The Turning Point Ensemble (TPE) was formed by its musician members in 2002 to present rarely heard concert music for a large-sized chamber ensemble. The ensemble’s mandate is to increase the understanding and appreciation ofmusic composed during the past hundred years, linking the music of earlier times to the music of today. The ensemble’s co-founding Artistic Directors are conductor/composer Owen Underhill and trombonist Jeremy Berkman. The Turning Point Ensemble has commissioned leading composers from the west coast
of Canada, as well as championing leading British Columbia composers of the twentieth century such as Jean Coulthard and Murray Adaskin. The ensemble’s first recordings focus on the music of Victoria composer Rudolf Komorous (Strange Sphere, on the Artifact Music label) and Vancouver composer Barbara Pentland (Disasters of the Sun, on Centrediscs). An important partner in multiple-organization interdisciplinary collaborations, Turning Point Ensemble has mounted full productions of historically importantworks such as Stravinsky’s The Soldier’s Tale and Erik Satie’s Relâche. Other productions have involved collaboration between live music and film, and with composers and visual artists.
In addition to programming works of established Canadian and international composers, the TPE has also premiered works by more than 30 young and emerging composers. The ensemble’s school program, Creating Composers: Nurturing Life-Long Musical Expression, explores the creative process with youth aged from 8 to 18.