SCA | Quick News | July 4, 2025
Owen Underhill: Songs and Quartets
Quatuor Bozzini have just released Owen Underhill: Songs and Quartets, dedicated, as the name makes clear, to the "unusual musical personality," as they put it, of the SCA's Owen Underhill. More HERE.
Pancouver on the Indian Summer Festival
Pancouver previews the Am Johal-curated Indian Summer Festival, running July – 13, 2025, which includes, along with many other great events, the SCA's Justine A. Chambers and Simran Sachar new choreographic collaboration, Today is the evening to strike lightning / Aaj To Bijiliyan Girane Ki Shaam Hai, on Saturday, July 5, 2025, from 7:30 PM – 9:00 PM, at the Annex (823 Seymour St., Vancouver), as well as Tiffin Talk: IYKYK on Sunday, July 6, 2025, from 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM, at the Ocean Artworks Pavillion (1531 Johnston St., Vancouver), with the SCA's Nadia Shihab, SCA alumnus Gabrielle L’Hirondelle Hill, and Sadia Shirazi. Read it HERE.
Pauly on Shifting Cities
Promenade Sauvage, the duo of Luca Piovesan and Maarten Stragier, have just released Shifting Cities, and it includes the SCA's Mauricio Pauly as well as Michelle Lou and Santiago Diez Fischer as guest musicians. Listen to it on Bandcamp HERE.
Publication Studio at the Art Book Fair
Publication Studio Vancouver, run by the SCA's Kay Higgins and Kathy Slade, will be at the Vancouver Art Book Fair, which runs July 4 – 6, 2025, at the Roundhouse Community Arts & Recreation Centre (181 Roundhouse Mews, Vancouver). Here are just some the titles they'll have on offer: Book Your Own Reading, edited by Scott Inniss; Are Erections Important?; the new Economy of Genocide report by Francesca Albanese; short works by Marx and Shelley; and Michael Hardt's The Politics of Love. More on the VABF HERE.
Defining Voices
Turning Point Ensemble, which has the SCA's Owen Underhill as Artistic Director and conductor, have announced Defining Voices, which they describe as "a multi-phase project that supports composers in developing new works for voice and chamber ensemble," including working with "composer Edward Top and soprano Robyn Driedger-Klassen, workshops, and opportunities for public performance in TPE’s 2026–27 and 2027–28 concert seasons." More HERE.
Derksen on The Architecture of Encounter
SFU Department of English's Jeff Derksen, who's also the partner (and an artistic collaborator) of the SCA's Sabine Bitter, is holding a talk, "The Architecture of Encounter," after a screening of the documentary film, Arthur Erickson: Beauty Between The Lines, on Thursday, July 10, 2025, at 7:00 PM, at the Kay Meek Arts Centre (1700 Mathers Ave., West Vancouver), presented as part of West Coast Modern Week by the West Vancouver Art Museum in partnership with Kay Meek Arts Centre. More HERE.
Cairns’ Inedia
SCA alumnus Liz Cairns’ "mesmerizing debut," Inedia, co-produced by Experimental Forest Films (the production company formed by SCA alumni Kathleen Hepburn & Tyler Hagan), Amino Acid Technolology, and Good Question Media, is screening July 4 – 8, 10, and 13, 2025, at various times, at the VIFF Centre (1181 Seymour St., Vancouver). More HERE.
dashes - - at Active / Passive
dashes - -, the duo of SCA PhD student Elisa Ferrari and John Brennan, are playing this year's Active / Passive festival on Saturday, August 9, 2025, at Galiano Island's Yellowhouse Art Centre (2517 Sturdies Bay Rd., Galiano Island). More HERE.
Meet Koochakzadeh-Yazdi
SCA alumnus Kimia Koochakzadeh-Yazdi, who's working on her PhD in the Department of Music at Stanford University, was featured in Standford Magazine. Read it HERE.
Horrigan's No Phenomenon
Listen to SCA alumnus Matthew Horrigan's No Phenomenon project, his "experimental doppelganger" that "chases things anti- and alternate, a patanormal future-stream in crooning and shrieking." Listen on Bandcamp HERE.
Gibson update
Here's a quick update on the Marianne and Edward Gibson Art Museum, which is coming along nicely on the hill. Read it HERE. And see some images and videos on SFU Galleries' Instagram HERE.
Watch Real Problems
The video SCA alumnus Luciana D’Anunciação produced for Janelle Reid’s Real Problems is up on YouTube. Watch it HERE.
Tran at Music on Main
SCA Music & Sound student Megan Tran is the Summer Event Marketing Specialist for the good folks at Music on Main, who also shared a quick Q&A with Megan. Read it on the Facebook HERE.
