Sonia Paço-Rocchia /so.ˈnja ˈpa.so ˈrɔ.kja/, born in 1982 in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

, is a

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

, multidisciplinary artist,

improviser Improvisation is the activity of making or doing something not planned beforehand, using whatever can be found. Improvisation in the performing arts is a very spontaneous performance without specific or scripted preparation. The skills of impr ...

bassoonist The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family, which plays in the tenor and bass ranges. It is composed of six pieces, and is usually made of wood. It is known for its distinctive tone color, wide range, versatility, and virtuos ...

and creative coder.

Biography

After graduating in mixed music composition from the

Université de Montréal The Université de Montréal (UdeM; ; translates to University of Montreal) is a French-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university's main campus is located in the Côte-des-Neiges neighborhood of Côte-de ...

in 2005, she began her career in Europe, where she was based mainly in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. She later moved to the Laurentides region in

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

. Her work has been shown in a dozen countries, including

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

and

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

. In 2019, she became the first woman to receive the in the "Creation of the Year" category. Sonia Paço-Rocchia's approach focuses on sounds,

timbre In music, timbre ( ), also known as tone color or tone quality (from psychoacoustics), is the perceived sound quality of a musical note, sound or musical tone, tone. Timbre distinguishes different types of sound production, such as choir voice ...

s and open musical forms. Her research includes the exploitation and expansion of the sound palettes of instruments through playing techniques or

live electronics Live electronic music (also known as live electronics) is a form of music that can include traditional electronic sound-generating devices, modified electric musical instruments, hacked sound generating technologies, and computers. Initially the pr ...

, inventing her own instruments and instrument

automaton An automaton (; plural: automata or automatons) is a relatively self-operating machine, or control mechanism designed to automatically follow a sequence of operations, or respond to predetermined instructions.Automaton – Definition and More ...

s. Her pieces frequently involve a visual or theatrical aspect. Sonia Paço-Rocchia is

with the . She regularly improvises with chamber ensembles, such as ''The Fantastique Quintet'', ''VibraLib'' and ''ZzCc'' or as a soloist.

Work

Compositions

* ''Justine et les machines'',

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

on a

libretto A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the t ...

by Marie-Ève Bouchard, commissioned by the 3 FEMMES prize by Mécénat Musica (2021-2022) * ''Trouée'', a work for

baritone saxophone The baritone saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of instruments, larger (and lower-pitched) than the tenor saxophone, but smaller (and higher-pitched) than the bass. It is the lowest-pitched saxophone in common use - the bass, contra ...

(doubling on

piccolo The piccolo ( ; Italian for 'small') is a half-size flute and a member of the woodwind family of musical instruments. Sometimes referred to as a "baby flute" the modern piccolo has similar fingerings as the standard transverse flute, but the so ...

contrabass clarinet The contrabass clarinet (also pedal clarinet, after the pedals of pipe organs) and contra-alto clarinet are the two largest members of the clarinet family that are in common usage. Modern contrabass clarinets are transposing instruments pitched ...

, two Tables de Babel (instrument by ), Orgue de sirène (instrument by ), percussion including an

electric Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter that has a property of electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described by ...

Lame,Instrument invented and designed by Sonia Paço-Rocchia a Stemsaw and a Flex-a-tone on stand, and multi-channel

. This work was commissioned by and , and was nominated as a finalist for the "Creation of the Year" in 2020 (2019) * ''Ode au métal'' is a work for

saxophone quartet A saxophone quartet is a musical ensemble composed of four saxophones, typically soprano, alto, tenor and baritone saxophones. Different saxophone family members are employed to provide a larger range and a variety of tone colours. Other arrangeme ...

performing inside an installation, made of large metal pieces augmented with electronics, as well as quadraphonic live electronics. This work was commissioned by the

. ''Ode au métal'' was awarded two , "Creation of the Year" and "Concert of the Year, New Music, Electroacoustic" as well as an Excellence award in performing arts from the . (2019) * ''Si on l'ouvrait'' is a composition for

alto flute The alto flute is an instrument in the Western concert flute family, the second-highest member below the standard C flute after the uncommon flûte d'amour. It is the third most common member of its family after the standard C flute and the ...

bass clarinet The bass clarinet is a musical instrument of the clarinet family. Like the more common soprano B clarinet, it is usually pitched in B (meaning it is a transposing instrument on which a written C sounds as B), but it plays notes an octave bel ...

violin The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...

cello The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a Bow (music), bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), t ...

