Sugar’s Waste is an experimental, theatrical music performance by Rebecca Bruton.  One hour in duration, it was performed on October 12th and 13th 2016 at Goldcorp Centre for the Contemporary Arts, Vancouver, BC, as her major MFA graduating project (Simon Fraser University). The work features songs, experimental choral work, and atmospheric instrumental pieces.  The scores were created by hand, using a combination of traditional, durational, graphic and indeterminate notation.  The piece was performed by a core ensemble of string quintet (which doubled as a vocal chorus); some pieces featured further additions, such as live digital processing, electric guitar, piano and hand-held tape recorders.  The songs and scores were written concurrently with a series of poetic texts that address themes of partition, enclosure and resistance in the historical and imaginary ‘range’ of early post-contact North America.  These themes inspired the staging, set and sound design of the work.

Sugar's Waste was performed by Rebecca Bruton (voice, violin), Tegan Wahlgren (Voice, Violin), Elliot Vaughan (Voice, Viola), Clara Shandler (Voice, Cello), Dave Chokroun (Double Bass), Matthew Ariaratnam (Electric Guitar and Speaker Feedback), Ben Wylie (Piano) and Paul Paroczai (Live Digital Processing).  Tape loops hand-built by Alexandra Spence and Ben Wylie.

MAX/MSP patches created by Paul Paroczai.

Set Design by Robert Leveroos (http://robertleveroos.com)

Lighting Design by Josie Lee and Jake Lindsey.

Choreography by Gordon Havelaar