Friedenberg's Goggles
SCA MFA student Tara Cheyenne Friedenberg is presenting a screening of the film adaptation of her "comic creep-fest" Goggles on July 30, 2025, from 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM at Progress Lab (1422 William St., Vancouver). Get tickets HERE.
The Only Animal's July
The Only Animal, which has SCA alumnus Barbara Adler as Artistic Directory, has shared their typically busy (yet also substantively laid back) July 2025 schedule, including a Slow Social Club workshop on Cyanotype with SCAC Garden Plants with Sarita Opal Moodie on Sunday, July 6, from 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM, at the Sunshine Arts Council Centre (5714 Medusa St, Sechelt, BC), as well as multiple Open Studio events at the Kiosk at the Persephone Beer Farm (1053 Stewart Rd., Gibsons), including with Janna Vallée on Wednesday, July 9, Barbara Adler on Sunday, July 13, Annie Simms on Sunday, July 20, and Barbara Adler on Sunday, July 27. More HERE.
Goodman on The Dance Deck
SCA alumnus Vanessa Goodman (Action at a Distance) shared some images on her Instagram (HERE) of herself prepping for Belle Spirale Dance Projects' upcoming Dance Deck shows on July 19 & 20 and 26 & 27, 2025, from 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM at 1745 Napier St., Vancouver. Get tickets HERE.
Rahi at the New Media Gallery
SCA PhD student George Rahi was just announced as the Art and Technology Artist in Residence at the New Media Gallery (3rd Floor – Anvil Centre, 777 Columbia Street, New Westminster). Check back HERE for the schedule of events as they're shared.
Goodman talks sh*t with Friedenberg
SCA alumnus Vanessa Goodman (Action at a Distance) is the latest guest on Talking Sh*t with Tara Cheyenne, the podcast by SCA MFA student Tara Cheyenne Friedenberg (Tara Cheyenne Performance). Listen HERE.
Sparvier-Wells' invite
If you are in or around the Cowessess First Nation in so-called Saskatchewan or planning to attend the Cowessess Traditional Powwow, running August 12 – 14, 2025, SCA alumnus Virginia Jessica Sparvier-Wells and her family are inviting all Sixties Scoop survivors to come dance in the “Honouring 60s Scoop Survivors” special that they're hosting. Check the Cowessess First Nation's website for more information as it's shared.
Simard, Lloyd, and Cheng in F O R M
The collaborative trio of SCA alumnus Amélia Simard and Andie Lloyd and Ronnie Cheng 鄭芷路 are one of the Commissioned Artists in the Youth Category for the upcoming edition of the Festival of Recorded Movement (F O R M), now on its 10th anniversary, running November 7 – 22, 2025, with a "Live + Digital" hybrid format. More HERE.
Basanta's Monument (Sundial)
SCA alumnus Adam Basanta's work Monument (Sundial), located in Victoria Park (at Water St. S and Jubilee Dr., Kitchener, ON), is part of CAFKA.25: Field Guide to the Understory, which runs June 7 – July 26, 2025. More HERE.
Edwards' classes
If you are in or around Labrador City, NL, SCA alumnus Jenn Edwards is offering a 4-week dance session at Just Breathe Yoga Studio (215 Drake Ave., Lower level, Labrador City, NL), starting July 7 with ballet on Mondays at 7:00 PM and modern on Tuesdays at 6:30 PM, as well as lunchtime yoga on Mondays and Wednesdays at 12:15 PM at Work Out World (Campbell Ave., Labrador City, NL). More HERE.
Amp 2025
The Vancouver International Film Festival's Amp 2025, which "explores every aspect of music in film, television and new media, from composition to song placement for film, television, advertising and video games," is now accepting applications. More HERE.
Cleave's Some Things Held Together
SCA alumnus Sena Cleave's exhibition, Some Things Held Together, runs July 3 – 30, 2025, at the fifty fifty arts collective's space (2516 Douglas St., Victoria), which is open Fridays and Saturdays from 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM (except July 5). More HERE.
BLOT press
Simona Deaconescu (Tangaj Collective) shared a collection of press and media about the European spring tour of BLOT – Body Line of Thought, the collaborative project by Deaconescu and SCA alumnus Vanessa Goodman (Action at a Distance). Find everything at the Tangaj Collective's Linktree HERE.
Oostenburg plays PURPLE SKIES
SCA alumnus Stevan Oostenburg is part of the lineup for PURPLE SKIES on Sunday, July 6, 2025, from 7:00 PM – 11:30 PM, at The Cobalt (917 Main St., Vancouver), presented by We Outside. Get tickets HERE.
Puzzlehead at Red Gate
SCA alumnus Katayoon Yousefbigloo's Puzzlehead is playing July 10, 2025, at Red Gate (1965 Main St., Vancouver). More HERE.
