Nia devetzis q&a
By Ado Nkemka
An image of Nia Devetzis (wearing a green dress and black suit) standing in front of a brick wall with a snare drum in hand.
Read this Q&A with Nia Devetzis ahead of October 27th concert at High Line Brewing. Co-presented with Bug Incision.
Nia Devetzis
Why has percussion remained engaging to you?
When you see a piece written for string quartet, you know what that is and what to expect. When you see a piece written for percussion quartet you have no idea what to expect. That is why I still love percussion, we have nearly infinite sonic possibilities available to us. I also think my willingness to be creatively open has lead me to some really cool opportunities, such as performing chamber music across 3 stories of scaffolding, or puppeteering, or building a musical set. I’m still always hitting something.
Do you have a sound defining technique or process? If so, what is it?
It’s very exploration based. I really like doing things with found instruments, so scavenging is always very interesting to me. I try to explore all the sonic possibilities of an object or instrument; finding different places to hit, different striking implements, etc. I try to keep myself in the mindset of a sonic playground, just having fun, trying anything and everything and doing my best to keep myself in an observational mindset.
How has practicing devised theatre enhanced your musicianship?
Practicing devised theatre led me to discover that collective creative work is the best way for me to create. Having multiple energies working towards a common creative goal is incredibly satisfying to me. Devised Theatre also helps me with process. I’m still pretty uncomfortable with the midway point of creating anything. Maybe some decisions have been made, and we’re heading in a particular direction, but we’re still a little ways off from arriving. That is a space that I struggle in, but devised theatre makes me face it head-on.
This practice brought me back to one of my first performative loves which was theatre. I used to go to Shakespeare summer camp as a kid.
Can you send us a picture of your most exciting Part of your practice as a musician/educator?
I couldn’t just pick one thing (please see previous answer about why percussion is still exciting to me, I clearly like having options).
The first photo is a faculty performance at the Summer Percussion Institute, a program I founded and is now into it’s 3rd year. I love getting to share music I care about that students may have never thought existed, or might be so contrary to things they already know. The difference in their skills by the end of the week is remarkable. (Photo by Henry Wu)
The second photo is from working on Yabber. A delightful little story about the environment, capitalism, and community. Most of my instruments were scavenged for this show, and I play a musical character called Coco. It’s also almost all in gibberish. Or Yabberish, if you will. (Photo by Mike Tan)
What is something you’ve learned from a student as a music instructor?
My students always seem to show me when I butt up against my own biases and expectations in the music world. Especially in areas where particular practices or pieces have a longer history attached to them. I always want to teach from an exploratory mindset, so I appreciate that they’re helping me get there!
What is a track someone should hear before your performance on the 27th? send links!
I still can’t pick one. Check out another work by Hennies; Psalms 1-3, which will really prime you for the deep, intense listening Sisters will ask of us. Also check out Still Life by Jordan Nobles, some slow-moving chords for choir.
What are you most looking forward to as it relates to the upcoming concert?
Sharing Sarah’s music, and how performing it in the brewery will change the listening experience. I’ve been practicing in one space, but it’s carpeted and not very ‘live’ so I’m excited to interact with the room. I’m also looking forward to hearing the other artists! They weren’t groups I’d heard of before, but i’m intrigued about what they’re doing.
Get tickets to the October 27th concert, co-presented with Bug Incision here.
Nia Devetzis bio
Nia Devetzis is a percussionist driven by the vivid and vast world of contemporary music, whether as a soloist or chamber musician. As a teaching artist, she is dedicated to education through performance and instruction, leading by example and questioning audience expectations by asking, what exactly is percussion?
Notable performances include solo engagements with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, Calgary Wind Symphony, and Calgary’s contemporary music and sonic arts festival, Forms of Sound and the Stratford Summer Music Festival. As a chamber musician, she is dedicated to the support of new music in Calgary as a core member of Timepoint Ensemble and has made appearances with The Rubbing Stone Ensemble and Land’s End Chamber Ensemble. Other chamber music experiences include collaborating with the TorQ Percussion quartet at their annual summer seminar and performing with So Percussion at Princeton University.
Nia’s creative work expands across disciplines. She has been a collaborator for devised theatre works at the University of Calgary, including Conduct, Pierrot’s Gender Reveal Party and Just like the Moon performing as a musician/actor. This work continues with Mudfoot Theater on Yabber, where she has built instruments and musical puppets alongside story and music development. She did foley design for Murder in the Studio with Vertigo Theatre for which she won a Betty Mitchell Award
Nia is an instructor at the Mount Royal Conservatory where she guides a large private studio, coordinates percussion with the Academy program, and runs a popular summer camp. She completed a Master of Music in Percussion Performance with Rod Squance at the University of Calgary.
