Open Frequencies - Day 3

The annual VNM Festival returns with Open Frequencies, a three-day program spotlighting bold, globally engaged approaches to new music by artists working at the forefront of experimental, interdisciplinary, and cross-cultural sound practices.

 

Nadah El Shazly and Sarah Pagé (Egypt/Montreal)

Laini Tani

BC premiere

2025, approx 70 minutes

Egyptian vocalist and composer Nadah El Shazly (Egypt/Montreal) in collaboration with harpist Sarah Pagé (Montreal) will blend voice, electronics, and harp, performing selections from El Shazly’s album Laini Tani (2025) as well as additional singles from her previous work. 

Within Laini Tani, El Shazly’s immense, captivating voice weaves through impeccably crafted synth-work and a propulsive rhythmic foundation co-produced with 3Phaz, with Patrick Graham’s rattling percussion alongside. Layers of kinetic bass and scorching electronics intertwine like the labyrinthine backstreets of a city. Sarah Pagé’s harp adds a textural, dreamlike quality to El Shazly’s deftly constructed arrangement, an edifice of bold and physical design that’s also surreal and otherworldly. A mosaic of unconventional instrumentation interacts throughout, with Nadah at its centre as the architect and cynosure. Her commanding performance and vocal stylings act as a guide through this intricate ecosystem.

 

Piu (Nanaimo)

Milao (unfolding)

World Premiere 

2026, 25 minutes

A dynamic live performance by musician, composer, and producer Priyanka Chakrabarti (Piu), blending live electronics, raga-inspired vocals, and field recordings. Traversing genres and cultures, the set moves between contemplative and energetic moments, creating an immersive and deeply textured listening experience.

This work is also informed by material from her debut album Milao (2026), presented in a reimagined live rendition that expands the compositions. Milao, which means “to come together,” is an exploration of memory, time, and the shifting landscapes of belonging. Inspired by Indian raga and folk music, the album weaves analog textures, live vocals, and field recordings, creating a rich sonic experience.

Layering modular and analog synthesizers with her own vocals and organic textures, Milao becomes a meeting ground: of cultures and places, of past and present, of grief and renewal. It is an act of gathering and holding memory while reshaping it into something that can move forward.

 

To purchase a Festival Pass for all three nights, please visit: Open Frequencies - Festival Pass

 

 

 

Banner credits:
Nadah El Shazly, video still from Ghorzetein