Canada Music Week 2020: Creating Canadian Composers
The NLRMTA is happy to present our "Creating Canadian Composers" Canada Music Week celebration again this year! We will not only be putting off the CMW recital, but we will also be presenting a workshop for our teachers with Canadian composer Bekah Simms. Please read on to see what Canada Music Week has in store for our students this year!
THE WORKSHOP - Sunday, November 22nd, 2020 - 3:00
We are thrilled to have Bekah Simms join us this year to present a virtual workshop to our members on the topic of teaching composition to students!
THE WORKSHOP - Sunday, November 22nd, 2020 - 3:00
We are thrilled to have Bekah Simms join us this year to present a virtual workshop to our members on the topic of teaching composition to students!
Bekah's Bio:
Composer Bekah Simms' varied output has been heralded as “cacophonous, jarring, oppressive — and totally engrossing!” (CBC Music) and “tough, even gutsy...with a sure sense of original and vibrant colours” (Vancouver Sun). Propelled equally by fascination and terror toward the universe, her work is often filtered through the personal lens of her anxiety, resulting in nervous, messy, and frequently heavy musical landscapes.
Bekah hails from St. John's, Newfoundland but is currently Toronto-based. Her music has been performed across North American and Europe, and interpreted by a range of performers including Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Esprit Orchestra, Continuum Contemporary Music, the Victoria Symphony Orchestra, Ensemble Télémaque, Ensemble Paramirabo, and Duo Concertante. Upcoming commissions include new works for the Ensemble contemporain de Montréal, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Standing Wave, and a triple commission for Eighth Blackbird, Crash Ensemble, and New York New Music Ensemble.
In addition to commission and recording funding from the Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council, and Toronto Arts Council, Bekah has been the recipient of over 25 awards and prizes, including the 2019 Barlow Prize, the 2018 Karen Kieser Prize in Canadian Music, and the 2017 Toronto Emerging Composer Award. Works from her debut album impurity chains were nominated in both 2019 and 2020 for the JUNO Award for Classical Composition of the Year. Her music has twice been included in the Canadian Section's official submission to World Music Days (2016 & 2019), and in 2016 the CBC included her among their annual 30 hot classical musicians under 30.
Bekah holds a D.M.A. and M.Mus in music composition from the University of Toronto, and a B.Mus.Ed. and B.Mus in theory/composition from Memorial University of Newfoundland. Her principal teachers during academic studies were Gary Kulesha and Andrew Staniland, alongside significant private study with Clara Iannotta and Martin Bédard.
Register for the Workshop HERE
THE RECITAL - Saturday, November 28, 2020
This is a low-pressure recital involving all ages, levels, and instruments, and can include solo, duet, or ensemble works. We have had a wonderful turn-out in the past, and strongly encourage students to participate - it’s a lot of fun! We will be showing video clips of the Canadian composers that will be featured the recital again this year, a real treat for our students. These composers will talk about their inspiration for their works, and share their wisdom with the young musicians of our recital!
This year's recital will be held virtually on ZOOM. We encourage members province-wide to participate with their students!
Register for the Recital HERE
Composer Bekah Simms' varied output has been heralded as “cacophonous, jarring, oppressive — and totally engrossing!” (CBC Music) and “tough, even gutsy...with a sure sense of original and vibrant colours” (Vancouver Sun). Propelled equally by fascination and terror toward the universe, her work is often filtered through the personal lens of her anxiety, resulting in nervous, messy, and frequently heavy musical landscapes.
Bekah hails from St. John's, Newfoundland but is currently Toronto-based. Her music has been performed across North American and Europe, and interpreted by a range of performers including Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Esprit Orchestra, Continuum Contemporary Music, the Victoria Symphony Orchestra, Ensemble Télémaque, Ensemble Paramirabo, and Duo Concertante. Upcoming commissions include new works for the Ensemble contemporain de Montréal, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Standing Wave, and a triple commission for Eighth Blackbird, Crash Ensemble, and New York New Music Ensemble.
In addition to commission and recording funding from the Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council, and Toronto Arts Council, Bekah has been the recipient of over 25 awards and prizes, including the 2019 Barlow Prize, the 2018 Karen Kieser Prize in Canadian Music, and the 2017 Toronto Emerging Composer Award. Works from her debut album impurity chains were nominated in both 2019 and 2020 for the JUNO Award for Classical Composition of the Year. Her music has twice been included in the Canadian Section's official submission to World Music Days (2016 & 2019), and in 2016 the CBC included her among their annual 30 hot classical musicians under 30.
Bekah holds a D.M.A. and M.Mus in music composition from the University of Toronto, and a B.Mus.Ed. and B.Mus in theory/composition from Memorial University of Newfoundland. Her principal teachers during academic studies were Gary Kulesha and Andrew Staniland, alongside significant private study with Clara Iannotta and Martin Bédard.
Register for the Workshop HERE
THE RECITAL - Saturday, November 28, 2020
This is a low-pressure recital involving all ages, levels, and instruments, and can include solo, duet, or ensemble works. We have had a wonderful turn-out in the past, and strongly encourage students to participate - it’s a lot of fun! We will be showing video clips of the Canadian composers that will be featured the recital again this year, a real treat for our students. These composers will talk about their inspiration for their works, and share their wisdom with the young musicians of our recital!
This year's recital will be held virtually on ZOOM. We encourage members province-wide to participate with their students!
Register for the Recital HERE
Questions? Feel free to send us a message through our Contact page here.