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

, Flex on a stand,

sensor A sensor is a device that produces an output signal for the purpose of sensing a physical phenomenon. In the broadest definition, a sensor is a device, module, machine, or subsystem that detects events or changes in its environment and sends ...

boxes, projection automaton and

quadraphonic Quadraphonic (or quadrophonic and sometimes quadrasonic) sound – equivalent to what is now called 4.0 surround sound – uses four audio channels in which speakers are positioned at the four corners of a listening space. The system allows for th ...

. This work was commissioned by the . (2019) * ''Nouvelle vie, nouvelle ville'' is a created for the 375th anniversary of the founding of the city of

. Commissioned by the Pointe à Callière Museum, it is a composition for

brass quintet A brass quintet is a five-piece musical ensemble composed of Brass instrument, brass instruments. The instrumentation for a brass quintet typically includes two Trumpet, trumpets or Cornet, cornets, one French horn, one trombone or euphonium/barito ...

(Magnitude6),

musical saw A musical saw, also called a singing saw, is a hand saw used as a musical instrument. Capable of continuous glissando (portamento), the sound creates an ethereal tone, very similar to the theremin. The musical saw is classified as a plaque f ...

, Stemsaw,

,Designed and coded by Sonia Paço-Rocchia train sirens, boats sirens and the carillon of Notre-Dame Basilica. (2017) * ''Said'', live coding performance made with a

live coding Live coding, sometimes referred to as on-the-fly programming,Wang G. & Cook P. (2004"On-the-fly Programming: Using Code as an Expressive Musical Instrument" In ''Proceedings of the 2004 International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expr ...

web platform developed by the artist, presented among others places at StudioXX (2017) * ''D’un autre côté'', for

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

harp The harp is a stringed musical instrument that has a number of individual strings running at an angle to its soundboard; the strings are plucked with the fingers. Harps can be made and played in various ways, standing or sitting, and in orche ...

harpsichord A harpsichord ( it, clavicembalo; french: clavecin; german: Cembalo; es, clavecín; pt, cravo; nl, klavecimbel; pl, klawesyn) is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. This activates a row of levers that turn a trigger mechanism ...

cymbalum The cimbalom (; ) or concert cimbalom is a type of chordophone composed of a large, trapezoidal box on legs with metal strings stretched across its top and a damping pedal underneath. It was designed and created by V. Josef Schunda in 1874 in ...

double bass The double bass (), also known simply as the bass () (or #Terminology, by other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched Bow (music), bowed (or plucked) string instrument in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding unorthodox addit ...

, five Cubes that are sound triggers and

. A work commissioned by for the ensemble Punctum. (2014) * ''Hommage'', for 32

bassoon The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family, which plays in the tenor and bass ranges. It is composed of six pieces, and is usually made of wood. It is known for its distinctive tone color, wide range, versatility, and virtuo ...

s around the public. (2011) * ''Il temps-te'',

variations Variation or Variations may refer to: Science and mathematics * Variation (astronomy), any perturbation of the mean motion or orbit of a planet or satellite, particularly of the moon * Genetic variation, the difference in DNA among individuals ...

and

improvisations Improvisation is the activity of making or doing something not planned beforehand, using whatever can be found. Improvisation in the performing arts is a very spontaneous performance without specific or scripted preparation. The skills of impr ...

avec theatricality, for cornet, flugelhorn, piccolo trumpet, trumpet and quadraphonic

. (2006) * ''Soupirs'', for solo

clarinet The clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The instrument has a nearly cylindrical bore and a flared bell, and uses a single reed to produce sound. Clarinets comprise a family of instruments of differing sizes and pitches ...

