Più 2026 Launch: Jessica Ackerley & Andrew MacKelvie at Gallery 78
Kickstarting our 2026 season on February 27th
Hello friends,
After a brief hiatus, we are so pleased to be BACK! We are pumped that this year we can put on not one but three shows — and our first one is coming up in a few weeks! What the heck is Più again, you ask? We are a small Fredericton-based DIY series run by pals who are dedicated to presenting music that defies genre. Più is a musical term that translates to “more,” and this is the core of the series: to encourage the creation and presentation of performances that we’d like to see more of. Ambient, experimental, sound art and contemporary classical music – Più is dedicated to fostering an appreciation and audience for these art forms via presentation, community building, and creation facilitation. So — we are pleased to be presenting these fine folks this year!
Più presents: Jessica Ackerley & Andrew MacKelvie
Date: Friday February 27th
Doors 7:00 | Show: 7:30PM
Location: Gallery 78 - 796 Queen St, Fredericton
Tickets: $15 | Series Passes: $40
Advance tickets: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/piumusicandsound/2060350
Series Passes: https://buytickets.at/piumusicandsound/store
Jessica Ackerley
Guitarist and composer, Jessica Ackerley, has been described as “one of the most exciting guitarists to have emerged from the free music scene in recent years” (Wire Magazine). Expanding the lines between avant-garde jazz, contemporary classical, and ambient music, Ackerley has distinguished their musical voice across 25 releases as a bandleader and co-leader working with labels such as Innova, AKP Recordings, and 577 Records. Their music has garnered acclaim from publications like Pitchfork, BBC Radio, Wire Magazine, GRAMMY News, WholeNote, Musicworks and BandCamp, among others, making multiple critics’ year end lists.
Ackerley has toured extensively throughout North America and Europe, performing at noteworthy venues like The Metropolitan Museum of Art: Met Breuer, Vortex (U.K.), Bang on a Can LOUD Weekend (Mass MoCA), The Stone, Roulette Intermedium, Earshot Jazz Festival, Something Else! Festival, Ironworks Fest and Coastal Jazz Festival.
They have been commissioned by Bang on a Can, Adult Swim, Mutual Mentorship, and New Music USA; awarded funding from Canada Council for the Arts and Foundation for Contemporary Arts; nominated for the prestigious Academy of Arts and Letters Music Composition Award; and attended residencies at Banff Center for the Arts, Atlantic Center for the Arts, and Arctic Circle Residency.
Listen to Jessica Ackerley:
Andrew MacKelvie
Andrew MacKelvie is a saxophonist, improviser, bandleader, and educator based in Halifax Nova Scotia. He plays in many bands ranging in styles from rock, ambient, and free jazz such as SCIONS, Bethany, Transatlantic Zodiac Ensemble, the 6 Star Revue, and formerly with Jerry Granelli. He runs projects such as New Hermitage, Many Worlds, and Borrowers, in addition to playing solo under his own name. In 2023, he was a soloist with Symphony Nova Scotia for the premier of his symphonic composition Treize Treize, a concerto for saxophone and drum kit. Treize Treize was commissioned by Upstream Music Association as part of the inaugural Paul Cram Creation Award. He teaches P-12 music at the Hydrostone Academy. He has a degree in jazz studies, an education degree from Memorial, and was mentored by Jerry Granelli in improvisation and education for over a decade until his passing in 2021. He met Jerry in 2008 when he first attended the Creative Music Workshop and he has been involved with the CMW as a student, volunteer, board member, and instructor ever since. In his free time, Andrew co-runs the independent record label Watch That Ends The Night.
Listen to the single Mirror Era from Andrew MacKelvie’s most recent project, Many Worlds:
Full 2026 Series & Passes
So what else is on the horizon? We’re thrilled to be presenting two other fantastic shows ft. artist friends we deeply admire:
Più presents: Music for Two Celli - India Gailey & Leah Plave
Friday April 17th
Gallery 78 - 796 Queen St, Fredericton
Doors: 7:00PM, Show: 7:30PM
Tickets: $15
https://www.tickettailor.com/events/piumusicandsound/2060381
In the spirit of anarchy and exploration, award-winning artists India Gailey and Leah Plave present brand new music for two cellos. The pair are deeply honoured to premiere the works of seven Canadian composers who have agreed to this surprising but refreshing prompt. In this concert, catch a sneak peak of the music before the album comes out.
Più presents: Charles Harding - Hum
Saturday June 27th
Charlotte Street Arts Centre - 732 Charlotte St, Fredericton
Doors: 7:00PM, Show: 7:30PM
Tickets: $15
https://www.tickettailor.com/events/piumusicandsound/2060382
Originating during an eight-month residency called Building Sounds at the Charlotte Street Arts Centre in Fredericton (2024–25), Hum is a soundscape performance that draws on months of field recording inside the 140-year-old building, documenting its creaking floorboards, resonant stairwells, rehearsal rhythms, and subtle seasonal shifts. Hum has since expanded into an 8-channel surround-sound performance he developed while in residency at Schhh Vardagsrummet in Borrby, Sweden. The performance is meant to push beyond passive hearing, encouraging deep listening as a way of engaging with surroundings and the textures they hold. Hum opens a space for reflection on how sound can alter our understanding of where we are and where we’ve been.
Series Passes
Now that we’re truly entering “series” territory, we’re offering a very limited number of series passes for those who would like to attend all three events: by limited, there are 15 regular Series Passes and 10 Arts Community Passes available! Regular Series Passes get 10% off each show, while the Arts Community Pass is a discounted offering for members of the Fredericton Arts Community - a no questions asked, 50% off pass available for arts folks (whether they be NBCCD college students, freelance musicians, ceramicists, poets, you name it) to help keep some good things accessible in these ~crazy~ times.
>Grab a series pass here: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/piumusicandsound/store
Big thank you to the City of Fredericton & Arts Culture NB for supporting these events!