Viviane Houle’s debut solo release, Treize, is an intense, subversive and highly submersive album that documents the artistry of this vocal improviser through collaborations with members of Vancouver’s rich creative music scene. Through Treize’s (produced by Jesse Zubot) thirteen improvised duets, Houle takes the listener on a rigorous, but gorgeous journey of dense textures, tender melodic fragments, hypnotic tensions, abstracted texts, restrained chaos and silent refuge. The simmering intensity and unveiled rawness of Houle’s voice acts as a guidepost through the release. As a vocalist and improviser, Houle displays a chameleon-esque quality, moving effortlessly between abstract free-improvisational textures and hauntingly beautiful soundscapes. Bel canto beauty and lush melodic phrases give way to intimate whispers, deep guttural bellows and decibel defying vocal squelches as Houle and her collaborators transform voice and instrument into highly evocative sonic environments. Lyrically, Houle offers fragmented tales of unspoken loss, faltering attempts at love and forgiveness, fragile hopes and cautious dreams. Her texts emerge and are submerged within each improvisation.

Houle spans genres, combining extended vocal techniques with a melodic improvising style derived from her diverse performance background. Known for her riveting live performances, Houle has performed with leading talents in the worlds of creative music (Peggy Lee, Wayne Horvitz), opera/classical (Vancouver Opera, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra), and new music (Louis Andreissen, Cristina Zavalloni). Her voice is heard in works for dance, animation, and theatre. Yet, it is in the improvisational setting where Houle is most at home and where she performs in a variety of ensembles.

Houle’s collaborators on Treize’s duets represent a cross section of Vancouver’s finest improvisers: Peggy Lee (cello), Lisa Miller (piano), Coat Cooke (saxophone), Kenton Loewen (drums), Ron Samworth (guitar), Chris Gestrin (analog keyboards), Jesse Zubot (violin), Jeremy Berkman (trombone), Paul Plimley (piano), Jeff Younger (guitar), Clyde Reed (bass), Brent Belke (guitar), Stefan Smulovitz (laptop – kenaxis). The pieces on Treize embody the latest in a series of musical conversations between Houle and a group of musicians with whom she regularly collaborates. A shared language, mutual respect, curiosity and fearless abandon mark each of the thirteen duets. An intense and passionate journey, Trieze also offers the listener exquisite moments of rest, of play of hope.