Chris Giles is one of several artists who will perform as part of this year’s FUZE Fest, an experimental branch of programming included as part of the New Brunswick Summer Music Festival.
Chris Giles is a New Brunswick based artist, filmmaker and musician. Chris has contributed to experimental music in Fredericton since 1997, performing with notable musicians, artist groups and dancers. Chris plays guitar, mountain dulcimer, clarinet and electric sitar. Chris was a founding member and lead guitarist for the band Lilac Affair and a constant contributor to the experimental music group Furnace Hour from 2001-2005. Chris has collaborated with various dancers to create video and sound for perfomances. Choreographer Lesandra Dodson and dancer Suzanne Chui worked with Chris to create the performance piece Her Blameless Mystery in 2010. His first collaboration with the Perspective Dance performance series was in 2013 with choreographer Meagan O’Shea and dancers Joanna Bryson and Marcia Dysart. In 2015 Chris created and performed with dancers Stephanie Grace and Sarah Power for the piece, Sahara, performed outside for the Third Shift contemporary Art event in 2016. Chris is currently part of experimental psych rock band Helium Submarine.
What is your favourite colour?
Blue because it’s the colour of my eyes!
Favourite thing about New Brunswick?
I have to say the Wolastoq River, because I like to boat on it and it’s beautiful.
What are you most excited for about Fuze?
That I am going to perform a piece of music, I would say that’s my biggest excitement, and being around other musicians and composers.
Two things you people might not know about you?
I lived in Kentucky for a year. The second thing would be, I was going to be an electrical engineer at some point in my life.
Is there someone else’s performance you’re looking forward to?
I’m looking forward to what Indigo and Eric preform, but of course everyone else’s as well.
If you could be any animal what would you be?
Hippotomus, the most fierce in Africa.
What is your favourite memory from your music career this far?
Getting to see Mdou Moctar at Grimross.
FUZE Fest, an exciting mini-festival blending classical and contemporary electronic music, returns this year on August 9, 7:30 p.m. at UNB Memorial Hall and August 10, 7 p.m. at Wilser’s Room. The August 9 concert and features the FUZE Ensemble collaborating with headliner Olympic Symphonium, while the August 10th concert will feature the return of our CONSTRUCTIONS project wherein emerging local artists create new works in response to classical pieces based on the year’s theme. The August 10 performance will be preceded by an open drone session from 4-6 p.m in the Capital. Festivalgoers are invited to bring their own instruments along and participate. Over the next couple weeks, we’ll be posting interviews with each of the participants in CONSTRUCTIONS.
- August 9th – The Olympic Symphonium and FUZE Ensemble at UNB Memorial Hall, 7:30 p.m.
- August 10th – Drone session, The Capital, 4 p.m.
- August 10th – FUZE Constructions and Minimalism at Wilser’s Room, 7:00 p.m.
Thanks to the Fredericton Community Foundation and to the SOCAN Foundation for supporting this event.
Lear about all this year’s programming at the New Brunswick Summer Music Festival
