Nothing to Say and Saying It: Queer Silence in New Music

Interview

The Music Gallery, Canadian Music Centre and the arQuives present
Nothing to Say and Saying It: Queer Silence in New Music
Jerry Pergolesi interviewed by Sara Constant
part of the Music Gallery History Series

Jerry Pergolesi is well known to Music Gallery audiences over the years as the founder of Contact/ContaQt, an ensemble at ground zero of queerness and new music in Toronto since their inception nearly 20 years ago. Beyond making space for queerness in the concert hall, Pergolesi has been tracing queer histories in new music over the decades. This edition of the History Series will see Pergolesi interviewed by journalist and Emergents curator Sara Constant about his research and musical experiences.

This interview will examine trajectories of the gay rights movement within music in Toronto; changing issues of legitimacy, hierarchy, and access within local classical and new music scenes; and recent artists and works that centre queerness and the queering of physical and social spaces—including Darren Creech and Queer Percussion Research Group.

Additionally, Mary-Katherine Finch of Contact Contemporary Music will be playing a new work by Jerry Pergolesi entitled “Hammers And Crowbars”. The piece weaves archival audio into solo cello performance.

Share

Related events

All Events
A violinist performs in front of projected images
A vocalist wearing colourful clothing performs in front of a fabric backdrop

Become a member

Help creative music and performance thrive in Toronto. Your contribution supports our vibrant community of innovative artists.

  • Respectfulchild. Photo by Claire Harvie

  • Lido Pimienta. Photo by Kevin Jones

  • Jairus Sharif. Photo Credit: Kevin Jones

  • Six Turntables. Photo Credit: Kevin Jones

A person plays electric guitar while sitting on a stool in the background. Another person in the foreground is kneeling while playing saxophone.
Six people are sitting on the ground manipulating direct-drive turntables

Support our work

Your donation is used to create opportunities for artists to push the boundaries of their creative practice.