Upstream Orchestra

In performance:

Upstream Orchestra(UO) is currently riding high getting ready to perform at the International Festival de Musiique Actuelle de Victoriaville
on May 18th at 1 pm. The Orchestra will perform The Magic Order in memory of Steve Lacy by Upstream Artistic Director Paul Cram commissioned by the festival , as well as a revised version of his CONVOY HFX first premiered in 2001, and Barry Guy's Witch Gong Game.

Personnel for Victoriaville concert: Jeff Reilly-conduction/bass clarinet, Tena Palmer-voice, Rick Waychesko/trumpet, Chris Mitchell-soprano sax/flute, John Cummings-trumpet, Kenny MacKay-alto/sopranino sax, Danny Martin-trombone, Paul Cram-tenor sax/clarinet, Tom Walsh-bass trombone, Dawn Hatfield-baritone sax/flute, Geordie Haley-guitar, Scott McMillan-guitar, Tim Crofts-synthesizer, Steven Naylor-piano, Lukas Pearse- contrabass/electronics, David Burton-drums, Danny Parker-contrabass, Doug Cameron Drums, Erin Donovan-percussion, Pam Lovelace-publicist/videgrapher.

Upstream Orchestra has undergone a rethink and rebuilding process over the past five yeas. It perfomed at 1313 Hollis in the spring and again in the summer at the Atlantic Jazz Festival. In addition to regular Composer/Performer Circle events, the group performed again recently at the inaugural Festival of Saturnalia. Veteran Upstream players and many new faces working out of a solid book of material for all intruments make up the new Upstream Orchestra.

Upstream Orchestra Concert:
Sonic Courage International Festival
Saturday , June 23rd, 2007

Upstream Orchestra with Fred Frith, Lisle Ellis and Pierre Tanguay
Sir James Dunn Theatre, Dalhousie Arts Centre
Repertoire: New works by Jeff Reilly, Lisle Ellis, and Fred Frith
Personnel:
This year Joining Frith, Eliis and Tanguay will be Janice Jackson/voice, Lee Park/violin, Ruth Boggild/flute, Suzanne Lemieux/oboe, Chris Palmer/bassoon, Jeff Reilly /bass clarinet, Rick Waychesko/trumpet,Dani Oore/soprano sax, Chris Mitchell/alto sax, Paul Cram/tenorsax, clarinet, Dawn Hatfield/baritone sax, Tim Crofts/piano, Lukas Pearse/bass, David Burton/drums, Jeff Torbert/guitar.
Philosophy and Roots
Upstream Orchestra (UO) is a 21^st Century orchestra located in Halifax, Nova Scotia. It has a seriously elastic attitude and embraces extended improvisation and long-form composition as central components in its process. As such, it has as its antecedents such groups as the The Vienna Art Orchestra, The New York Jazz Composers Orchestra, The Ensemble Moderne of Frankfurt, The AACM Orchestra (Association for the Advancement of Creative Music in Chicago) The London Jazz Composers Orchestra,, The Willem Breuker Collective, The Instant Composers Pool, The Scratch Orchestra, Hemispheres of Toronto, NOW Orchestra of Vancouver and many other similar ensembles all over the world; ensembles with high professional standards that are taking improvisation in all its forms very seriously while exploring new compositional, notational and conducting techniques to consistently achieve high levels of excitement in performance by immersing the performers completely in sustained moments of creation. Our role is to uphold and lead this long tradition of artistry as untraditionally as we can and apply our growing mastery of the art-form to scale new heights on the world stage for the common good.

History of Upstream Orchestra
The Upstream Music Association was incorporated on April 25^th, 1990, in Halifax, Nova Scotia; three weeks prior to the first performance of the original Upstream Ensemble, before it became the 17-piece Upstream Orchestra before becoming a 45 piece band between 1996 and 1999 when the Upstream Ensemble and Symphony Nova Scotia performed four concerts together. These last concerts horrified some and made history for others as successful post third-stream experiments. In the wake of these collaborations it was decided to strike a more realistic middle ground between the Symphony and the original Upstream band with the creation of a 22-piece orchestra for concerts on December 17^th/18th 2001, in the Sir James Dunn Theatre in Halifax. Several new works were premiered including a Canada Council commission. In 2001 the Orchestra commissioned “Nasca Lines” a one hour work by British composer and bassist Barry Guy. This challenging new work was presented at the 2002 Scotia Festival to rave reviews and ecstatic applause. The 23 piece Upstream Orchestra performed again at Scotia Festival on June 2^nd, 2003. Francois Houle was commissioned and “Twilight Upstream” was performed along with Convoy HFX by Paul Cram and Chiaroscuro by Jeff Reilly. Alain Trudel conducted the Orchestra and Francois Houle joined the orchestra as guest soloist. After this landmark performance, Upstream’s orchestral work was sustained with the creation of the Halifax Plateau Orchestra and many subsequent permutations that led to the recreation of the Upstream Orchestra as a more project-oriented composing and performing machine able to draw on visiting composer/performers to perform with us. This period saw collaborations with Harris Eisenstadt (USA) and Michael Vlatkovich (USA) and visiting fellow Canadians : Tim Posgate, Lina Allemano, Rob Clutton, Jean Martin and Tena Palmer performing Songs of War, Liberation and Remembrance. At Upstream’s 3rd Annual Spring Fever Festival in 2004 the Orchestra performed new works with the visiting Pierre Labbe Ensemble of Montreal. In June of 2006 the orchestra performed the music of Barry Guy along with a new commissioned work by Nova Scotian Daniel Oore and Harris Eisenstadt. There was a hiatus of several years where the Upstream Orchestra revitalized itself several times to perform in more economical configurations, before regrouping in force for a stunning performance led by UK jazz composer Graham Collier for what was to be Graham’s last concert on earth. It is these memories that inspired the latest incarnation of the orchestra in 2011 when we performed Witch Gong Game before Michel LeVassuer and visting guest artistic directors at Upstream Music Association’s Open Waters Festival/showcase

Repertoire The repertoire is continuing to grow and develop. There are a vast number of uncommissioned works that have been written or adapted for the ensemble its protypes over the years on an ad hoc basis. Summary List of Commissioned Works for the full Upstream Orchestra from 2000 to 2003.

Ghost-Tracks                                          Jeff Reilly
Chiaroscuro                                            Jeff Reilly
Internal Combustion                               Jeff Reilly
Convoy HFX Paul Cram
Corridors of Power   Paul Cram
Magic Order   Paul Cram
Bb Restaurant Paul Cram
Twilight Upstream                                 Francois Houle
Nasca Lines Barry Guy
Wtich Gong game Barry Guy
Works of Graham Collier                       Graham Collier (UK)