Montréal-based saxophonist, composer and improviser Ida Toninato has an ear for the unknown, exploring reverberant spaces with which she develops artistic partnerships and a strong sense of bonding. Driven by the low roar of her desire to immerse in sound and space, Toninato’s playing is electric — an expression of her need to orient the sound she is making to the environment she is in, and to the musicians she is with. For her, the act of creation is a ritual, invoking deep listening, imagination, and action. After years of playing contemporary music with various collaborators, she has dived head first into pursuing a music after her own daring musical intuitions. Her debut full length record Strangeness is Gratitude, released on Kohlenstoff Records in April 2016, planted her firmly in the underground experimental scene with an enthusiastic reception from critics, artists and a growing fanbase. In addition to her solo compositions, Toninato writes music for dance performances, movies and theatre plays. She performs actively with laptop musician Ana Dall’Ara-Majek as Jane/KIN, creating performances that mix spatialization and improvisation, and will release her second album The Space Between Us with viola/viola d’amore player Jennifer Thiessen in early 2018. She earned a Doctorate in interpretation from Université de Montréal in 2013 and regularly performs with Ensemble SuperMusique, Chorale Joker, and Totem contemporain.
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Ida Toninato
Strasbourg (Bas-Rhin, France), 1981
Residence: Montréal (Québec)
- Composer
- Performer (baritone saxophone)
- Improviser
- Sound artist