The Hard Rubber Orchestra is a

jazz band A jazz band (jazz ensemble or jazz combo) is a musical ensemble that plays jazz music. Jazz bands vary in the quantity of its members and the style of jazz that they play but it is common to find a jazz band made up of a rhythm section and a ...

led by composer and trumpeter

John Korsrud John Korsrud (born 1963) is a Canadian composer and jazz trumpeter. Life John Korsrud was born in 1963. He graduated from the University of British Columbia in 1990. Korsrud studied composition with Louis Andriessen at the Royal Conservatory of ...

Vancouver, British Columbia Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

, Canada. Founded in 1990, it has a shifting membership of 15-30 musicians. It is known for spotlighting work by contemporary composers and won the Alcan Performing Arts Award in 2004.

History

The Hard Rubber Orchestra was founded in 1990 by

. It had instrumentation similar to a big band, but the music was "an unholy mashup of minimalism, free jazz, noise, and funk". In 1992, a non-profit "Hard Rubber Music Society" was created as a vehicle for funding the orchestra. It operates with a mix of private donations, city funding, and

Canada Council The Canada Council for the Arts (french: Conseil des arts du Canada), commonly called the Canada Council, is a Crown corporation established in 1957 as an arts council of the Government of Canada. It acts as the federal government's principal i ...

grants.

Notable commissions

The Hard Rubber Orchestra is characteristically open to new music. It has commissioned over 40 works from 30 contemporary jazz and classical composers. Here are some highlights. *

, Giorgio Magnanensi, and Brad Turner contributed original compositions to the February 2005 multidisciplinary theatre piece, ''Enter/Exit''. * ''Ice Age 2010'', where the Hard Rubber Orchestra played pieces by Peter Hannan, Brad Turner,

Tony Wilson Anthony Howard Wilson (20 February 1950 – 10 August 2007) was a British record label owner, radio and television presenter, nightclub manager, impresario and a journalist for Granada Television, the BBC and Channel 4. As a co-founder of ...

, and Bill Runge, while dancers and ice skaters performed on a hockey rink, was part of the ''Cultural Olympiad'' festival which accompanied the

2010 Winter Olympics )'' , nations = 82 , athletes = 2,626 , events = 86 in 7 sports (15 disciplines) , opening = February 12, 2010 , closing = February 28, 2010 , opened_by = Governor General Michaëlle Jean , cauldron = Catriona Le May DoanNancy GreeneWayne Gretz ...

in Vancouver. *

Linda Bouchard Linda Bouchard (born 21 May 1957) is a Canadian composer and conductor. She is also an active conductor, teacher and producer. Biography Bouchard was born in Montreal, Quebec, and was raised in Montreal, Quebec. She has a BA in music (Bennin ...

, and Scott Good (Vancouver Symphony Orchestra composer-in-residence), contributed compositions to the Hard Rubber Orchestra's 20th-anniversary concert on May 14, 2011. *

Kenny Wheeler Kenneth Vincent John Wheeler, OC (14 January 1930 – 18 September 2014) was a Canadian composer and trumpet and flugelhorn player, based in the U.K. from the 1950s onwards. Most of his performances were rooted in jazz, but he was also active ...

composed a 30-minute piece, which the orchestra premiered in

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

on October 19, 2013. The orchestra was joined by trumpeter Mike Herriott, singer Christine Duncan, and trombonist Hugh Fraser as conductor.

Awards

In 2004, the Hard Rubber Orchestra won the C$60,000 Alcan Performing Arts Award. This funded their February 2005 work, ''Enter/Exit'', a multidisciplinary theatre piece featuring compositions by

, Giorgio Magnanensi, and Brad Turner. Videographers HoneyBee Visuals, set designer Andreas Kahre, and director Kim Collier also contributed. Their album ''Iguana'' was a

Juno Award The Juno Awards, more popularly known as the JUNOS, are awards presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music. New members of the Canadian Music Hall of ...

nominee for Instrumental Album of the Year at the

Juno Awards of 2023 The Juno Awards of 2023 was a music awards ceremony that was held on March 13, 2023 at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta."Here are all the 2023 Juno nominees"

CBC Music CBC Music (formerly known as CBC FM, CBC Stereo and CBC Radio 2) is a Canadian FM radio network operated by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It used to concentrate on classical and jazz. In 2007 and 2008, the network transitioned towards a ...

, January 31, 2023.

References

External links

* * * {{Authority control Canadian experimental musical groups Canadian jazz ensembles Musical groups from Vancouver