New Music Live shows’ MAKEWAY program helps to coach rising composers. Launched in 2023, it returns this yr with 4 composers who’ll showcase their new works in a live performance on Might 2.
NMC’s strategy is targeted on the artist, and is tailor-made to swimsuit the wants of every participant. That features creating bespoke ensembles to current their works. The jury included Anthony R. Inexperienced, Keiko Devaux, Sheree Spencer, and Eliot Britton, and Jennifer Tung serves as Visitor Conductor for the live performance.
4 rising composers had been chosen to participate in New Music Live shows MAKEWAY program: Alex Matterson, Anju Singh, Steven Webb, and Tsz Lengthy (Fish) Yu.
We spoke to every of them about their work.
Alex Matterson (CAN) Partitioned (2025 World Premiere) for 8 Devices
“My dad was a drummer in a rock band,” remembers composer Alex Matterson. Alex remembers an eclectic number of music that was performed within the household house.
Prior expertise in music consists of years spent in a touring rock band. Alongside the best way, Matterson turned increasingly eager about modern classical.
“I obtained actually interested in new music.” It led to a need to dive into the sphere, and a college diploma. “I simply graduated from the College of Victoria with a Bachelor’s diploma,” Alex says.
Alex names Krzysztof Penderecki as an early affect, together with composer and sound artist Harry Towell and George Crumb. “I actually take pleasure in numerous fashionable noise music. I believe that has a bigger affect on me than most issues.”
One in every of Matterson’s profs emailed him the details about NMC’s MAKEWAY program, and Alex utilized with out expectations. “I used to be type of stunned to be sincere. I really feel like I’m type of the least skilled.”
Though Alex is a latest grad, in addition they participated in The Worldwide Summer season Course for Composers SYNTHETIS in Poland. The NMC alternative is each thrilling and nerve wracking.
“I’m very, very excited. It’ll be tremendous cool.” Making use of for alternatives and commissions is one other step within the profession path. “It’s been nice to start out making use of for these type of issues.”
Networking alternatives one of many perks of NMC MAKEWAY. The Toronto musicians who’ll be fleshing out the work are one other part. “To listen to knowledgeable new music ensemble carry out my work was actually loopy,” Matterson says. “They’re actually open to something.”
Alex’s piece for the occasion has private dimensions.
“My piece is known as Partitioned. I type of describe it as passing via a stable object.” As a transgendered particular person, Alex sees it as a type of allegory for popping out in at the moment’s society. “I’m utilizing it as type of passing via a wall.”
The music goals to convey the journey from what was earlier than and what’s to return, taking into account that the latter isn’t essentially identified, together with the overwhelming, intense, claustrophobic feeling that comes with experiencing discrimination.
“It’s fairly intense, as is numerous my music.”
To date, Alex stories that suggestions has been constructive.
“It’ll be loopy. It’s numerous sound the entire time.”
Listening to everybody else’s work is one more profit to this system.
“We’re all so totally different and all of our practices are totally different.”
Anju Singh (CAN) Titan (2025 World Premiere) for 9 Devices
“I’m a musician, and I’ve been taking part in music my entire life,” says Anju Singh. “My first stay present was the Fred Penner present after I was six.” She was within the youngsters’s choir that carried out on Fred’s present.
Anju was taking part in the saxophone by age 8. “I knew I’d be taking part in the saxophone eternally.” There was additionally guitar, piano, and college choir. It’s a superb background for a future composer. “Being on stage felt good.”
Whereas performing remained her principal focus, she started composing music for movies. It made her marvel if maybe that’s the place her abilities actually lay. As a multi-instrumentalist, she related with a filmmaker for a selected mission, one who occurred to say that taking part in a number of devices was a type of gateway to composing.
“I by no means thought it was potential,” she says. “As an alternative of me making an attempt to play the instrument and killing myself, forcing myself to be higher, I used to be higher off what I can name taking part in musicians.”
“I don’t assume I’m lazy — I simply assume I’m not meant to be the person who practices on a regular basis. It’s a lot dedication,” she explains. She notes that’s it’s basically not possible to develop into a world class performer on a number of devices.
“However the challenges of composing, I discover it simpler to cope with.”
