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Events

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  • May 2024

  • Sun 5
    Live Music Trio Concert Graphic for the finale of the ArtsEverywhere Festival. Sunday May 5 8PM. Ajay Heble, Anne Bourne, and Joe Sorbara. ImprovLab. Free.

    Live Music: Anne Bourne/Joe Sorbara/Ajay Heble Trio – ArtsEverywhere Festival

    May 5, 2024 @ 8:00 pm - 9:00 pm

    Please join us on Sunday, May 5th, from 8–9 pm (ET) for a live music performance by the Anne Bourne/Joe Sorbara/Ajay Heble Trio. The performance will take place in person at ImprovLab, MCKN 108 at the University of Guelph. The event acts the finale of the ArtsEverywhere Festival.

    Free
  • August 2024

  • Mon 12
    Graphic for Two Concerts at Musical Improvisation at Land's End. MILE Camp Presents Two Concerts August 12 & 16, Corner of the Beach Cultural Museum

    “Aerials” with François Houle LIVE at the Musée culturel de Coin-du-Banc / Corner of the Beach Cultural Museum

    August 12, 2024 @ 8:00 pm - 9:30 pm
    Corner of the Beach Cultural Museum 294 route 132 est, Coin-du-Banc, Quebec, Canada

    Please join us on Monday, August 12 at 8:00 PM (ET) for “François Houle at the Musée culturel de Coin-du-Banc / Corner of the Beach Cultural Museum."

    This performance will take place in person at the Musée culturel de Coin-du-Banc / Corner of the Beach Cultural Museum, located at 294 route 132 est in Coin-du-Banc. Tickets cost $10 and will be available for purchase at the door (cash only). Please note that seating is limited.

    $10
  • Fri 16
    Graphic for Two Concerts at Musical Improvisation at Land's End. MILE Camp Presents Two Concerts August 12 & 16, Corner of the Beach Cultural Museum

    François Houle and MILE Camp Participants LIVE at the Musée culturel de Coin-du-Banc / Corner of the Beach Cultural Museum

    August 16, 2024 @ 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
    Corner of the Beach Cultural Museum 294 route 132 est, Coin-du-Banc, Quebec, Canada

    Please join us on Friday, August 16 at 4:00 PM (ET) for “François Houle and MILE Camp Participants LIVE at the Musée culturel de Coin-du-Banc / Corner of the Beach Cultural Museum."

    This performance will take place in person at the Musée culturel de Coin-du-Banc / Corner of the Beach Cultural Museum, located at 294 route 132 est in Coin-du-Banc. Tickets cost $10 and will be available for purchase at the door (cash only). Please note that seating is limited.

    $10
  • September 2024

  • Sat 14
    Play Who You Are graphic for the 2024 IICSI collaboration with KidsAbility. "If people talked the way the play in improvisation, then I think the world would be a lot nicer!" - Past Youth Participant. Play Who You Are: Five Music Improvisation Workshops: Aug 12, 14, 19, 21 & Sept 4 at 7PM, ImprovLab, UGuelph. Final Performance Sat Sept 14 @ Guelph Jazz Fest!!! "Seeing my daughter rise to the occasion was astounding!" Facilitator: Ben Finley. Ben Finley is an experienced collaborative and solo performer, composer, singer, improviser, and writer grounded in creative acoustic and electric bass playing. He leads and co-leads several ensembles and grew up on a music festival farm - Westben! He is a current Ph.D. candidate in the Critical Studies in Improvisation program at the University of Guelph.

    KidsAbility Play Who You Are Ensemble – Final Performance at the Guelph Jazz Festival

    September 14, 2024 @ 3:00 pm - 4:30 pm
    TD Market Square Guelph, ON, Canada

    Please join us on Saturday, September 14 at 3:00 PM (ET) for the culminating performance of the “KidsAbility Play Who You Are Ensemble" at the Guelph Jazz Festival. This performance will take place in person at TD Market Square, Downtown Guelph. The event is free and open to everybody!

    Free
  • Fri 27
    Graphic for Thinking Space, "Building a Safe Creativity Environment" with Jimmy Weinstein & Lilly Santon. Friday, September 27, 11 AM to 1 PM.

    Thinking Spaces: Jimmy Weinstein and Lilly Santon, “Building a Safe Creativity Environment”

    September 27, 2024 @ 11:00 am - 12:30 pm
    ImprovLab MacKinnon Room 108, 87 Trent Lane, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada

    Please join us on Friday, September 27 at 11:00 AM (ET) for Thinking Spaces: “Building a Safe Creativity Environment” with Jimmy Weinstein and Lilly Santon, a featured event in the Ontario Culture Days calendar!

    This presentation will take place in person at ImprovLab, MCKN 108 at the University of Guelph, as well as online via Zoom. As always, our Thinking Spaces events are free!

    Free
  • October 2024

  • Fri 25
    Thinking Spaces graphic for Melissa Noventa "Movement Across Borders." Friday, October 25, 11 AM, ImprovLab. An image of Melissa leading a dance class is placed inside a blue polka dot. The green poster is highlighted with playful images of dots and squiggles.