Tour Miltitudes
The Art Gallery at Evergreen's interim curator, Adrienne Fast, is giving a "drop-in lunchtime tour" of the exhibition Multitudes, which includes work by SCA alumnus Deborah Edmeades, on Friday, July 11, 2025, at 12:30 PM. Multitudes runs to August 24, 2025, at the Art Gallery at the Evergreen Cultural Centre (1205 Pinetree Wy, Coquitlam). More HERE.
bruised butterfly launch
SCA alumnus Eddy van Wyk is having a book launch for bruised butterfly, a new collection of poems, on July 11, 2025, at 7:00 PM at Vines Art Society (825 E. Hastings St., Vancouver). More HERE.
FRIDAY diaries Lipsync
Watch the latest "song diaries" video by SCA alumnus DEBBY FRIDAY, this time on her latest track, Lipsync. Watch it on YouTube HERE.
PTC's Associates Fundraising Campaign
Playwrights Theatre Centre (PTC) are seeking to raise $10,000 with their Associates Fundraising Campaign, which will support the work of SCA alumnus Conor Wylie and Christina Cook, PTC's Associates from 2025 – 2028. Find out more HERE.
An Injury On the Diasporic Imagination audio tour and more
Although the exhibition has ended, Gallery Gachet has helpfully pointed out that there are great installations images and links to the exhibition brochure and an audio tour by Chad Wong & SCA alumnus Pegah Tabassinejad on the archive page for Wong & Tabassinejad's exhibition, An Injury On the Diasporic Imagination, which ended its run on June 20, 2025. Find everything HERE.
Art in The Park is on
Art in The Park, a project by Big Top Art Tent (Andrew Dadson and SCA alumnus Alex Tedlie-Stursberg) that's facilitated by Elder Marr Dorvault and Elder Les Nelson, is on from 2:00 PM – 6:00 PM every Thursday and Sunday (except June 29 and August 3 & 31) until September 18, 2025, at Andy Livingstone Park (89 Expo Blvd, Vancouver) – and they have t-shirts now, too!
Quick News holiday break #1
Brady Cranfield (that's me!), your dutiful news collector and the SCA's Communications Associate, is taking the next two weeks off. Quick News will be back July 25!
Recommended Reading
Recommended Reading is a new, we hope recurring part of our weekly Quick News posts that shares readings and other sharable media from SCA faculty, graduate students, and staff. This inaugural edition features recommendations from the SCA's Christopher Pavsek, Mauricio Pauly, and Brady Cranfield (me again).
From Christopher Pavsek
"Extractivism" is the latest theoretical buzzword and this essay, "What do we talk about when we talk about extractivism?," by Imre Szemen and Jennifer Wenzel reminds us to think critically about our theoretical approaches even when their politics seem obvious and unquestionable. Read it HERE.
From Mauricio Pauly
Listen to "The Role of Nonfiction in a World of Contested Truths," a talk by Pankaj Mishra, author of The World After Gaza, that was presented as an episode of CBC Radio's Ideas program. Listen HERE.
Listen to Anthropic founder Jack Clark in conversation with Rick Rubin, offering a refreshingly thorough, explorative, and candid conversation about AI. Listen HERE.
Listen to Goodbye To Language, a 2016 album by Daniel Lanois on Bandcamp. Listen HERE.
From Brady Cranfield
If you also like to examine the changing political scene refracted through film, you might be interested in this list of "The 100 Most Significant Political Films of All Time" from The New Republic, which they frame as "Not 'best.' Not 'favorite.' Not 'most likable.' Most significant. Some are obvious. Some obscure. A few will be controversial. Let the debate begin." Read it HERE.
"When We Are All Enemies of the State" is an unfortunately timely (and surprisingly "recently discovered") text from 1974 by Stuart Hall on Walter Rodney, with an introduction by Jordan T. Camp, from the very recomendable Boston Review. Read it HERE.
"Your Brain on ChatGPT: Accumulation of Cognitive Debt when Using an AI Assistant for Essay Writing Task" is a study by Nataliya Kosmyna, Eugene Hauptmann, Ye Tong Yuan, Jessica Situ, Xian-Hao Liao, Ashly Vivian Beresnitzky, Iris Braunstein, and Pattie Maes that "explores the neural and behavioral consequences of LLM-assisted essay writing" using electroencephalography and Natural Language Processing analysis. I won't spoil their discussion and conclusions, and more study obviously needs to be done (plus the fear of technological change is a perennial issue, for good and bad), but I will say that, like the rest of our bodies, it's probably a good idea for each of us to still keep actively using and challenging our brains if we want them to continue to function to the best of their abilities. Read it HERE.