PIVOT 2026 | Sound Creation Residency
For a second year, Sporobole is partnering with the Canadian League of Composers (CLC) to offer a sound design residency to three artists!
We are very proud to welcome the new cohort of sound artists to the PIVOT program! Through June 12, 2026, Lily Koslow (Quebec), Arie Verheul van de Ven (British Columbia), and Olivia Shortt (Ontario) will benefit from artistic and professional guidance provided through mentorship. The process concludes at our facilities, particularly in the sound studio, where the cohort will refine their works in preparation for presenting them to the public during an upcoming residency showcase.
About Research Projects
Lily Koslow (Quebec)
Pixelesque is a new immersive hyperpop project performed by Lily Koslow. An uncanny and dystopic set of ballads that explore a hybrid of organic and electronic aesthetics, this work brings together immersive audio-visual production with a mysterious tableau of the quotidian, composed of “hacked” found objects.
Olivia Shortt (Ontario)
I want to create a long-form radio show inspired by my time at CIUT 89.5 FM, where I hosted a show about ten years ago. Inspired by artists such as Kent Monkman’s alter ego, Miss Chief Eagle Testickles, and the group New Red Order, I hope to infuse it with a playful and mischievous spirit that plays on childhood nostalgia to create a blend of satire and messages about the joy of self-discovery in adulthood (like when you first watch shows such as Dawson’s Creek, The OC, and One Tree Hill). Since I’m currently focusing on a composition for four speakers, that’s likely where I’ll start, but knowing that I could expand this composition to a larger speaker setup, I’ll keep that in mind as I work on it in Ableton.
Arie Verheul van de Ven (Colombie-britannique)
Music for Viola and 16 Windows imagines Sporobole’s sound window as 16 individual portals – briefly, occaisionally opening to reveal the core of the Viola.
A misconception about the way synthesizers work is that pressing a key on a keyboard causes the instrument to play back a sound – what actually happens is the key opens an ‘envelope’ allowing the listener a brief aural glimpse of the tone that the oscillator is always making, even when the key is not pressed.
Music for Viola and 16 Windows invites the listener to imagine the sounds that continue on forever, whether we are hearing them or not.
About PIVOT
PIVOT is a mentorship program for self-identified early-career Canadian composers, presented by the CLC, in partnership with various ensembles and organizations across the country. PIVOT provides an unparalleled opportunity for six composers across Canada to work directly with a mentor-composer. After the selection process, PIVOT organizers consult with selected participants to identify mentors based on complementary artistic and career goals. Participants will be guided by their mentors over a six-month period as they compose a new piece for a participating ensemble.