Day OFF
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Day OFF

Band Classical Acoustic

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Music

The best kept secret in music

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Still working on that hot first release.

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Feeling a bit camera shy

Bio

Day OFF is a brand new musical entity from Canada. We are violinist Simon Claude, cellist Alexandre Castonguay and pianist/composer Njo Kong Kie.

The three of us met while touring as members of Canada’s pre-eminent modern dance company, La La La Human Steps (www.lalalahumansteps.com). We have given over 100 performances together, in major cities across Europe, North America and Asia, including Vienna, Paris, Salzburg, Berlin, Munich, Prague, Rome, Moscow, Amsterdam, Antwerp, Lyon, Seville, Seoul, Tokyo, Ljubljana, Aarhus, Vilnius, Los Angeles, Chicago among others. Collectively or individually, the musicians have also performed in most of Canada’s major centres including Ottawa, Quebec , Montreal, Toronto,Vancouver, Banff, Calgary, Edmonton, Regina, Halifax, Saskatchewan and Winnipeg.

Our performance has been praised by La Presse of Montreal as being “remarkable” (12 December 2002). We also recorded and contributed original music to the soundtrack of the multiple award winning dance film, Amélia, directed by Édouard Lock.

As Day OFF, we perform only original works written for and by the band, music not heard anyway else, music which bears classical roots yet display distinct influences of contemporary music from the popular domain. We blend the esthetics, techniques and performance practice of various musical styles together, incorporating principles of minimalism, rhythms of world music and sensibility of popular music, from pop, to rock to electronica.

By not including traditional nor cover materials in our programs, and by propagating exclusively our own unique sound, we aim to develop an audience base which will include seasoned classical music lovers, but also a public whose regular listening habits include anything else but classical.

Whether performing unplugged, or in a full theatrical setting with amplified sound, light design, video and film, Day OFF has something new to say to the audience.

Top 10 reasons why audience would appreciate Day OFF:

1. Day OFF is unique in the Canadian music scene.

2. We are 100% Canadian, from our players to our music. We perform only original works written by the band. These are not heard anywhere else. Audience gets to hear the music played by its original creator. We do not perform traditional nor cover materials.

3. The band is new, therefore it carries an element of surprise; but the musicians are seasoned performers, so musicianship is assured.

4. The show offers well crafted, often melody-driven compositions, in a variety of styles: from tango inspired pieces, to tunes infused with oriental flavour, to grand waltzes in the European traditions, to groovy rhythmic minimalist constructions, to evocative numbers reminiscent of film soundtrack. We believe that our audience likes more than one kind of music.

5. We combine the disciplines of classical compositions with the esthetics and sensibility of contemporary music of all traditions: from popular to electronica to world music.

6. Well grounded musicianship; relaxed stage presence.

7. In our programming and presentation, the group sounds and plays more like a band than a traditional classical trio. The “songs” are usually 4 to 6 minutes in length; and we generally do not play with scores so to facilitate more spontaneity and freer stage movement.

8. Our aim is to share our musical experience with the audience, rather than providing a reading of the scores, however inspired the reading may be.

9. The music engages the audience first and foremost on a visceral level. The details, however, along with the experimentation on the writing, will appeal to the intellect of the audience.

10. Who doesn’t enjoy a Day OFF? (excuse the pun, can’t resist)

We consider our music having a broad appeal to traditional classical music lovers, but find that it also speaks very well to an alternative audience. In recent years, instrumental music has carved out a substantial niche market in the music scenes. Movie soundtrack, circus music, world music ensembles have all been warmly embraced by audience worldwide. We believe that we are a unique addition to this genre of music which possesses a large cross over appeal.