AU Ensemble
AU Ensemble is a powerful and exciting intercultural chamber music ensemble that strives to present the artistic excellence of today’s ever-fluctuating transnational culture. Led by Artistic Directors Mark Armanini and Rita Ueda, AU Ensemble engages in high-quality cross-cultural collaborations that contemplates the fluidity of today’s borders and barriers.
Featuring handpicked musicians dedicated to performing contemporary music, members of the ensemble are working at the highest level of artistic practice. Repertoire is mainly based on musical creations composed by principal composers Mark Armanini and Rita Ueda (who are also the artistic directors). Since its beginnings in 2015, AU Ensemble has presented both vocal and instrumental music, from mini operas to virtuoso concerti.
Over time, the roster of ensemble musicians have worked extensively together with the composers to develop an individual, mature, unique musical relationship. The ensemble’s makeup reflects the Canadian society the musical compositions emanate from, creating a unified and powerful artistic vision between composers and musicians and their place in the contemporary world.
With a unique sonic makeup, the AU Ensemble allows the pairing of highly skilled Canadian players with equally skilled European performers eager to experience the composers’ works. The ensemble is positioned to take advantage of international opportunities that reflect and engage in social integration issues and rapid cultural change. Each musician specializes in new music extended techniques, improvisation, intercultural and transcultural music performance. However, the roster will typically vary from project to project though the intimate chamber setting is maintained as a constant foundation to the unique sound. All musicians agree to perform as a cooperative ensemble under diverse conditions.
The music of Mark Armanini is diverse, reaching out into many cultures through the pairing of western and traditional instruments in combination with musical forms that place varying circumstances on the performers. Armanini has extensively explored improvising techniques and continually juxtaposes aural based improvisers and written score practitioners in a celebration of creativity. He is developing a transcultural music style that immerses and penetrates deeply, from one culture into another.
Rita Ueda explores, crosses and blurs borders between traditional genres. Her orchestral works represent the culmination of the orchestra’s historical development, the themes are environmental and intimate. Her operas explore non-linear narrative within a current-event context, the drama and heightened emotions are delivered through pure bel canto voice. By composing for unusual combinations of different traditional, non-traditional, and western instruments, she hopes to give birth to a new hybrid form of intercultural music, reflecting contemporary Canadian multicultural social climate.
Highlights of collaborations and past projects include performances with the Microcosmos String Quartet (Vancouver, 2022-23), Arte Italia (Florence, 2022), Kyushu Okinawa Composers Association (2018) and Prague Modern (2015, 2016). The AU Ensemble toured to Whitefish, Montana (Festival Amadeus, 2023), to Fukuoka (West Coast Music Festival, 2018), to Amsterdam (Uitmarkt Festival, 2018) and to Prague (Contempls Festival, 2016). Documentation of the AU Ensemble includes recorded video (Vancouver, 2021-23) and a recorded audio CD (SONO Records, Czech Republic, 2015).
The AU Ensemble aims to bring audiences outstanding performance in new and fresh configurations presenting intercultural chamber music, opera, solo, chamber/orchestral concerti with traditional soloists, and many more. Each presentation features new works for new and exciting combinations of musicians around the world. Future plans include more stunning performances, more international touring and more recording of our work.
