Vestiges d’une fable presents a diverse range of chamber music pieces, each showcasing Gabriel Dharmoo’s distinctive style.

May 17, 2024 – OTTAWA – Available today under the Centrediscs music label, Gabriel Dharmoo’s latest album, Vestiges d’une fable, showcases five chamber music compositions that demonstrate Dharmoo’s unique fusion of influences and innovative cross-cultural exploration.

A Creative Partner of the National Arts Centre Orchestra (NACO), Gabriel Dharmoo draws inspiration from his research of Indian music, particularly Carnatic music, which heavily influences the rhythms, melodies, and ornamentation present in his compositions. Dharmoo describes his own music as the creation of an “imaginary folklore,” blending traditional and experimental elements in a way that defies easy categorization.

“In this album, I set out with the idea of exploring Indian music, but in such a hybrid way and so linked to my very own idiosyncratic ear and way of thinking about music that it doesn’t really read as Indian music,” says Dharmoo. “It dawned on me I was actually conceptualizing the music of an imaginary culture.”

Featuring compositions spanning from 2010 to 2017, Vestiges d’une fable presents a diverse range of chamber music pieces, each showcasing Dharmoo’s distinctive style and sonic explorations. From the intimate trio of “Sur Bà nôi” to the expansive ensemble of “the fog in our poise”, listeners are invited on a journey through Dharmoo’s imaginative musical landscapes.

Recorded at the National Arts Centre with conductor Gary Kulesha and 18 guest musicians, the album captures the essence of Dharmoo’s compositions with remarkable clarity and depth. NAC Orchestra musicians who participated in the recording include Joanna G’froerer (flute), Charles “Chip” Hamann (oboe), Darren Hicks (bassoon), Kimball Sykes (clarinet), Karen Donnelly (trumpet), Lawrence Vine (horn), Noémi Racine Gaudreault (violin), Emily Westell (violin), Jethro Marks (viola), Max Cardilli (bass), Stephanie Morin (flute), and Sean Rice (clarinet); and were joined by guest artists Desiree Abbey (cello) and Frédéric Lacroix (piano) on most of the recordings.

Gabriel Dharmoo’s career spans various disciplines, including composition, vocal performance, improvisation, interdisciplinary art, and research. He has received numerous awards for his compositions, including the Canada Council for the Arts Jules Léger Prize and a Conseil Québécois de la Musique Opus Award. His extensive research in Carnatic music and interdisciplinary projects have garnered international recognition.

Vestiges d’une fable will be available in both digital and physical formats, accessible on major streaming platforms, online music stores, and the CMC Centrediscs label website. Stay tuned for live performances and promotional events in relation to the album release, with details to be announced.

ABOUT GABRIEL DHARMOO

As a composer and interdisciplinary artist, Gabriel Dharmoo’s career has led him around the globe, notably with his solo show Anthropologies imaginaires, which was a prize-winner at the Amsterdam Fringe Festival (2015) and the SummerWorks Performance Festival (2016). They also explore queer arts and drag artistry as Bijuriya (@bijuriya.drag).

Having researched Carnatic music with four renowned masters in Chennai, India, between 2008 and 2011, Gabriel Dharmoo’s personal musical style encourages the fluidity of ideas between tradition and innovation. His work around voice, theatricality, and character is featured on his monographic album Quelques fictions (2020), as well as online art videos.

He holds a PhD in research-creation from the Individualized Program of Concordia University and is an Associate Composer of the Canadian Music Centre. For more information about Gabriel Dharmoo, visit <www.gabrieldharmoo.org>.

ABOUT CMC CENTREDISCS

CMC Centrediscs is the only recording label that exclusively promotes Canadian composers, with a focus on releasing classical, contemporary, and experimental music recordings from Canadian composers who are Associate Composer members of the Canadian Music Centre. For a complete catalogue and more information about CMC Centrediscs, visit <www.cmccanada.org>.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL ARTS CENTRE ORCHESTRA

Since its debut in 1969, Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra has been praised for the passion and clarity of its performances, its visionary educational programs, and its prominent role in nurturing Canadian creativity. Under the leadership of Music Director Alexander Shelley, the NAC Orchestra reflects the fabric and values of Canada, reaching and representing the diverse communities we live in with daring programming, powerful storytelling, inspiring artistry, and innovative partnerships.

Since its inception, the NAC Orchestra has recorded for radio and more than 40 commercial recordings many of the 80+ new works it has commissioned, primarily from Canadian composers. These include:

• The 2024 album Truth in Our Time, including the premiere recording of Philip Glass’s Symphony No. 13, commissioned by the National Arts Centre Orchestra. 
• Clara - Robert - Johannes: A multi-year, multi-album exploration of the music of Clara Schumann, Robert Schumann, and Johannes Brahms, featuring pianists Angela Hewitt, Stewart Goodyear, and Gabriela Montero. 
• The ground-breaking Life Reflected, which includes My Name is Amanda Todd by the late Jocelyn Morlock (winner of the 2018 JUNO for Classical Composition of the Year). 
• Ana Sokolović’s Golden Slumbers Kiss Your Eyes, 2019 JUNO Winner for Classical Composition of the Year (from the 2019 JUNO-nominated New Worlds). 
• Angela Hewitt’s 2015 JUNO Award-winning album of Mozart Piano Concertos.    
• The 2020 JUNO-nominated The Bounds of Our Dreams, featuring pianist Alain Lefèvre.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL ARTS CENTRE

The National Arts Centre is Canada’s bilingual, multi-disciplinary home for the performing arts. The NAC presents, creates, produces, and co-produces performing arts programming in various streams — the NAC Orchestra, Dance, English Theatre, French Theatre, Indigenous Theatre, and Popular Music and Variety — and nurtures the next generation of audiences and artists from across Canada. The NAC is located in the National Capital Region on the unceded territory of the Anishinabe Algonquin Nation. 

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FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Greggory Clark
Communication Strategist
National Arts Centre Orchestra
343-588-0513
greggory.clark@nac-cna.ca