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Keeping You In the Loop:

Refuge of Meaning Premiere

Refuge of Meaning: Thank You!

Whether you were there in person or in spirit thank you for taking in Refuge of Meaning. I have learned so much from preparing for this work, but also from the performance itself. A phrase that continues to stick with me is that a space can teach us so much about its own story. It was such a lovely experience to go through the Diefenbunker archives, learn about its history, and go through the process of transmitting learnt knowledge through our artistic expression.

Lessons from 75 Feet Underground

Composing for Solo Viola: Embracing the Space As A Musical Partner

Composing for loop pedal and viola has been my instrumentation of choice for dance collaborations as it provides a way for me to bring a string quartet feel to performances. The Vault, where our performance took place is a very live space with quite a bit of echo. As one of my colleagues put it, I had an ''organic loop pedal'' built into the space that I could work with.

Through composing and performing this work for solo viola, the process of performing with this ''organic loop pedal'' was a really unique experience. Not using a loop station allowed for more movement collaboration and challenged me to manuevour my sound to achieve different types of resonace within the space. Through this experience the space itself was an integral part of the development of the sound and musical score.

Honouring Untold Stories:

Listening For the Ground to Speak

For better or for worse, history tends to be cyclical. Within my journey through the archives I came across so many tests regarding the type of and strength of the soil the Diefenbunker was built in. This information got me thinking about the ground and the original stewards of the land. There is a moment in the piece where I play towards the ground as if we were having a musical conversation. Unfortunatly, during the construction of the Diefenbunker, Indigenous partnership and consultation was not part of the process. My hope is that as we remember the past, we can break out of cyclical patterns for a better future.

Answering the Question: Do I Belong Here?

Through this piece we were unpacking themes of safety and security to answer the question...do I belong here? For me, the concept of belonging starts with connection. If we are able to create spaces where we can listen and learn from one another, through meaningul dialogue we can foster safe communities even in times of uncertainty.

It Takes A Villiage...

We are so thankful for all of the support we received for this project. Special thanks to both the City of Ottawa and the Diefenbunker Cold War Museum for their support of Refuge of Meaning. A big thank you to our videographer, Rachel Gray and Photographer Curtis Perry for capturing this work so beautifully. Thank you to our generous audience who took in this premeire along with the meaningful discussions during the artist talk.

A video documenting more about our creative process and inspirations was created by Rachel Gray. Along with this video, a documentation of the performance will be on dislplay alongside my graphic scores in the Allard Gallery at the Diefenbunker Cold War Museum until Sepetmber 2025.

Plan your visit!

What's Up Next? Coming Soon:

Article About My Work in Musicworks Magazine

I am so excited to have a piece in Musicworks Magazine about my explorations in improvisation with the viola and loop pedal! I can't wait to share this article with you, I will drop you a line when it comes out.

You can subscribe to the magazine and check out their current issue here

Thank you so much for holding space for my music in your ears and my notes in your inbox--it truly means the world to me!

Hope to connect with you soon

Warmly,

KP

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Website: kathrynpatricia.com​

Email: admin@kathrynpatricia.com​

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