The Hard Rubber Orchestra is a

jazz band A jazz band (jazz ensemble or jazz combo) is a musical ensemble that plays jazz music. Jazz bands vary in the quantity of its members and the style of jazz that they play but it is common to find a jazz band made up of a rhythm section and a ho ...

led by composer and trumpeter John Korsrud in

Vancouver, British Columbia Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

, Canada. Founded in 1990, it has a shifting membership of 15-30 musicians. It is known for spotlighting work by contemporary composers and won the Alcan Performing Arts Award in 2004.

History

The Hard Rubber Orchestra was founded in 1990 by John Korsrud. It had instrumentation similar to a big band, but the music was "an unholy mashup of minimalism, free jazz, noise, and funk". In 1992, a non-profit "Hard Rubber Music Society" was created as a vehicle for funding the orchestra. It operates with a mix of private donations, city funding, and

Canada Council The Canada Council for the Arts (), commonly called the Canada Council, is a Crown corporations of Canada, Crown corporation established in 1957 as an arts council of the Government of Canada. It is Canada's public arts funder, with a mandate to ...

grants.

Notable commissions

The Hard Rubber Orchestra is characteristically open to new music. It has commissioned over 40 works from 30 contemporary jazz and classical composers. Here are some highlights. * John Korsrud, Giorgio Magnanensi, and Brad Turner contributed original compositions to the February 2005 multidisciplinary theatre piece, ''Enter/Exit''. * ''Ice Age 2010'', where the Hard Rubber Orchestra played pieces by Peter Hannan, Brad Turner,

Tony Wilson Anthony Howard Wilson (20 February 1950 – 10 August 2007) was a British record label owner, radio and television presenter, nightclub manager and impresario, and a journalist for Granada Television, the BBC and Channel 4. As a co-founder ...

, and Bill Runge, while dancers and ice skaters performed on a hockey rink, was part of the ''Cultural Olympiad'' festival which accompanied the

2010 Winter Olympics The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XXI Olympic Winter Games () and also known as Vancouver 2010 (), were an international winter multi-sport event held from February 12 to 28, 2010 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with ...

in Vancouver. * Linda Bouchard, and Scott Good (Vancouver Symphony Orchestra composer-in-residence), contributed compositions to the Hard Rubber Orchestra's 20th-anniversary concert on May 14, 2011. *

Kenny Wheeler Kenneth Vincent John Wheeler, Order of Canada, OC (14 January 1930 – 18 September 2014) was a Canadian composer and trumpet and flugelhorn player, based in the U.K. from the 1950s onwards. Most of his performances were rooted in jazz, but he w ...

composed a 30-minute piece, which the orchestra premiered in

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

on October 19, 2013. The orchestra was joined by trumpeter Mike Herriott, singer Christine Duncan, and trombonist Hugh Fraser as conductor. * Darcy James Argue composed ''Tensile Curves'', a 30-minute work funded by the

, which was premiered in

by the orchestra on 20 June 2014, in a joint concert with Argue's

Secret Society A secret society is an organization about which the activities, events, inner functioning, or membership are concealed. The society may or may not attempt to conceal its existence. The term usually excludes covert groups, such as intelligence ag ...

. * Darcy James Argue later composed ''Ebonite'', which the orchestra premiered in

on May 25, 2019. * At the same May 25, 2019 concert, the orchestra also premiered ''Source Code'' by Harry Stafylakis. * Marianne Trudel composed ''Nature Speaks: 8 Haikus'', which the orchestra premiered in

on October 15, 2019. * John Hollenbeck composed two pieces, ''Sighs'' and ''Owt Shgis'', which the orchestra premiered in

on May 27, 2023.

Notable collaborations

* The orchestra was the on-camera backing band for the CBC special, ''Cantata for the King'', which aired on 3 March 2005. It was "a post modern musical celebrating the music and genius of the King of Rock and Roll",

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...

. It featured punk artist

Joe Keithley Joseph Edward "Joey Shithead" Keithley (né Keighley; June 3, 1956)
is a Canadia ...

, soprano Robin Driedger-Klassen, and actor Kevin McNulty. * On 9 May 2015, the orchestra featured composer Christine Jensen and her sister, trumpeter

Ingrid Jensen Ingrid Jensen (born January 12, 1966) is a Canadian jazz trumpeter. Music career Jensen was born in North Vancouver and grew up in Nanaimo. She received a scholarship to the Berklee College of Music in Boston. After graduating from Berklee, she ...

, at a concert launching the orchestra's album ''Crush'', and celebrating its 25th anniversary.

Awards

In 2004, the Hard Rubber Orchestra won the C$60,000 Alcan Performing Arts Award. This funded their February 2005 work, ''Enter/Exit'', a multidisciplinary theatre piece featuring compositions by John Korsrud, Giorgio Magnanensi, and Brad Turner. Videographers HoneyBee Visuals, set designer Andreas Kahre, and director Kim Collier also contributed. Their album ''Cruel Yet Fair'' was a

Juno Award The Juno Awards (stylized as JUNOS), or simply known as the Junos, are awards presented by Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to recognize outstanding achievements in Canada's mu ...

nominee for

Best Contemporary Jazz Album The Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Album was an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for works (songs or albums) containing quality ...

at the Juno Awards of 1999. Their album ''Iguana'' was a

nominee for Instrumental Album of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2023."Here are all the 2023 Juno nominees"

CBC Music CBC Music (formerly known as CBC FM, CBC Stereo and CBC Radio 2) is a Canadian FM radio network operated by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It used to concentrate on classical and jazz. In 2007 and 2008, the network transitioned towards a ...

, January 31, 2023.

References

External links

* * * {{Authority control Canadian experimental musical groups Canadian jazz ensembles Musical groups from Vancouver