Projects - SHHH!! Ensemble

SHHH!! Ensemble brings imagination to every performance and project, creating experiences that encourage audiences to stretch their ears.

Rock Talk

Rock Talk explores a lineage of contemporary piano-percussion music in its most elemental form. The program traces the evolution of rhythmic and timbral innovation from Steve Reich through John Psathas to a new generation of composers (Monica Pearce, Harry Stafylakis, and Carmen Braden). The new works, composed especially for SHHH!!, emphasize colour, gesture, and virtuosic rhythmic propulsion.

SHHH!! Ensemble, a contemporary classical piano percussion duo, perform vibraphone and piano on a dramatically lit stage. There are three arches above the duo, one lit blue and the other lit up red.

Starry Night

Starry Night flows through a dreamscape of beautiful and unexpected sounds. The music of Starry Night reflects on the night sky, evoking a sense of wonder at the vastness of space, distilling celestial motion into human scale, and exploring how dreams process emotions, memories, and even our own self-conception.

SHHH!! Ensemble, a contemporary classical piano percussion duo, perform on piano and metallic percussion instruments. They appear to be focussing very intensely as they play music by Canadian composer Jocelyn Morlock.

Machines, Mannequins, and Monsters

Commissioned for SHHH!! by the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and the Winnipeg New Music Festival, Machines, Mannequins, and Monsters by Kelly-Marie Murphy is a taut and driving showcase for piano/percussion duo and orchestra inspired by the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) exhibition of the same name.

SHHH!! Ensemble, a contemporary classical piano percussion duo, perform as soloists with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. The stage is filled with string players, woodwinds, brass, percussion, and piano.

An Auditory Survey of the Last Days of the Holocene

Composed by Frank Horvat, An Auditory Survey of the Last Days of the Holocene presents a radical catalogue of our created world’s sounds. The audience is faced with echoes of our human-made environment, stripped bare of visual distractions, and taken on a journey of action and possibility.

SHHH!! Ensemble, a contemporary classical piano percussion duo, playfully plug their ears with surprised expressions on their faces.

SHHHuffle

SHHHuffle is SHHH!! Ensemble at play! SHHH!! brings their fun and accessible SHHHuffle program to schools, community centres, radio broadcasts, and concert series. New music is for everyone!

SHHH!! Ensemble, a contemporary classical piano percussion duo, smile as they perform new music for an audience of young families. The audience is positioned 360 degrees around the piano and percussionist Zac Pulak is striking ceramic instruments placed on the strings of the piano.

Chasse-Galerie

Commissioned by Robert Filion, the University of Ottawa Choir and a consortium of Francophone choirs from across Canada, this enchanting work brings together SHHH!! Ensemble, composer Rémi St-Jacques, librettist Félix Delage-Laurin, and chorus in a 21st century exploration of a beloved Québécois folktale.

SHHH!! Ensemble, a contemporary classical piano percussion duo, take a bow following a performance of a work for piano/percussion duo and choir. The composer, conductor, and librettist are also on stage.

Ottawa New Music Creators

SHHH!! Ensemble are the Artistic Directors of the Ottawa New Music Creators (ONMC), a yearly festival dedicated to presentation of new and exciting music in Canada’s National Capital Region.

Learn More HERE!!

Repertoire

Explore SHHH!! Ensemble’s ever-growing repertoire!

EXPLORE!!

Piano and percussion duo SHHH!! Ensemble's hands are seen reaching for notes projected on a white screen.

SHHH!! Timeline

Explore significant moments throughout SHHH!!’s journey!!

EXPLORE!!

SHHH!! Ensemble, a contemporary classical piano percussion duo, receive a standing ovation after a performance at a chamber music festival.