Kitchener, ON - The 2009 Open Ears Festival of Music and Sound (OE), a project of the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony (KWS), is a cutting edge biennial event which hits the streets of KW on Friday, April 24th and includes 10 days of multifaceted activities in an array of venues. OE Artistic Director Peter Hatch says "It is great to be back. We have a wonderful group of artists participating this year - the festival promises to be both stimulating and fun. Come and hang out with us!" KWS Music Director Edwin Outwater says “the Open Ears Festival is a whole world of music to explore. The variety of sound that will be part of our lives during this festival is nothing short of awesome."

Hatch and Outwater have created an “Environments” theme for 2009, exploring the effects of music on the environment and the effect different environments have on music. Highlights include esteemed Canadian composer and acoustic ecologist R. Murray Schafer who presents lectures on sound ecology - followed by a “soundwalk” through the rare Charitable Research Reserve. Schafer’s music will also be featured in Sound Explorations, as part of the KWS Signature Series. Music and video intersect with Eve Egoyan’s Fearless Piano and the Penderecki String Quartet; new instruments are featured with tranSpectra, and new music is played big band style with the Hard Rubber Orchestra. Also offered for festival goers are a range of late night events including the all night Blue Dot celebrations; as well as free installations and audio artworks such as Janet Cardiff’s Whispering Room at KW|AG.

The festival features diverse instruments from violins to taiko drums; an array of venues from a forest to a concert hall and truly challenges the audience to open their ears to new sounds. An incredibly unique selection of concerts and events, this festival offers something for everyone.