Kristy Farkas is a composer, performer, crafter and arts administrator based in Victoria, BC, Canada. Her work seeks to confront the solitary paradigm of classical composition — collaboration often playing a role in her creative process, with scores entrusting the performers as collective, creative, decision-makers. The intimacy and vulnerability of her music extends from her attentiveness to the nuances of silence and the intricacies of sound. Many of Kristy’s sound projects have been site-specific, with scores ranging from more conventionally notated solo and chamber works to open score, graphic, and text-based compositions. Kristy’s love of nature is often reflected in her work through field recordings and the use of natural objects as instruments.
She regularly performs with the A Place to Listen Ensemble in Victoria and in May 2018 toured in Japan where she performed and recorded with guitarist Shin'ichi Isohata. Kristy is co-founder and host of Sofa Sessions, an experimental improvisation house concert series that takes place in her cozy living room. Past projects and collaborations include the Victoria Phonographer’s Union, LaSaM and The Collective. Kristy is also a founding member of CURV, a trio dedicated to the composition and performance of new experimental works in alternative venues.
Kristy completed a Master of Music degree in composition at the University of Victoria after having received a Bachelor of Music from Wilfrid Laurier University. Kristy has studied with composers Christopher Butterfield, Gordon Mumma, Peter Hatch and Linda C. Smith as well as pianist Jamie Parker. Her music has been performed in Canada and Japan and presented by Redshift, A Place to Listen, Continuum, Vancouver New Music, The Music Gallery, Arraymusic, Open Space, Ensemble Symposium, among others. Her work has been supported by the Canada Council for the Arts and the SOCAN Foundation.
From 2009-10, Kristy served as the New Music Coordinator for Open Space (Victoria) and in 2012 curated the interactive installation (CanonX+4’33=100) featuring the work of Seattle-based sound artist and inventor, Trimpin. She is currently the Concert & Publicity Manager at the University of Victoria’s School of Music.
Kristy's scores are available through the Canadian Music Centre where she is an Associate Composer.
Her love of natural fibres and tactile sensibility brought about warble & plink, a project dedicated to Kristy's handmade knit and crochet works. Kristy is also an award-winning photographer, avid outdoor adventurer, and gardener.
Contact: kristyefarkas (at) gmail (dot) com