INNERchamber presents TYPEFACE: A Concert of Characters, a musical search for the perfect character featuring typographer and design instructor Christopher Moorehead as the evening’s narrator. The INNERchamber Ensemble, with Andrew Chung, violin, Ben Bolt-Martin, cello, and Anna Ronai, piano perform.
Most of us rarely consider the typeface we use in our emails or other communications, and which we now have instant access to, but behind those characters lie the stories of their inventors and designers — who often had a significant impact on their world.
Consider Johannes Gutenberg, who invented the printing press in 1450, and changed history by facilitating the printing and widespread distribution of books and other materials, and the ideas they contained. It revolutionized European society.
“The seeds of this concert were planted two years ago, when Andrew and I were seated near each other at a dinner party,” says Christopher Moorehead in a statement.
“First, we discovered we were both Queen’s engineering grads who moved into more artistic endeavours. Later in our conversation, he mentioned his fascination for typography. As a long-time self-proclaimed ‘type nerd’ (first in my graphic design studies at OCAD, then later as a faculty member), I was eager to pontificate on my favourite topic. During our conversation, we became aware of an interesting alignment between classifications of typefaces and eras of music history. Over the next months, we continued to discuss the similarities between musical composition and the typographic form, and ultimately came up with the concept of a concert that would incorporate both. Our journey will highlight important typefaces and typographic concepts throughout 500 years of movable type, along with corresponding key moments in the history of music.”
The Music
What sort of music goes along with such an inquiry, you might ask? The program consists of:
- J.S. Bach (1685-1750) selection from The Musical Offering BWV 1079
- Josef Haydn (1732-1809) Finale Rondo alla’Ongarese from Piano Trio No. 39 in G major, Hob. XV/25
- Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848) selection from Piano Trio
- W.A. Mozart (1756-1791) selections from Piano Trio K.548 in C major
- Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990) selection from Piano Trio
- Bohuslav Martinů (1890-1959) selection from Piano Trio No. 2
- Rebecca Clarke (1886-1979) selection from Piano Trio
- Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) Piano trio, Op. 44
“The development of moveable type printing has long fascinated me,” says INNERchamber Artistic Director Andrew Chung. “When I started talking with designer and typography instructor Christopher Moorehead about the stories and brilliant designers behind the history of typefaces, I thought maybe we could create a concert concept around this.
“We all have preferences in the typefaces we see in books, media and advertisements, but rarely do we stop to think what aspects in the shaping of the letters make the type more or less attractive to our eye. Chris will reveal many of the mysteries to us, and we will also learn along the way the relationship between typeface styles and musical eras, as well as musical notation. The INNERchamber Ensemble will perform piano trio music that punctuates and characterizes the stories and the time periods we are highlighting in the 500-year history of movable type.”
The Concert
The concert takes place on February 1 at Factory163, 163 King Street, Stratford ON, and, in keeping with the INNERchamber tradition, includes a light dinner by catering partner Boutique Catering. Dinner starts at 5:45 p.m., and the concert begins at 7 p.m.
Single Tickets purchased by 5 p.m. on January 30 include the dinner. Tickets purchased after the cut off date include the concert only. Student and arts worker discounts are available.
- Find concert details and tickets [HERE].
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