Charke-Cormier Duo - Derek Charke: Bathymetric Terrains (2020)

Derek Charke (flutes) and Eugene Cormier (guitar) formed the Charke-Cormier Duo in 2014, releasing their debut recording, Ex Tempore, in 2018. The album was nominated for the 2019 ECMA Award for Classical Album of the Year, and the composition Ex Tempore won the 2019 ECMA award for Classical Composition of the Year. The Whole Note magazine called the album “a fabulous debut!” The duo publishes their music under the Charke-Cormier Duo Collection with Doberman-Yppan in Québec. Both performers are highly accomplished musicians who are on the faculty of Acadia University’s School of Music.

Canadian Music Centre Associate Composer Derek Charke (www.charke.com) is a JUNO and ECMA award-winning composer and flutist. His music is eclectic – often defying categorization due to wide-ranging influences. Dr. Charke is a professor of music at Acadia University Wolfville, where he teaches composition and music theory. He also heads AEMS, the Acadian Electroacoustic Music Studio.

Dr. Charke can see the fragile ecosystem of The Minas Basin from his home in Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley, including the seabed that is exposed when the tide is out twice daily: “For a while now I’ve wanted to compose something about these hidden landscapes. The composition includes multiple flute, guitar, and voice parts. The solo parts are performed live while the backing tracks, processing, and soundscapes are projected through speakers. For live performances, a video of various seascapes from around Nova scotia is projected on a screen.”