The bold, and visceral character of Dream of Heat stands alongside the duo’s inspired weaving of deep textural detail, and rich, assertive orchestration.
The potent collaboration between Montréal-based composer-performers Ida Toninato (baritone saxophone) and Jennifer Thiessen (viola, viola d’amore) crystallized after both shared the stage with legendary Montréal dance company La La La Human Steps. In 2018 they released their acclaimed debut, The Space Between Us,an intimate and decidedly conversational affair that dove headlong into both the common and contrasting features of their primary instruments. This singular and atmospheric recording garnered JUNO and Prix Opus nominations as well as praise in various publications that included Free Jazz Blog, Revue et Corrigée, and Musicworks, who aptly said of it “at the intersection between jazz, baroque meets Rothko, and a kind of stretched-out folk, this music dares to wrap its arms around you.”
Their forthcoming Dream of Heat (out on Ambiances Magnétiques LP/DL), meanwhile, reveals an arresting departure for the pair. Although they maintain some of the previous album’s acoustic warmth, they expand their sound generously with overdubs and electronic treatments, constructing a vivid and brooding landscape that takes winter’s in-built cycle of death and rebirth as its conceptual core.
Perhaps most notable amongst the panoply of new sonic components here is the presence of singing throughout; the fact these six pieces feel like abstract songs brings additional stylistic intrigue to their already bewildering blend of approaches. The record’s underlying methodology explains a great deal about their newfound panoramic outlook. As the liner notes state: “This new body of work began as sonic postcards exchanged by the two musicians during the solitude of lockdown in the winter of 2021. These seed recordings were then nurtured into compositions,” going on to list viola, baritone saxophone, electronics, effects, feld recordings, reverberant spaces, and spoken and sung voices (with original texts in French and English) as the album’s constituent ingredients.
Initially conceived as a live performance entitledWinter[City]Speaks,the subsequent recording process continued to develop the pieces. Constellation Records alumnus Jason Sharp‘s involvement was crucial in nurturing this second phase, stepping in as a producer and performing on synthesizer. His presence (as well as the fact that some of it was recorded at the legendary hotel2tango by Radwan Ghazi Moumneh) offers some insight into the collision of aesthetics at play here. The bold, and visceral character of Dream of Heat, alongside the duo’s inspired weaving of deep textural detail, rich, assertive orchestration (both electronic and acoustic), and keen melodic instincts, position them within a parallel orbit to the rosters of both legendary Montréal imprints, Constellation and Ambiances Magnétiques.
Ida Toninato creates music that merges breath, resonance and immersion. Known for her powerful approach to reverberant spaces and for her instinctive connection to sound, she develops deep artistic relationships with the architectures she performs in and with the humans she plays with and for. Her work is driven by a desire to dissolve the boundary between instrument, voice, space and body, turning each performance into a ritual of deep listening, imagination and presence.
Her debut album Strangeness is Gratitude(Kohlenstoff Records, 2016) established her as a singular voice in the underground while her follow-upWe Become Giants(Dragon’s Eye Recordings), recorded in a former water cistern, received international attention for its unique marriage of space, electronic processing and timbre. Toninato also frequently collaborates with musician and visual artist Pierre-Luc Lecours on hybrid A/V performances that merge electronic music, live instrumentation and audio-reactive visuals. Their work has toured internationally through the MUTEK Network, and in 2025 they opened the Biennale NEMO in Paris withHomeostasis, a critically acclaimed performance now available as a full-length digital album and LP.
Jennifer Thiessen is known for creating new music for the viola and viola d’amore through improvisation, composition and collaboration with composers, as well as interpreting historical repertoire for her instruments. In addition to the present project, Thiessen writes music for viola, voice, and electronics for her solo project Daily Alice and for her duo Park Sounds with percussionist Ben Reimer.
Her solo and collaborative work has been presented by send+receive, Prairie Wires, GroundSwell, No Hay Banda, Innovations en Concert, Ottawa New Music Creators, suddenlyLISTEN, FIMAV, Le Vivier, Cluster Festival, Festival Montréal Baroque, Festival international de musique baroque de Lamèque and Rosamunde Festival. Jennifer has performed and recorded with such groups as the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra, Ensemble SuperMusique, Ensemble Caprice, collectif9, and Quatuor Bozzini. Based in Montreal for two decades, Thiessen returned to Manitoba in 2021. She writes poetry, essays and articles for a variety of projects and publications. Her first poetry book Out of Body, commissioned by André Cormier to be printed alongside one of his musical scores, will be released by Collection Hic et Nunc in 2026.
