Sounding Grounds Festival

A gathering of new music, experimental sound, and interdisciplinary art, this multi-day festival is a meeting place for UVic’s most adventurous creators. Featuring student and faculty composers, improvisers, builders, thinkers, and listeners, Sounding Grounds invites you to explore the curious and ever-evolving terrain of contemporary sound.

What’s happening:

JAN 30 | 12:30 PM New works by UVic Student Composers – A concert of bold new works by UVic student composers that spans acoustic, electronic and hybrid forms. Expect unexpected sounds!

JAN 30 | 8 PM UVic Symphony Orchestra plays Apollo – Enter the celestial soundworld of Apollo, a radiant orchestral work by Canadian composer Jordan Nobles, performed by the UVic Symphony under the baton of guest conductor Yariv Aloni. Also on the program is music by Rossini, Smetana and Schumann. Buy tickets

JAN 31 | 1:30 PM Improv Workshop – Bring your instrument, voice, or just your curiosity. A low-pressure, high-reward space for spontaneous sonic exploration. No experience necessary.

JAN 31 | 7:30 PM Local Currents – UVic faculty and staff present music and visuals that reflect the depth and diversity of our community’s artistic voices. Featuring electronic and acoustic works by Anthony Tan, Ajtony Csaba, Lauren McCall, Sarah Belle Reid, Kristy Farkas, Taylor Brook and Megan Harton.

FEB 1 | 2-5 PM VR Experience: The Witness Blanket – Explore Carey Newman’s powerful national monument through virtual reality. A space for listening, remembering, and honouring truth and reconciliation.

FEB 1 | 7:30 PM Shapes for Sounds (Vol. 4): Oooooooooooooooooooooooo – Part gallery, part playground, this annual variety throwdown transforms space through sculpture, sound art, noise, and performance. A tribute to the Merz art movement, the evening brings together action painting, voice, video, power electronics, and embodied performance—exploring the relationships between sound, the body, materials, and architecture.

Whether you’re a seasoned audiophile or just sound-curious, Sounding Grounds is your invitation to wander, wonder, and tune in to some new and unexpected sounds and visuals.