Experimental Music Concert
Double bill featuring Jessie Rivest and Darren Williams (Kelowna)
January 24, 9:00 PM (doors at 8:45 PM) at the Black Box Theatre
Join us for an evening of boundary-breaking experimental music with two Kelowna-based artists: vocalist and sound artist Jessie Rivest, whose work spans contemporary, experimental, and interdisciplinary forms; and renowned saxophonist Darren Williams, who brings his powerful, extended-technique improvisation to the stage, pushing the tenor saxophone into raw and unexpected territory.
Two solo sets, one bold evening—pushing the limits of improvisation and experimental music.
Presented by Inner Fish Performance
ABOUT THE ARTISTS:
Darren Williams
Experimental Musician
Saxophonist and composer Darren Williams is known for pushing the boundaries of improvisation and extended technique, creating music that is dark, dramatic, and fiercely expressive. He has performed across Canada with acclaimed artists such as Gordon Grdina, Chris Corsano, Mats Gustafsson, Han Bennink, and longtime collaborator Eugene Chadbourne.
Williams appears in numerous ensembles, including the Branchroot Ensemble—whose debut album Far From the Tree was released in 2023—and the free-jazz quintet Robots On Fire. His solo albums Reed (2013) and Musical Idiot (2024) showcase his uncompromising approach to unaccompanied tenor saxophone.
Based in Kelowna, he is also co-director of the Skin And Bones Music Series, dedicated to experimental and adventurous music in the Okanagan. He holds a BFA in music performance from York University.
Jessie Rivest
Vocalist, Sound Artist
Jessie Rivest is a vocalist, composer, and sound artist whose work spans contemporary, experimental, and interdisciplinary forms. Drawing on a lifetime of singing and a Bachelor of Music from York University, she creates immersive vocal landscapes through looping, improvisation, and contemporary extended techniques—often channeled in response to place, architecture, and collective atmosphere.
Jessie has performed as a choral singer with a range of standout artists and concerts such as Tanya Tagaq, Game of Thrones: Music is Coming, the Canadian premiere of Ēriks Ešenvalds’ Nordic Light Symphony, and the Queen Elizabeth II Commonwealth Tour. Her ensemble experience has earned international accolades, including medals at the World Choir Games and the Barbershop World Mixed Competition in Germany.
Her compositions have been performed by Pro Coro Canada, The Choral Arts Initiative, Khorikos, and NEO Voice Festival. In 2025, her public sound art exhibition PSOUNDS, commissioned by the City of Kelowna, premiered with an emphasis on listening as a vital skill for navigating change.
Based in Kelowna, BC, Jessie is also the founder of Yin for the Win, a coaching and facilitation practice centred on archetypes, integration, and leadership for the future.
