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)
During this program, I hope to develop a longer version of my solo piece Tout ce qui attend minuit, a multimedia monodrama that features my own poems in French and English. I hope to expand this work into a concert-length electroacoustic piece that incorporates elements of installation and stage direction. This piece already combines solo voice, live electronics, analog recording techniques, and sound-responsive lighting to create an immersive, multisensory experience. While the existing version already functions as a complete piece, my goal during the PIVOT program is to expand it and transform it into a hybrid form: part sound installation, part performance.
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)
Starting from the line of speakers in the sound window —imagining that it extends infinitely, crossing Quebec, Newfoundland, and the Atlantic Ocean—I will draw an imaginary line that begins at Sporobole, circles the Earth, and returns to its starting point, using GIS software. I propose creating a work in which we imagine that these speakers also move along this line, with their sound slowly evolving according to the geographical characteristics and data of the location. A screen or projector placed in the window will display a visual representation of the sound’s geographical position with a bright spot on a satellite photograph of the Earth. Starting from the first speaker located at the corner of Webster Street and Albert Street and moving gradually east-northeast (bearing 66.4 degrees) at a speed of 66 km per minute (the similarity of these figures is a coincidence), it will take approximately 10 hours to sonify the circumference of the Earth along the line traced by the speakers of the sound display.
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.