Orchestral music and media art can seem intimidating to people who haven't been exposed to them, and the audiences for each don't always intersect - symphony patrons may never have attended a media art exhibition, and vice versa. The Core Series, a unique collaboration between PAVED Arts and the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra (SSO), combines the two art forms to increase accessibility and encourage new audience development.

"The symphony is literally our next door neighbor, so it felt like a natural fit," says Biliana Velkova, executive director at PAVED Arts. The SSO and PAVED are located on 20th Street in Saskatoon, which has become a cultural corridor. Other neighbours include La Troupe du Jour, AKA Gallery and The Two Twenty.

Each Core Series concert begins with a theme, mutually agreed upon by both organizations. Erin Brophey, principal oboe player for the symphony, chooses or commissions music that speaks to the theme, and Velkova curates the visual element based on the music. "This is a great opportunity for composers who don't have many opportunities to have their work performed symphonically," says Velkova.

In November 2012, Hear, See, Think explored how words and dialogue fit into music. Featured were international contemporary composers and works by Saskatoon media artists Graeme Patterson, Dee Gibson, Danielle Raymond and Jean-Sébastien Gauthier. Composers featured in this concert were: Ter Veldhuis (Holland), Fukushima Kazuo (Japan), and Robert Aitken, Ryan Purchase, and Sid Robinovitch (Canada).

Surround Sound, held in March 2013, explored the idea of silence in music and how music encompasses space. Saskatchewan-born W.L. Altman composed an original piece of music for the concert. In collaboration with Saskatoon-based video artist David LaRiviere, represent featured elements taken from music earlier in the program, presented in parallel to a video slide show of the audience and players fed back to themselves from earlier in the evening. Altman and LaRiviere delved into a mutual fascination with memory as a construct, media as an art supply, and the undeniable slippage that occurs within the time frame of an event.

Other media artists featured in Surround Sound were: Joanne Lyons, Terry Bilings, Carrie Gates, Amber Christensen, and Karen Polowick, as well as composers Jennifer Butler, John Cage, Jeff Morton, Gareth Cook, and Darren Miller.

"The music is now owned by the symphony, but every time they play it, they need to include the media component," says Velkova.

Programming is intended to be fresh and experimental. "You wouldn't hear this on another stage," Velkova says. "I'm impressed with the symphony players. Some of this is very new to them and they've been wonderful to work with and ready for new challenges."

The Core Series is held in the PAVED Arts events space, which seats about 50 people. "The players are only five feet away," Velkova says. "It's an opportunity for people who have never been to the symphony to experience a concert in a very intimate space, and it brings people here who have never been to PAVED before."

The first two performances sold out quickly, so additional performances will be added to future concerts to help meet audience demand. "The series has been very popular. It is clearly an event that the audience has been craving," Velkova says.

For more photos of Core Series concerts, visit PAVED Arts' Flickr page.

PAVED Arts and the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra receive Multi-Year funding from the Professional Arts Organizations Program, supported in part through the financial assistance of SaskCulture Inc., with funding from the Saskatchewan Lotteries Trust Fund for Sport, Culture and Recreation. The Core Series is sponsored by Affinity Credit Union, artsVest Saskatchewan, and Lucky Bastard Distillery.

Photos courtesy of PAVED Arts.