    Thinking Spaces: Melissa Noventa, “Movement Across Borders: Improvisation, Diplomacy, and Transcultural Dialogues”

    October 25, 2024 @ 11:00 am - 12:30 pm

    In a world with ever increasing migration and cultural exchange, dance holds a unique power to facilitate dialogue across cultural and political boundaries. Combining an informal talk with an interactive movement session, we’ll dive into how movement can act as a tool for diplomacy, offering new ways to engage with people from different backgrounds and experiences. Participants will be encouraged to engage with the nuances of improvisation as both a personal and collective practice, experiencing how movement can communicate across borders. Whether you are a seasoned dancer, or someone just curious about how the body communicates, come ready to move, experiment and reflect. No prior experience is required—just a willingness to move and explore new ideas!

    Free
  • November 2024

  • Fri 15
    Thinking Spaces graphic fo Phil Mullen: "Ways into Improvisation." Friday, November 15, 12 PM, ImprovLab. Colourful text is set on a green backgrond. An image of Phil is spotlighted—surrounded by squiggly lines and polka dots.

    Thinking Spaces: Phil Mullen, “Ways Into Improvisation”

    November 15, 2024 @ 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm
    ImprovLab MacKinnon Room 108, 87 Trent Lane, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada

    *** Rescheduled to 12:00 PM (ET) ***

    In this participatory workshop, Dr Mullen will look at three approaches to group improvising—1) improvising with pulse and rhythm, 2) using stimuli such as text, visuals and thematic starting points, and 3) the Search and Reflect methodology as pioneered by Phil's mentor John Stevens, a key figure in European Free Group Improvisation. Please bring an instrument if possible.

    Free
  • Fri 22
    Thinking Spaces graphic for Priya Zalis, "Clinical Improvisation in Music Psychotherapy." Friday, Nove,ber 22, 12PM (ImprovLab).

    Thinking Spaces: Priya Zalis, “Clinical Improvisation in Music Psychotherapy”

    November 22, 2024 @ 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm
    ImprovLab MacKinnon Room 108, 87 Trent Lane, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada

    *** Rescheduled to 12:00 PM (ET) ***

    In this workshop, Priya will introduce her approach to music psychotherapy in the context of adult mental health, inviting attendees to participate in exploring the role that clinical improvisation can play in accessing and processing emotions, building social connection, and developing personal insights and growth. 

    Free
  • Wed 27
    IMPR 6030: Research Methods. Symposium. Wednesday, November 27, 1–3:45 PM, MacKinnon 203, U of Guelph, Light snacks and drinks will be provided.

    IMPR 6030: Research Methods Symposium

    November 27, 2024 @ 1:00 pm - 3:45 pm
    University of Guelph, MacKinnon Building 87 Trent Ln, Guelph, Ontario, Canada

    The University of Guelph's newest IMPR cohort—Georgia Simms, Mark Leroy, and Simon Flint—have been hard at work this semester thinking and writing their way through their research topics, questions, and methodological frameworks. A significant part of research, especially in its early stages, is to come together to listen, share ideas, locate convergences, offer critique, and grow together as a supportive scholarly community.

    Each week this semester we have been engaged in such activities. Now, we are pleased to invite the wider research community to join us for a few hours as the three present their work. Presentations will be twenty minutes with an additional ten to fifteen minutes allotted for Q&A.

    Free
  • December 2024

  • Wed 18
    Audiopollination Guelph. Spontaneous Improvised Music. Wednesday, December 18. Silence, 46mEssex St. 8 PM - 20$ / PWYC

    Audiopollination Guelph—Season 3, Episode 2

    December 18, 2024 @ 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm
    Silence 46 Essex Street, Guelph, Ontario, Canada

    Audiopollination Guelph returns for our second episode of Season 3, featuring new lineups of musicians and performers performing improvised music never before heard! It's most likely going to be a chilly evening, but I hope you can make it for the final night of improvisation and community in 2024! (more to come next year)

    $20
  • February 2025

  • Fri 28
    A split image. On the ledt is Newton Moraes with arms spread wide under the cast of yellow floodlight. On the right is Meryem Alaoui gesturing from bended knee.

    IBPOC ARTISTS NETWORK TOUR: FROM WORDS TO ACTION—Newton Moraes and Meryem Alaoui

    February 28, 2025 @ 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
    ImprovLab MacKinnon Room 108, 87 Trent Lane, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada

    Please join Guelph Dance and the International Institute for Critical Studies in Improvisation on February 28, 2025 at 7:30 PM (ET) for an evening of dance with Newton Moraes and Meryem Alaoui at ImprovLab. The program features two solo works by these fantastic artists. This presentation is courtesy of IBPOC ARTISTS NETWORK TOUR: FROM WORDS TO ACTION, initiated by wind in the leaves collective.

    $11.98
  • May 2025

  • Sat 31
    Graphic image for "the space between" Pink outlines images a person in gesture of movement in three way, One trace is leaning over; one laying down; one curling away.

    the space between (Guelph Dance Festival—In the Lab)

    May 31, 2025 @ 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
    ImprovLab MacKinnon Room 108, 87 Trent Lane, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada

    the space between is a research-based creation that explores the intersection between sacred geometry (the transcultural belief that the universe is based on geometric principles such as the Golden Mean and double helix) and our relationship to the embodiment of the unseen and ‘déjà là’ (‘already there’). 

    $15 – $25
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Research Partners

  • Carleton University Carleton University
  • The University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia
  • University of Guelph University of Guelph
  • 17, Institute of Critical Studies 17, Institute of Critical Studies
  • Musagetes Musagetes
  • Queen's University Belfast Queen's University Belfast
  • Memorial University Memorial University
  • University of Regina University of Regina
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