Keeping up the momentum of their impressive spring season, the Attenborough Centre for Creative Arts follow the sense-shifting Basinski gig with a concert from the similarly boundary-pushing Colin Stetson.

More than a sax player, the Michigan-born now Montreal-based Stetson has become a central figure in the evolution of electro-acoustic music. Yes he’s played with everyone from Tom Waits to Arcade Fire, Bill Laswell to Anthony Braxton. True he’s also a renowned film and TV soundtrack composer (check his latest, 2022’s The Menu), but it’s his solo work that really highlights Stetson’s significance. From the groundbreaking ‘New History Warfare’ album trilogy (2007 to 2013) through to last year’s expansive ‘Chimæra I’, he is the creator of definitive, daring contemporary soundscapes.

Expressing himself primarily through the alto and bass sax, Colin Stetson has reshaped not only the possibilities presented by his instruments but also the boundaries of solo performance. His breathing, his voice, his grasp and agility make for total engagement with the saxophone and a unique audiovisual experience. As DJ and broadcaster Mary Anne Hobbs once concluded: “Colin Stetson is an artist that can change the way you actually think about music”. So be prepared for the extraordinary at the ACCA come the end of April.

Plus there will be more. Brooklyn-based composer and post-classical musician Faten Kanaan will add another singular dimension to the evening. With her fifth album ‘Afterpoem’ fresh to the airwaves, keyboardist Kanaan continues to explore the minimal and ambient, the melodic and mechanical with her own unique voice. Film scores, drones, early music, baroque, sixties Euro pop, electronica and Arabic music of her Middle Eastern roots all flavour Faten Kanaan’s deeply illustrative and emotive music. An opening act that demands attendance.

Attenborough Centre for Creative Arts, Saturday 29th April 2023, 8pm
Get your tickets for Colin Stetson with support from Faten Kannaan here