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 Could 2.
NMC’s method 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 have 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 residence.
Prior expertise in music consists of years spent in a touring rock band. Alongside the way in which, Matterson grew to become increasingly more thinking about modern classical.
“I acquired 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 a variety of trendy noise music. I believe that has a bigger affect on me than most issues.”
Certainly one 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 shocked to be sincere. I really feel like I’m type of the least skilled.”
Though Alex is a latest grad, additionally 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 begin 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 element. “To listen to an expert 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 known as Partitioned. I type of describe it as passing by a strong object.” As a transgendered particular person, Alex sees it as a type of allegory for popping out in right this moment’s society. “I’m utilizing it as type of passing by a wall.”
The music goals to convey the journey from what was earlier than and what’s to come back, taking into account that the latter isn’t essentially recognized, together with the overwhelming, intense, claustrophobic feeling that comes with experiencing discrimination.
“It’s fairly intense, as is a variety of my music.”
Up to now, Alex reviews that suggestions has been constructive.
“It’ll be loopy. It’s a variety of 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 complete life,” says Anju Singh. “My first reside present was the Fred Penner present once 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 perpetually.” There was additionally guitar, piano, and faculty choir. It’s a great background for a future composer. “Being on stage felt good.”
Whereas performing remained her fundamental focus, she started composing music for movies. It made her surprise if maybe that’s the place her abilities actually lay. As a multi-instrumentalist, she linked 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 attainable,” 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 suppose I’m lazy — I simply suppose 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 inconceivable to grow to be 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 observe of shopping for and accumulating as many devices as she may. “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 suppose there’s something particular about me as an artist,” she says. However, she believes she brings a distinct method 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 exhausting at growing my composition observe.”
Historically, the function of composer has been seen as considerably exalted, however Anju doesn’t see her function 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 this point.”
She’s trying 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 unimaginable 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 transferring collectively.” Taking part in in numerous 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 specifically. “I used to be all the time fascinated by this,” she provides. Different influences embrace Gérard Grisey and his Spectral Music, together with Italian composer Giacinto Francesco Maria Scelsi.
“He does one notice, however it’s not only one notice,” she explains.
By utilizing overtones, microtones, and extra, one notice turns into far more. Anju’s household is Sikh, and the collective prayers that happen in a temple have been additionally an inspiration. “It’s a drive,” she describes, “and it’s actually intense whenever you’re a younger baby.” 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 referred to as a reed organ, incorporates a number of tones and microtones. The Santoor is a standard Sikh instrument, additionally recognized 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 function 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 complete life — since I used to be 5,” says Steven Webb. He accomplished the Royal Conservatory curriculum.
“Once I completed highschool, I noticed I needed to […] do it extra critically.” That led to research on the College of Manitoba.
“I grew to become increasingly more fascinated with how music was put collectively,” he explains. “I believe I used to be a bit of 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 following step was movie music, which he pursued in Winnipeg. “I labored as a movie composer for numerous 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 spot in a manner.” Now, he realizes that the other is true, and that going in several instructions circles again to a bigger understanding of composition.
The week lengthy workshop that leads as much as the composer showcase live performance on Could 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, “Typically, you solely get a couple 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 reside electronics and projections. “I describe my fashion as eclectic.” He usually makes use of parts from different inventive practices and expertise in his work, reminiscent of coding, mixing them collectively to see how they complement one another.
“I nonetheless have this love of melody and lyricism that may typically get misplaced in music that’s experimental. I attempt to stability that,” he says. “Experimental lyricism.”
The skilled Toronto musicians that NMC has assembled enable for a bigger scope. “It was advanced 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 suppose 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 toddler 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.
“At some point, I heard a chunk by Stravinsky. It’s referred to 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 finally 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 Know-how & Digital Media with a full scholarship below 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 below 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 skool band music” at first, however progressively expanded his compositional vocabulary. He’s been influenced by numerous composers he’s encountered alongside the way in which, together with Toru Takemitsu. He was significantly thinking about Takemitsu’s Rain Tree compositions, which have been written for numerous percussion devices, and name for particular lighting results.
“I used to be so shocked and so shocked,” he says of the mix.
It opened his eyes to the countless potentialities of latest music. “I wish to compose music for acoustics and electronics,” he says.
“Proper now, I’m a composer, however a variety of what I’m doing is media,” he explains. His work consists of producing reveals, 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 range, and what he can study from it.
He usually consists of different multimedia parts into his work. In terms of new music, multimedia parts usually function one other manner for audiences to grow to be immersed in, and perceive, it.
His piece《家》incorporates a number of multimedia and even theatrical features. “It’s going to contain some appearing,” 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, specifically, his use of conventional Japanese devices alongside interval European devices.
“It’s very thrilling and fascinating,” he says of the mix. 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 can be offered on Could 2 with an ensemble of proficient 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 Could 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.