, voice and

. (2005) * ''CAM'', for seven musicians playing

Société de transport de Montréal The Société de transport de Montréal (STM; en, Montreal Transit Corporation) is a public transport agency that operates transit bus and rapid transit services in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Established in 1861 as the "Montreal City Passenger Ra ...

metro cards, amplification on a

setup. (2001)

Installations

* ''When the Saws are Alone in the Woods'', an automated

quartet In music, a quartet or quartette (, , , , ) is an ensemble of four singers or instrumental performers; or a musical composition for four voices and instruments. Classical String quartet In classical music, one of the most common combinations o ...

installed in a

sugar maple ''Acer saccharum'', the sugar maple, is a species of flowering plant in the soapberry and lychee family Sapindaceae. It is native to the hardwood forests of eastern Canada and eastern United States. Sugar maple is best known for being the prima ...

forest that can be visited virtually and interacted with via an online poetic journey in which each choice influences the composition and the video. (2020) * ''Flex'', a

sound In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid. In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by the ...

kinetic Kinetic (Ancient Greek: κίνησις “kinesis”, movement or to move) may refer to: * Kinetic theory of gases, Kinetic theory, describing a gas as particles in random motion * Kinetic energy, the energy of an object that it possesses due to i ...

and

interactive Across the many fields concerned with interactivity, including information science, computer science, human-computer interaction, communication, and industrial design, there is little agreement over the meaning of the term "interactivity", but mo ...

installation Installation may refer to: * Installation (computer programs) * Installation, work of installation art * Installation, military base * Installation, into an office, especially a religious (Installation (Christianity) Installation is a Christian l ...

, an

automated Automation describes a wide range of technologies that reduce human intervention in processes, namely by predetermining decision criteria, subprocess relationships, and related actions, as well as embodying those predeterminations in machines ...

flexatone The flexatone or fleximetal is a modern percussion instrument (an indirectly struck idiophone) consisting of a small flexible metal sheet suspended in a wire frame ending in a handle. Used in classic cartoons for its glissando effect, its soun ...

ensemble playing an

non-linear composition, presented in Curiosités sonores ambulantes (the artist's van-gallery). (2019, 2022) * ''Ode au métal'' is a work for

performing inside an installation, made of large metal pieces augmented with electronics, as well as quadraphonic live electronics. This work was commissioned by the

, visual and

robotic Robotics is an interdisciplinarity, interdisciplinary branch of computer science and engineering. Robotics involves design, construction, operation, and use of robots. The goal of robotics is to design machines that can help and assist human ...

installation with web-interactivity, an installation for automated moving mirrors, projection and non-linear composition presented at Agence Topo (2019) * ''Lames'', site-specific interactive sound installation for automated musical saw ensemble, commissioned by Centre Daïmôn, Hull, for the Interstices 150th of Confederation event (2017), presented at Electric Eclectics Festival, Meaford and at NAISA, South River. * ''Scies'',

sound installation with

generative Generative may refer to: * Generative actor, a person who instigates social change * Generative art, art that has been created using an autonomous system that is frequently, but not necessarily, implemented using a computer * Generative music, mus ...

non-linear composition for ensemble of sound automatons made from

circular saw A circular saw is a power-saw using a toothed or abrasive disc or blade to cut different materials using a rotary motion spinning around an arbor. A hole saw and ring saw also use a rotary motion but are different from a circular saw. ''Cir ...

blades (2016), presented at Modern Fuel Gallery during Tone Deaf. * ''Hélix'', a site-specific interactive sound installation with up to twenty Helixophone automatons, an instrument based on the

Slinky The Slinky is a helical spring toy invented by Richard James in the early 1940s. It can perform a number of tricks, including travelling down a flight of steps end-over-end as it stretches and re-forms itself with the aid of gravity and its ow ...

invented by the artist (2013) ''Hélix'' was presented at City Sonic, Mons, Carré 150 during

Festival International de Musique Actuelle de Victoriaville The Festival International de Musique Actuelle de Victoriaville is an annual international music festival held in Victoriaville, Quebec that showcases contemporary music. The festival is known for its small scale (usually no more than 20 performan ...

