April 2-5, 2025 | University of Alberta
A global music project rooted in East Asian traditions, PAN Project (pan 판, Korean for ‘a place to gather’) brings music productions to the international stage that stretch across cultures and invites audiences into an exhilarating world of blended traditional and cutting edge music. Their two albums released on the Neuma Records label have received international acclaim: "An ease of synthesis between the ancient and modern is apparent ....marrying the traditional and avant-garde with sensitivity and panache'". - Songlines, "The globally positioned sextet impressively shows how much magic can happen when different musical traditions meet and explore new paths together.” - Amplified-mag.de
gamin | piri, saenghwang, taepyeongso
co-artistic director
Gamin is a multi-dimensional artist performing across the genres of traditional Korean music and cross-disciplinary collaborations worldwide. Ralph Samuelson, a senior advisor of Asian Cultural Council, once praised gamin as “a true pioneer and innovator, leading traditional instruments in exciting new directions.” Gamin plays 3 types of Korean winds and is a designated Yisuja (Senior Diplomate), official holder of Important Intangible Cultural Asset No. 46 for Court and Royal Military music. Gamin earned her Doctorate in Korean Musical Arts at Seoul National University. Re-inventing new sonorities from ancient, somewhat restrictive, musical systems, gamin has received several cultural exchange program grants, including Artist-in-Residence at the Asian Cultural Council, and Ministry of Culture, Sports, Tourism of the Republic of Korea. Gamin has collaborated in cross-cultural improvisation in NYC with world-acclaimed musicians Jane Ira Bloom, Elliot Sharp, Ned Rothenberg, Jen Shyu, presenting premieres at Roulette, New School, and Metropolitan Museum. Gamin was a featured artist at the Silkroad concert, Seoul, 2018, performing on-stage with Yo-Yo Ma. She is selected as artist-in-residence at the HERE Arts Center in 2020. Gamin’s Carnegie Hall début as a featured soloist with the Nangye Gugak Orchestra of Korea, scheduled for March 27, 2020, was postponed by the covid pandemic until a later date.
Jeff Roberts | guqin, electronics
co-artistic director
Jeff Roberts is a composer and improviser working in interdisciplinary areas of intercultural music making, electroacoustic music and multi-media performance. His music explores relationships between different music styles and cultures. His creative work has been recognized with awards from the Fulbright Foundation, Franz Göethe Stiftung, and Asian Cultural Council among others. His compositions have been commissioned by orchestras, chamber ensembles and soloists in Europe and North America and have been performed world-wide. His music has been released on the Telos (Germany) and Takuai (Italy) labels. Initially trained as an improvising guitarist, he has spent the last fifteen years performing on the Chinese plucked string instrument guqin (古琴), developing an intercultural language for improvisation and composition. He collaborates interculturally and co-founded PAN Project Ensemble with piri master Gamin Kang. He studied guqin performance with master Li Xiangting (李祥霆) as a senior scholar at the Beijing Central Conservatory of Music. He also studied with German composer Hans Zender at the Hochschule für Musik Frankfurt am Main. He holds a B.M. in Improvisation from New England Conservatory of Music, an M.M. in Composition from Boston University and a Ph.D. in Music Composition and Theory from Brandeis University. He is an Assistant Professor of East Asian Music and Culture in the Department of East Asian Studies at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada.
Woonjung Sim | janggu, buk, jing, kkwaenggwari
Woonjung Sim, winner of the World Music Award and Experimental Spirit Award of the 21st Century Korean Music Project Competition, is a Korean percussionist recognized for her excellence in traditional, modern and intercultural music performance. She was awarded a 2011 artist-in-residence grant by the Korean government to live and collaborate in New York City. During this time, she presented improvisation concerts at venues such as in Clemente Soto Velez, Vaudeville Park, Downtown Music gallery, and Zebulon. She is the founder of the ensemble ‘Jayna’, which released an album and debuted at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. She has also toured with Korean music ensembles performing in cities across the United States, including venues such as the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C. She has participated in international music symposiums including the International Symposium "Inheritance of Folk Culture" held at Akita University in Japan, and the International Folk Music Week, Zhangjiajie, china. Woonjung began her formal musical training in Korean traditional percussion at the age of ten alongside studies in piano, flute and guitar. This versatility has supported her in various contexts, from traditional performance to theatre music and modern improvisation. She was awarded a full-tuition scholarship to pursue her Master's degree at Seoul National University.
