My search for a Canadian Composers Discussion folder yielded no results, but I'll go ahead and start this thread. (With hopes that a treasure trove of Colin McPhee's unknown works appears...)
I've posted the Violin Concerto by Erhei Liang. Although born in China, he's been active in Canada for the past two decades, and I think he would be better classified as Canadian for now.
Material from the Canadian Music Centre.
BIOGRAPHY
Erhei Liang was born in the Peoples Republic of China, and was trained in both composition and conducting at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. In 1986, Liang moved to the United States to study composition at Louisiana State University, where he graduated with a DMA in 1992. Since his immigration to Canada in 1991, he has become deeply involved in the local Chinese community and music community of Scarborough. He currently serves as president of the Chinese Artists Society of Toronto, as artistic director of the Academy of Chamber Music for young Musicians, and as executive director of the Toronto Chinese Piano and String Teachers' Association. He also conducts the Xiaoping Chorus, and is composer-in-residence for the Hong Kong Chamber Chorus. His works have been performed in China, the US, and Canada at such prestigious institutions as the Weill Recital Hall in New York, and the Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto.
Interview, Liang's Cultural Influences: China to Canada
"In Canada, I am not only encouraged by Canadian multiculturalism, but also by the [artistic] demands from the large Chinese community in Toronto." –E.L.
Having lived, composed and studied in China, the U.S.A. and Canada, Erhei Liang has a unique perspective on the composer's role within the artistic worlds of these three countries. In China, he explains, "because of political reasons, [...] there were obvious limits for any composer [...] My compositional approach was more traditional. In the U.S.A., I touched on many contemporary Western styles. In Canada, I am free to compose with either approach, or to combine both. [...] In Canada, a composer's work involves [more than] applying existing techniques and styles, but also searching for new methods and new approaches."
Since his arrival in Canada in 1991, Erhei Liang has become vital to the Chinese arts community of Toronto. His commitment to multidisciplinary work and bridging groups in the community was a major theme in his 2008 composition, Songs of Love. Liang's idea was "to use music to turn the poetry into a stage work and a performing art, so that this [ancient story] could appear new to the audience." The work was intended for both art music and mainstream audiences, since, as Liang notes, "the [appeal] of art can be as powerful as that of entertainment."
I've posted the Violin Concerto by Erhei Liang. Although born in China, he's been active in Canada for the past two decades, and I think he would be better classified as Canadian for now.
Material from the Canadian Music Centre.
BIOGRAPHY
Erhei Liang was born in the Peoples Republic of China, and was trained in both composition and conducting at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. In 1986, Liang moved to the United States to study composition at Louisiana State University, where he graduated with a DMA in 1992. Since his immigration to Canada in 1991, he has become deeply involved in the local Chinese community and music community of Scarborough. He currently serves as president of the Chinese Artists Society of Toronto, as artistic director of the Academy of Chamber Music for young Musicians, and as executive director of the Toronto Chinese Piano and String Teachers' Association. He also conducts the Xiaoping Chorus, and is composer-in-residence for the Hong Kong Chamber Chorus. His works have been performed in China, the US, and Canada at such prestigious institutions as the Weill Recital Hall in New York, and the Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto.
Interview, Liang's Cultural Influences: China to Canada
"In Canada, I am not only encouraged by Canadian multiculturalism, but also by the [artistic] demands from the large Chinese community in Toronto." –E.L.
Having lived, composed and studied in China, the U.S.A. and Canada, Erhei Liang has a unique perspective on the composer's role within the artistic worlds of these three countries. In China, he explains, "because of political reasons, [...] there were obvious limits for any composer [...] My compositional approach was more traditional. In the U.S.A., I touched on many contemporary Western styles. In Canada, I am free to compose with either approach, or to combine both. [...] In Canada, a composer's work involves [more than] applying existing techniques and styles, but also searching for new methods and new approaches."
Since his arrival in Canada in 1991, Erhei Liang has become vital to the Chinese arts community of Toronto. His commitment to multidisciplinary work and bridging groups in the community was a major theme in his 2008 composition, Songs of Love. Liang's idea was "to use music to turn the poetry into a stage work and a performing art, so that this [ancient story] could appear new to the audience." The work was intended for both art music and mainstream audiences, since, as Liang notes, "the [appeal] of art can be as powerful as that of entertainment."