Exclusive World Premiere: Pilgrimage to Solitude - May 10

On Monday May 10, The Glenn Gould Foundation is proud to feature the exclusive world premiere of Pilgrimage to Solitude, a film by Mark Laurie.   

Pilgrimage to Solitude is an experimental documentary that explores significant landscapes from the life of the late Canadian pianist, composer, and writer, Glenn Gould.  The film's soundtrack adopts a sonic technique pioneered by Gould himself in his influential series of sound documentaries, the "Solitude Trilogy": the layering of voices which he called "contrapuntal radio."  Deriving its structure from Gould's most famous documentary, The Idea of North (1967), the film presents four of Gould's friends and colleagues (William Littler, Margaret Pacsu, Vincent Tovell, and Lorne Tulk) sharing their firsthand experiences of the enigmatic and legendary musician.  They discuss, debate, and reminisce about Gould, the absent figure in the landscape.  

The film will be available to view online with an accompanying Director's Note from Mark Laurie.  We encourage viewers to share their thoughts and impressions of the film in an email to info@glenngould.ca  and by joining us on Facebook. 

Early Collaborations: An Interview with Cellist Coenraad Bloemendal

By Penny Johnson, Contributing Author

In the case of every interview I have done with friends and colleagues of Glenn Gould, what strikes me most is the precious quality with which they reminisce about their time with the artist.  More than anything, I am left with the knowledge that apart from being a genius of the highest order, the thing that sets Glenn Gould apart from others is the compassion he demonstrated towards his fellow man.  My favourite comment comes from former CBC technician and long-time Gould friend, Lorne Tulk, who remarked:  “Believe me when I say that Mr. Glenn worked very hard every minute of everyday at being good.”

After a number of conversations with individuals who worked alongside Gould on the technical side of things (Lorne Tulk, Peter Shewchuk, Marianne Schroeder, and John McGreevy to name a few), I was fortunate enough to speak with a fellow musician, Dutch-born Canadian cellist, Coenraad Bloemendal, who worked with Gould on a number of occasions throughout the mid-1970s until Gould’s death in 1982.  A graduate of the Amsterdam Conservatory and Indiana University, where he studied with the legendary János Starker, Bloemendal came to Canada in 1971 where he quickly established himself as one of the country’s outstanding cellists.

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Northern Rock: Sudbury Youth Rocks Program Assists Through Music

By Victoria Buchy, Staff

It’s the last session before Easter break, but these young musicians seem far more focused on the song they’re practicing than chocolate bunnies.  With a quick look around their modest rehearsal space, it’s a little piece of rock heaven.  An electronic drum kit, keyboard, a couple guitars, a bass and mics come alive at their touch.  There’s even a stage-light set with coloured gels and a few posters on the beige walls for ambience and encouragement where not so far away from a guitar tabs instruction chart, the four-faces of KISS stand out like the compass rose of rock’n’roll.  I’m in the Sudbury Youth Rocks world.  

Operated under the auspices of The John Howard Society of Sudbury, the program uses the rock band to give local teens who are at risk of conflict with the law or who may not otherwise have the chance to learn an instrument the opportunity to play in a band.  There are no fees to join and instruments are provided on-site at a space in the city’s downtown mall.  Participants get together in a supervised, peer-oriented environment after school to be rock gods in one of three weekly sessions offered all year round.

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