: a groundbreaking initiative for our city, and one we are proud to honour to this day as New Music Edmonton. Please join us, and immerse yourself in the wild, sonic circus of our 2025-26 season. Season passes are just $125, for admission to all 3 main season events, the entire festival, and all of our outreach events! Plus, the pass entitles you to an NME Membership, 1 free guest ticket, and more!

And, if you have a little extra to give, please consider our 40th anniversary fundraiser, 40 x 40: 40 donations of $40 each will take us to our next endowment fundraising goal! All proceeds from the endowment will be used to support emerging artists. So, give a little bit, if you can, and be part of the future!

See you soon!

Ian Crutchley, Artistic Director, New Music Edmonton

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NME Autumn Equinox

Date: September 20, 2025 7:30 PM
Venue: Mile Zero Dance Space (9931 – 78 Avenue NW, Edmonton)

There is no better way to mark the equinox than a lovely night with some of Amiskwaciy-wâskahikan/ Edmonton’s most compelling artists. It’s a quintuple bill, maybe even a micro-festival, of one of the most varied shows we have ever staged. With artists chosen from a recent open call to all in our city, this is going to be a magnificent party, an awesome chance for you to get to know some great creativity happening right here in our own community, and perhaps revisit some sounds you already know! Either way, this is certain to be a great night for everyone!

Our fantastic lineup is:

Access Intimacy an innovative graphic score performed by Brooke Leifso and Gary James Joynes; pseudo-antigone (Simone Atenea Medina Polo): hyperpop, from her new album Melancholic Melodrama; Golden Sun Trio (Mustafa Rafiq; Nadir Bellhamer; Ethan Bokma) – Tezeta (nostalgia) scale improv, from three of our city’s stellar experimentalists; Clinker (Gary James Joynes) Panta Rhei: modular synths, and a living, changing, immersive sound sculpture ; and Nanyen Lau/ Jia Jia Yong: a magical performance celebrating traditional Chinese instruments and composition.

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Through Closed Doors – Ukrainian New Music

Date: December 5, 2025 7:30 PM
Venue: Mile Zero Dance Space (9931 – 78 Avenue NW, Edmonton) December 5, 2025 7:30 PM

Viktoria Grynenko and Vladimir Rufino (violin), Fabiola Amorim (viola), Amy Nicholson (cello), Guillaume Tardif (violin), Diego Ramalho, dance. Compositions by Anna Pidgorna, Boris Loginov, Zoltan Almashi.

New Music Edmonton presents a portrait of some of the incredible new work being created by composers of the Ukrainian diaspora. In one way or another, their works reflect on, or are influenced by, the current and past history of Ukraine, and of Ukrainian culture. They suggest that art and creativity are a central, crucial voice in ensuring an ongoing, robust identity. Led by violinist Viktoria Grynenko, this all-star ensemble of some of our city’s finest string players, along with dancer Diego Ramalho, will interpret these amazing works for strings and electronics. These are intensely beautiful, compelling reactions to invasion and war, reflections on the Revolution of Dignity, and a profoundly moving, absorbing look at what it can mean to create art with resolve and belief.

Program: Boris Loginov, sleep during insomnia; Zoltan Almashi, Duo; Anna Pidgorna, through closed doors; Zoltan Almashi, Green Sonata

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Jessica Ackerly and guests

Date: February 14, 2026 7:30 PM
Venue: Mile Zero Dance Space (9931 – 78 Avenue NW, Edmonton)

Jessica Ackerly; Mustafa Rafiq; Jairus Sharif; Ron de Jong

Internationally acclaimed guitarist and visual artist Jessica Ackerly returns to their hometown to work with an incredible group – Jairus Sharif from Calgary (saxophone), and local favourites Mustafa Rafiq (guitar), and Ron De Jong (drums). Their two-part set will begin with a solo guitar performance by Jessica Ackerly, followed by a group improvisation for quartet. Inspired by travels in the High Arctic, as well as the incredible natural environment of this province, the group will create something extremely special.

NME is also pleased to present a special guest for the evening, Jared Epp. Quickly becoming a key part of the experimental scene here as performer and presenter, Jared Epp is also a filmmaker, visual artist, and anthropology scholar. For this performance, he will premiere the first iteration of aggressive relaxation music, in which drones, noise, feedback and ambience, experienced like being under a waterfall!

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Now Hear This 2026

Date: June 5-13, 2026
Venue: Mile Zero Dance Space (9931 – 78 Avenue NW, Edmonton) and Holy Trinity Anglican Church (10037 84 Ave, Edmonton)

Featuring Echo Ensemble (Nanyen Lau, Chris Leung, Joshua Ching, Huisun Lau, Alan Ching, Shawn Gan, Joseph Adams, Chloe Ching, Leeying Lau); Standing Wave (June 13); Heather Thompson; and multi-artist shows curated from an open call. Composers include Linda Caitlin Smith, Dorothy Chang, Nicole Lizee, Bekah Sims.

So it’s our 40th season and the 15th edition of our annual festival. Now Hear This continues to be the only festival in our region that features this variety of forward-looking, sound-centered creativity. It’s worth coming to the whole festival, even if you’re not sure what’s on: you will definitely come away with some unforgettable experiences, and gain a really great picture of the latest in sonic art and experimental music, instrumental composition, and multidisciplinary collaborations. On top of that, we love including a couple of participatory outreach sessions during the festival.

