Nour Symon’s artistic practice is based on the interaction between three major axes in their creations, namely concert music, visual arts and poetry. This transdisciplinary approach is particularly reflected in their sound paintings—instrumental or performative graphic scores, interpreted here and there by musicians and artists with as sinuous a journey as possible.

Their first collection of poetry, son corps parlait pour ne pas mourir, as well as their first book of sound paintings, voir dans le vent qui hurle les étoiles rire, et rire, were published in 2016 at Éditions de la Tournure. The poetry and sound paintings collection L’amour des oiseaux moches (2020, finalist for the Governor General’s Literary Awards and Émilie-Nelligan Award) represented an important culmination in their journey, having been the subject of a publication by Noroît (Omri) editions and a major production of the Ensemble contemporain de Montréal (ECM+).

Symon has been artistic and musical director of numerous projects — both personal and collaborative — since 2008. Their regular collaborators include the Ensemble SuperMusique, which premiered and recorded their two most important graphic scores — je suis calme et enragé·e (2022, forthcoming) and voir dans le vent qui hurle les étoiles rire, et rire (l’un·e sans l’autre) (2016-18, album release in 2020). Nour Symon is also an accomplished free improv pianist who has performed all over the world, surrounded by magnificent human beings.

Their visual work has been the subject of exhibitions at Usine C, at the Charpente des fauves (Quebec), at the Maison de la culture du Plateau-Mont-Royal, at the Chapelle historique du Bon-Pasteur as well as at at the Palazzo Ducale di Lucca. Nour is currently working on the final version of their operatic version of Nicole Brossard’s novel Le désert mauve, the preliminary versions of which have been heard from Stockholm to Calgary, via Montréal, Québec City, Jonquière, Edmonton and Oulu (Finland).

voir dans le vent qui hurle les étoiles rire, et rire, a 40-minute work co-composed with Yannick Plamondon for the Orchestre symphonique de Québec and the marimbist Anne-Julie Caron, was presented to celebrate the inauguration of the Lassonde Pavilion of the National Museum of Fine Arts of Quebec (2016).

Nour Symon is also an independent researcher: their writings have been published on many platforms, including the Revue Circuit, the Cahiers de la SQRM, the cettevilleetrange.org website and the Écosystème magazine of the Chambre Blanche. They are a frequent guest speaker, as a composer and researcher, including at McGill University, Simon Fraser University, Western University, Université de Montréal, Université du Québec à Montréal and at the various Conservatoires de musique in Québec.

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