It led to a brand new path for her music, together with persevering with her apply of shopping for and gathering as many devices as she might. “For this piece that I’m presenting, I’m writing for 2 devices [that I haven’t played before]. It was an enormous problem.”
She’s pragmatic about her expertise. “I don’t assume there’s something particular about me as an artist,” she says. However, she believes she brings a distinct strategy than the standard to a composer’s showcase. “I’m not educated in composition by faculty. I’m actually approaching this from a really self studying perspective.” That’s to not say it was a case of Google college. Anju educated straight with different composers. “I’ve been working actually onerous at creating my composition apply.”
Historically, the position of composer has been seen as considerably exalted, however Anju doesn’t see her position as being elevated above anybody else’s. “As soon as we begin taking place the trail of believing that, I believe we’re beginning to develop an unhealthy relationship with what it means to make artwork.” She provides, “It’s work. It’s dedication. A part of it’s expertise, however it solely takes you to date.”
She’s wanting ahead to the showcase live performance, and the week lengthy workshopping that precedes it. “Once I was accepted, I used to be actually excited. Brian [Current] is an unbelievable composer.”
The piece she’s composed for MAKEWAY is titled Titan, however her preliminary title was Monolith, which speaks to the music.
“It’s about huge, enormous actions of sound shifting collectively.” Taking part in in varied ensembles and teams over time, she was truck by the drive of the sound that’s created on stage. “The piece goals to create that.”
She counts different modern composers as inspiration. “I’m tremendous impressed by Penderecki.” She cites his vocal and string music particularly. “I used to be all the time fascinated by this,” she provides. Different influences embody Gérard Grisey and his Spectral Music, together with Italian composer Giacinto Francesco Maria Scelsi.
“He does one word, however it’s not only one word,” she explains.
By utilizing overtones, microtones, and extra, one word turns into way more. Anju’s household is Sikh, and the collective prayers that happen in a temple had been additionally an inspiration. “It’s a drive,” she describes, “and it’s actually intense once you’re a younger youngster.” The a number of voices are united in prayer, however there are microtones and slight imperfections that add dimensions to the sound.
It led to her selection of instrumentation. “For the instrumentation I selected to incorporate the harmonium and the Santoor.” The harmonium, additionally known as a reed organ, incorporates a number of tones and microtones. The Santoor is a standard Sikh instrument, additionally identified to provide microtones.
Past its sonic capabilities, the concept of incorporating traditions into modern composition was additionally interesting. “It’s all the time trapped on this [traditional] context,” she explains. “What position can modern music give these conventional devices? It’s actually about giving these devices and these gamers the chance to be represented on equal phrases with Western devices.”
Steven Webb (CAN/ZAF) Feeling alongside… (2025 World Premiere) for five Devices and Electronics
“I’ve all the time been a musician. I’ve performed piano my entire life — since I used to be 5,” says Steven Webb. He accomplished the Royal Conservatory curriculum.
“Once I completed highschool, I spotted I needed to […] do it extra critically.” That led to research on the College of Manitoba.
“I turned increasingly fascinated with how music was put collectively,” he explains. “I believe I used to be slightly pissed off on the time, feeling like I wasn’t creating, simply recreating.”
He started with works for piano and voice, and labored with choirs. “That in a short time expanded.”
The subsequent step was movie music, which he pursued in Winnipeg. “I labored as a movie composer for various years.” It led to a fascination for digital music, and a Grasp’s diploma on the College of Toronto. “I began exploring integrating electronics with devices.” He provides, “My output these days could be very eclectic. I used to really feel like that was a weak point in a means.” Now, he realizes that the other is true, and that going in numerous instructions circles again to a bigger understanding of composition.
The week lengthy workshop that leads as much as the composer showcase live performance on Might 2 was one of many huge attracts for him.
“It was a very nice alternative,” he says. “It permits for a extra bold piece.” He provides, “Generally, you solely get a number of hours of rehearsal earlier than the efficiency.”
He describes the piece he’s presenting, Feeling alongside… as a composition with a way of theatricality, incorporating stay electronics and projections. “I describe my type as eclectic.” He usually makes use of components from different creative practices and expertise in his work, equivalent to coding, mixing them collectively to see how they complement one another.