Ned Rothenberg | shakuhachi, clarinets
Jeff Roberts is a composer and improviser working in interdisciplinary areas of intercultural music making, electroacoustic music and multi-media performance. His music explores relationships between different music styles and cultures. His creative work has been recognized with awards from the Fulbright Foundation, Franz Göethe Stiftung, and Asian Cultural Council among others. His compositions have been commissioned by orchestras, chamber ensembles and soloists in Europe and North America and have been performed world-wide. His music has been released on the Telos (Germany) and Takuai (Italy) labels. Initially trained as an improvising guitarist, he has spent the last fifteen years performing on the Chinese plucked string instrument guqin (古琴), developing an intercultural language for improvisation and composition. He collaborates interculturally and co-founded PAN Project Ensemble with piri master Gamin Kang. He studied guqin performance with master Li Xiangting (李祥霆) as a senior scholar at the Beijing Central Conservatory of Music. He also studied with German composer Hans Zender at the Hochschule für Musik Frankfurt am Main. He holds a B.M. in Improvisation from New England Conservatory of Music, an M.M. in Composition from Boston University and a Ph.D. in Music Composition and Theory from Brandeis University. He is an Assistant Professor of East Asian Music and Culture in the Department of East Asian Studies at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada.
Deepak Paramashivan | sangari
Dr. Deepak Paramashivan holds PhD's from the University of Alberta (Ethnomusicology) and the Indian Institute of Science (Energy and Climate Engineering) in India. He is an assistant professor in the department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, India. He is a professional Indian Sarangi player, having toured throughout Europe, USA, Canada, UK, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea both as a soloist and collaborating with Ustad Aashish Khan, Pandit Swapan Chaudhary, Pandit Anindo Chatterjee, Pandit Yogesh Samsi, Pandit Birju Maharaj, A R Rehman and the Hollywood music director Rick Boston. An expert Sanskrit scholar and actor in South Indian traditional theatre, he has acted and composed music in Indian films such as the Sanskrit/Kannada bilingual film Ekachakram and Kannada film Maavu-Bevu. Working at the intersection of music composition, healthcare and technology, he is currently pursuing a PhD in Music and AI at the University of Alberta.
Afarin Nazarijou
Afarin Nazarijou’s musical journey began in Tehran, Iran, where she discovered her passion for music at the age of five. Initially trained in piano, her true calling emerged when she found the Qanun, a traditional Persian string instrument. Graduating from the Tehran Music School, she furthered her education at the University of Tehran, earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Performing Iranian music. Continuing her studies, Afarin pursued a master’s program in Contemporary Improvisation at the New England Conservatory of Music. Under acclaimed mentors, she honed her skills, graduating with honors in 2021. Seeking further enrichment, she earned another master’s degree at the University of Alberta in 2023.With captivating performances blending traditional Persian melodies with modern improvisation, Afarin has enthralled audiences worldwide. She now shares her passion and expertise as a teacher assistant at the University of Alberta.
The Contemporary Art Music Project presents innovative art music by collaborating with living composers and performing artists from around the world. Their internationally known CAMPGround music festival, now in its 4th year, has performed, commissioned and premiered music by emerging and established composers from cultures across the globe.
Eunmi Ko | piano
Hailed as exceedingly interesting(New York Concert Review) and kaleidoscopic(San Francisco Classical Voice), Eunmi Ko concertizes as a recitalist and chamber musician throughout Asia, Europe, and the Americas and appeared in Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, and Herbst Theater, among others. As a sought-after collaborator and champion of new music, she works with contemporary composers, ensembles, performers, and other artists. Ko was an artist-in-residence for McCormick Percussion Group, Iceberg New Music Summer Institute, Present Music, COMA (Madrid International New Music Festival), San Francisco International Piano Festival, and more. Ko holds graduate degrees (MM and DMA) from the Eastman School of Music. She is the Co-founder and President of the Tampa-based new music organization Contemporary Art Music Project (CAMP). Ko may also be heard on recently published CD releases by Neuma Records, Innova Recordings, Ravello Records, and Centaur Records.
Kevin von Kampen | percussion
Kevin von Kampen is an active percussionist and educator based in Tampa, FL. He is currently on the music faculty at the University of South Florida teaching percussion. He holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Percussion Performance from the University of Cincinnati College – Conservatory of Music, a Master of Music in Percussion Performance from the University of South Florida, and a Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Nebraska – Lincoln.