, Quai 5160, Montréal, PHOS, Espace F,

Matane Matane is a town on the Gaspé Peninsula in Quebec, Canada, on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River at the mouth of the Matane River. The town is the seat for the La Matanie Regional County Municipality. In addition to Matane itself, the ...

, Centre d'art visuel d'Alberta,

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...

, among others.

Exhibitions

Solo exhibitions

* Centre d'exposition de Val David, Québec (online) (2020) * NAISA, South River, Ontario (2019) * Agence Topo, Montreal, Quebec (2019) * Centre d’art visuel d’Alberta, Edmonton (2018) * Quai 5160, Verdun, Quebec (2017-2018) * Carré 150, Victoriaville, Quebec (2017) * Transcultures, Mons, Belgique (2013)

Group exhibitions

* Electric Eclectics Festival, Meaford, Ontario (2019) * Traverse, Atelier de l'île, Val David, Quebec (2019) * PHOS, Espace F, Matane, Quebec (2018) * Interstices, Daïmôn, Hull, Quebec (2017) *

, Québec (2017) * Tone Deaf, Modern Fuel, Kingston, Ontario (2016) * Hörlursfestival, Sollefteå, Sweden (2013) * City Sonic and Park in Progress, International sound art festival, Mons, Belgium (2013) * Installation sur le Slinky version pour la Croatie, Vrijeme nakon 2011, Gallery Kortil, Rijeka, Croatia (2011) * Leytonstone Arts Trail, London (2010) * Interactive Sound Installation on Living Room Scale Installation by Takako Jin, during Leytonstone Art Trail, London (2009) * A Cup of Tea Solves Everything, London (2009)

Discography

* Sonia Paço-Rocchia,

Improvisation Improvisation is the activity of making or doing something not planned beforehand, using whatever can be found. Improvisation in the performing arts is a very spontaneous performance without specific or scripted preparation. The skills of impr ...

For Bicycle * LIO LEO LEON, Emanem Disc * Cornelius Cardew – The Great Learning * Hutch Demouilpied – Otherness Album *Avant-garde-robe

Awards and recognition

* Finalist for the Artiste de l'année des Laurentides award from the

Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec The Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec (CALQ) is a public agency founded in 1994 by the government of Quebec. CALQ offers support and funding for art projects in the performing arts, multidisciplinary arts, circus arts, visual arts, med ...

* Winner of the Excellence in performing arts award from the for her work ''Ode au métal'', her research and her international outreach * Winner of the Mécénat Musica's 3 FEMMES award 2020-2021 * Finalist in the "Creation of the Year" category of the for her work ''Trouée'' in 2020 * Winner of the , in the category "Creation of the Year" for the work ''Ode to Metal'' in 2019 * Winner of the , in the category "Concert of the year, new and electroacoustic music" for her work ''Ode au métal'' en 2019 * Winner of the Prix Jeune relève in visual art, in 2018 for her work as a whole

External links

Canadian Music Centre, composer's page

RAAV/CARFAC artist's page

References

Notes

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Paço-Rocchia, Sonia Experimental composers Avant-garde composers Canadian contemporary classical composers Canadian women classical composers 21st-century Canadian composers Composers for flute Women opera composers Canadian opera composers Electroacoustic music composers Canadian electronic musicians Live coding Free improvising musicians Electroacoustic improvisation Free improvisation Canadian bassoonists Canadian sound artists Interdisciplinary artists Artists from Quebec Canadian women artists Kinetic art Net.artists Canadian digital artists Women digital artists Interactive artists Women installation artists Canadian installation artists 1982 births Living people 21st-century Canadian women composers