“I nonetheless have this love of melody and lyricism that may generally get misplaced in music that’s experimental. I attempt to stability that,” he says. “Experimental lyricism.”
The skilled Toronto musicians that NMC has assembled permit for a bigger scope. “It was complicated to place collectively. There’s not many alternatives that come round to work with musicians like that.”
Having a selection of instrumentation additionally allowed him to enlarge his idea. “They inspired us to assume outdoors the Western sphere of instrumentation. It’s such a blessing for a composer.”
His work incorporates various sounds, together with viola, bamboo flute, Persian tar, and extra.
Tsz Lengthy (Fish) Yu (CAN/HKG) House《家》(2025 World Premiere) for Erhu and Electronics
Tsz Lengthy (Fish) Yu started his journey in music as a baby in Hong Kong, the place he grew up.
“I performed in a wind band for 12 years in Hong Kong,” Fish explains. He performed French horn and trumpet.
“In the future, I heard a bit by Stravinsky. It’s known as the Ceremony of Spring,” he laughs.
He was intrigued by the music, sufficient in order that he determined to pursue it in his training. He started composing in highschool at The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, the place he’d ultimately earn his Bachelor of Music in Composition & Digital Music. 4 years in the past, on commencement, he determined to proceed his research in Toronto, the place he completed his Grasp of Music diploma on the College of Toronto in Music Expertise & Digital Media with a full scholarship underneath The Hong Kong Scholarship for Excellence Scheme.
He’s now engaged on his Physician of Musical Arts on the College of Toronto, majoring in Music Composition underneath the mentorship of Gary Kulesha and Christos Hatzis. Yu has additionally served as a Composer Fellow with The Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra for his or her 2024/25 season, and his piece Bloom was premiered by the orchestra in February.
Fish says he wrote “old fashioned band music” at first, however step by step expanded his compositional vocabulary. He’s been influenced by varied composers he’s encountered alongside the best way, together with Toru Takemitsu. He was notably eager about Takemitsu’s Rain Tree compositions, which had been written for varied percussion devices, and name for particular lighting results.
“I used to be so stunned and so shocked,” he says of the mixture.
It opened his eyes to the infinite prospects of up to date music. “I wish to compose music for acoustics and electronics,” he says.
“Proper now, I’m a composer, however numerous what I’m doing is media,” he explains. His work consists of producing exhibits, in addition to video capturing and manufacturing. He’s labored with a number of ensembles and organizations in Toronto, together with The Happenstancers and percussion group KöNG Duo. He likes the variety, and what he can be taught from it.
He usually consists of different multimedia components into his work. In relation to new music, multimedia components usually function one other means for audiences to develop into immersed in, and perceive, it.
His piece《家》incorporates a number of multimedia and even theatrical points. “It is going to contain some performing,” he explains. He’s engaged on the ultimate touches of staging, together with lighting.
Yu additionally names British/Japanese composer Dai Fujikura as an inspiration, particularly, his use of conventional Japanese devices alongside interval European devices.
“It’s very thrilling and fascinating,” he says of the mixture. He’s utilizing an erhu, a standard Chinese language two-string instrument that’s bowed, in his new work.
The Live performance
The 4 World Premieres shall be offered on Might 2 with an ensemble of gifted Toronto musicians that features:
- Padideh Ahrarnejad — Tar
- Shreyas Ambikar — Santoor
- Amahl Arulanandam — Cello
- Patty Chan — Erhu
- Brad Cherwin — Bass Clarinet
- Jesse Dietschi — Bass
- Diane Doig — Horn
- Elias Doyle — Trumpet
- Sarah Fraser-Raff — Violin
- Nikki Huang — Percussion
- Clara Nguyen-Tran — Viola
- Clare Scholtz — Oboe
- Ryan Scott — Percussion
- Wesley Shen — Synth/Harmonium/Sho
- Dora Wang — Bamboo Flute
Discover out extra in regards to the MAKEWAY showcase on Might 2, and get tickets, [HERE].
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Anya Wassenberg is a Toronto Metropolis Editor at Ludwig Van. She is an skilled freelance author, blogger and writing teacher.