Sini Virtanen Cabaoglu | violin
Praised for her “expressive tone,” violinist Sini Virtanen Cabaoglu concertizes through Asia, Europe, and the United States. As a champion of new music, Virtanen is a co-founder/director of new music ensemble Strings and Hammers with pianist Eunmi Ko and double bassist Julia Keller. She was featured as a guest artist at the 2016 Madrid Contemporary Music Festival, Ossia, Eastman Virtuosi, Tyler Time! at the Union College, Weill Recital Hall, Eastman Hatch Recital Hall, and USF New Music Festival with her long-time collaborators Eunmi Ko and Julia Keller. Dr.Virtanen Cabaoglu earned her BM degree from Sibelius Academy, studying with Päivyt Meller. She received her MM and DMA degrees from Eastman School of Music under the guidance of Mikhail Kopelman. Virtanen resides and teaches in Finland as a lecturer of violin at Lahti Conservatory, and performs actively as a solo and chamber musician. Virtanen can be heard on Centaur Records (Musical Landscapes of Hilary Tann) and Ravello Records (Strings & Hammers).
Arda Cabaoglu Virtanen | trumpet
Arda Cabaoğlu Virtanen, D.M.A. is an artist, musician, music scholar, educator, residing in three different continents: New York City, Helsinki, and his hometown Istanbul. As broad as his cultural background, he completed his doctoral studies at Eastman School of Music, previously studied at Malmö Academy of Music in Sweden, and İstanbul Technical University (MİAM) in Istanbul. Dr.Cabaoglu Virtanen’s mentors include Håkan Hardenberger, James Thompson, Bo Nilsson, Olle Sjöberg, and Erden Bilgen. As a pioneer in the genre of long durational musical performance art, artist’s piece titled: “Forced Misophonia: BLAST BLOW PULSE” in SSM Contemporary Art Museum in Istanbul, where he performed his long durational work for 4.5 weeks and 8 hours a day, considered to be the longest musical performance in the world performed by a musical instrumentalist, as a part of AKIS/FLUX curated by Marina Abramović Institute, Hudson, NY. Award-winning performer, appeared in numerous world premieres by composers such as Theo Chandler, Jonathan Dawe, Maxwell Dulaney, Turgut Erçetin, Dave Headlam, Evan Henry, Dorothy Hindman, Ibrahim Maalouf, Paul Moravec, Leif Segerstam, Daniel Pesca, Nathan Prillaman, Axel Retif, Sangbin Rhie, David Riebe, Phil Taylor, Jeff Tyzik, and many more. A CAMPGround Festival artist since 2022 with his trumpets, Dr. Cabaoglu Virtanen regularly performs historical to contemporary settings as a solo and ensemble musician in various cities in the world. He has his own trumpet studio globally helping individuals for the development of their trumpet and artistic practices.
Guest Artists
Robert Spady | clarinet
Robert Spady started playing clarinet as a boy in Edmonton. After studying at the University of Toronto and completing his Doctor of Music at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music in 2011, he was thrilled to find himself back in Edmonton, as a full-time member of the Royal Canadian Artillery Band. The RCA Band has taken him to Buckingham Palace, Normandy, and many a small-town parade in Alberta. Robert loves to play chamber music. While working on his doctoral thesis, he participated in the Carnegie Hall Workshops as a member of the Kolot New Music Ensemble, playing klezmer-influenced classical music. More recently, he has performed with New Music Edmonton, the C’mon Festival, and the Edmonton Recital Society. Robert is also a member of the WindRose Trio, a group that is dedicated to performing local new music and has commissioned more than a dozen works by Canadian composers. Robert is an avid banjo player, he loves taking his pup for long morning walks, and plays the occasional open mic with his wife Kim.
Joshua Ching | cello
Joshua Ching is a passionate musician and teacher who has performed on cello throughout his life in Edmonton. His personal highlights over the past years include having played in an ensemble for the 2023 Edmonton JUNO Awards, and recently touring with the Edmonton Chinese Philharmonica to Toronto. He performs regularly with ECHO, a chamber group focusing on traditional Chinese chamber music, and having taken up guqin in 2022 under Meng Xianyun (孟憲云) at the Chinatown Multi-Cultural centre, he has also had the opportunity to give basic presentations about the instrument. Joshua currently teaches cello, and is a supply teacher for the YONA Sistema Program and Edmonton Public Schools.