Inventions in Colour

november 1, 2025 | 7:30 pm

anvil theatre

777 Columbia St, New Westminster, BC

Inventions in Colour centered on pianist Anna Sagalova and explored the intersection of music, perception, and colour through her experience of synesthesia. The program took the invention as its organizing principle, bringing together works by Johann Sebastian Bach, Volodymyr Ptushkin, David Jaeger, and Anna Pidgorna.

The program placed Bach’s two-part inventions alongside contemporary works that reinterpret the genre, creating a dialogue between Baroque and present-day compositional practices. It traced an evolution of tonality—from the emergence of well-tempered tuning in Bach’s time to its expansion and transformation in contemporary music—while emphasizing the continuity of musical ideas across centuries.

The production integrated lighting design as a core element of the performance, translating Sagalova’s synesthetic perception into a visual environment that paralleled the musical structure. This approach extended the recital format into an interdisciplinary experience grounded in the relationship between sound and colour.

The project also reflected Sagalova’s artistic work in Canada, where she introduces audiences to Ukrainian repertoire and builds connections between Ukrainian and Canadian musical contexts. Composer and producer Anna Pidgorna served as host, guiding audiences through the conceptual framework of the program.

program

JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH

Inventions + Chaconne

VOLODYMYR PTUSHKIN

Inventions + Ostinato

DAVID JAEGER

Inventions for Anna

ANNA PIDGORNA

Inventions of Hope

artists

Photo by Anya Chibis

ANNA SAGALOVA | PIANo

Anna Sagalova is a renowned Ukrainian pianist and Honoured Artist of Ukraine. She completed her Master and Doctor of Arts degrees in Kharkiv I.P. Kotlyarevsky National University of Arts (Ukraine) and also a postgraduate course in the University of Music Franz Liszt in Weimar (Germany). Anna is a laureate of many musical competitions in Italy, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Canada and Germany. She frequently plays as a soloist with symphony orchestras throughout Ukraine with conductors from Ukraine, USA, Switzerland, Great Britain, Austria, etc. She has participated in a number of festivals, including the Days of Ukrainian Culture festival in Poznan (Poland), Music festivals in Vigo (Spain), Trier (Germany), the International Music Festival in Lubostron (Poland), the International festival of chamber music in Shanghai (China), Kiev-Music-Fest (Ukraine), and Kharkiv Assemblies (Ukraine).

youtube

Photo by Anya Chibis

ANNA PIDGORNA | mc

Anna Pidgorna is a Ukrainian-Canadian composer, vocalist, multi-media artist and producer who combines sound, visual arts, and writing to create works that are dramatic and picturesque. She works extensively with opera and voice, draws inspiration from Ukrainian folk singing and the natural soundscape, and incorporates visual elements into some of her manuscripts. Her work has been commissioned, performed and recorded by soloists and ensembles in Canada, USA, Uruguay, Ireland, Scotland, France, Germany, Austria, Italy, Greece, Poland, Ukraine and South Korea. She holds a PhD from Princeton University, an MMus from the University of Calgary, and a BA from Mount Allison University. Anna is the founder and Artistic and Executive Director of Pickle Underground.