Here’s what’s planned for 2026 (more details to come!)

Re-Zoning: Pigeon Breeders, with Kate Stashko

Date: Friday, June 5, 2026 7:30 PM
Venue: Mile Zero Dance Space (9931 – 78 Avenue NW, Edmonton)

The 15th edition of Now Hear This kicks off with an exciting collaboration between two of Edmonton’s leading experimental artists: Pigeon Breeders (Myles Bartel and Will Smith) and dance artist Kate Stashko. Their new work, Expressions, is a dynamic structured improvisation that transforms Stashko’s dance into a living expression pedal, guiding Pigeon Breeders—armed with a fascinating array of found objects and instruments—through her captivating movement language. The result is an electrifying journey that unfolds across the performance space, blurring the lines between sound and motion.

管弦回響: Echoes of Winds and Strings, featuring Echo Ensemble

Date: Saturday, June 6, 2026 7:30 PM
Venue: Mile Zero Dance Space (9931 – 78 Avenue NW, Edmonton)

This is the NME début of Echo Ensemble, our city’s amazing collective of traditional Chinese instruments. Comprised of erhu, yangqin, dizi, ruan, sanxian, and various Chinese percussion instruments, Echo Ensemble will share a rich repertoire of works, ranging from arrangements of traditional Chinese songs to contemporary compositions, and selections from some of their favourite Anime, games, and films. If you’ve never heard a full ensemble of Chinese instruments before, this is a great chance! If you have, then you’ll know why this event is a must!

Echo Ensemble: Nanyen Lau, Chris Leung, Joshua Ching, Huisun Lau, Alan Ching, Shawn Gan, Joseph Adams, Chloe Ching, Leeying Lau

Rising Sounds: A Celebration of New Voices from Amiskwaciy-wâskahikan (Edmonton)

Date: Friday, June 12, 2026 7:30 PM
Venue: Mile Zero Dance Space (9931 – 78 Avenue NW, Edmonton)

Now Hear This, weekend 2, begins with an outstanding multiple bill featuring some of the most exciting early-career creative voices from the Amiskwaciy-wâskahikan (Edmonton) region. For NME, there is nothing more important than highlighting and supporting creatives from our city in the early stages of their careers. Be prepared to immerse yourself in wild and risky new ideas in music and sound performance covering a mind-blowing, awe-inspiring range of practices, and to come away inspired and ready for more – this is the newest generation of artists from your community!

And, speaking of emerging artists, if you can, why not donate to our Endowment Fund, administered by the Edmonton Community Foundation? Every cent of this fund will be used to support emerging artists!

Metamold: Standing Wave Ensemble

Date: Friday, June 12, 2026 7:30 PM
Venue: Holy Trinity Anglican Church (10037 84 Ave, Edmonton)

Bringing the festival to spectacular close, New Music Edmonton is honoured to present our guests from Vancouver, Standing Wave, in an exhilarating program of new work that will take you to some very unexpected places. There are only a handful of Canadian ensembles comparable to Standing Wave: now in their fourth decade, the group has, since its inception, commissioned and performed dozens of new works by Canadian composers. With several albums to their credit, the group has been nominated for many Juno and Western Canadian Music awards. This concert offers a great selection of classical music behaving badly, and will include works by some of our country’s most important composers, each of them nominees or winners of several Juno Awards. Get ready for an onslaught of glitches, raucous psychedelia, misfiring thoughts, alongside some of the most profoundly meditative and ecstatically gorgeous music you will hear anywhere!

Standing Wave: Christie Reside, AK Coope, Rebecca Whitling, Cristian Markos, Allen Stiles, and Vern Griffiths

Program: Bekah Simms, single Red flower; Linda Caitlin Smith, new work; Nicole Lizée, Turntaazm; Dorothy Change, Of All Things Elusive; Bekah Simms, Metamold

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The No Normal Podcast

Co-produced by NME Artistic Director Ian Crutchley and local radio veteran, Oskar Zybart, each episode will introduce listeners to interviews and music from sound artists from Edmonton and abroad. The No Normal podcast will also include stories, guest interviewers, conversations with friends, local organizations, and much more! You can listen to The No Normal on Soundcloud or subscribe via your favourite podcast service.

Outreach

Join us for entertaining and informative outreach events throughout the season. We are currently finalizing our 2025-26 outreach events, so stay tuned to our social media, and check back here for details of this season’s participatory workshops!

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Accessibility

Mile Zero Dance Space (9931 – 78 Avenue NW, Edmonton): accessible building with multiple all-gender washrooms. There is a cleared path from the front door to the warehouse space. We have two accessible washroom facilities on the main floor as well. Please note that we do not yet have an automatic front door and the sidewalk outside needs to be improved as well. The #523 bus stops at 99 St and 78 Ave, approx 120 meters from the venue (stop #1542 SB, stop #22729 NB), and the #8 bus stops at Whyte Ave and 99 St, approx 500 meters from the venue (stop #1035 EB, #2824 WB)

Holy Trinity Anglican Church (10037 – 84 Ave NW, Edmonton): Venue is wheelchair accessible with a lift at the rear entrance. Gendered, multi-stall washrooms. Transit stop ID 2890 or 2681, about 300 meters (2 1/2 blocks) from venue

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Society for New Music in Edmonton

40th Anniversary Season Pass

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Season Pass

$125