Jeffrey Ryan (born 1962) is a Canadian
composer
A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music.
Etymology and def ...
based in
Vancouver
Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...
,
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...
. His compositional style ranges from opera, art song, and choral music to chamber ensemble and orchestral works. Ryan has been commissioned by the
Cleveland Orchestra, the Windsor Symphony, Esprit Orchestra, Tapestry New Opera Works, the
Arditti Quartet, and
Elektra Women's Choir. Repeat performances have been presented by the
Montreal Symphony Orchestra
The Montreal Symphony Orchestra () is a Canadian symphony orchestra based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The orchestra’s home is the Montreal Symphony House at Place des Arts.
History
Several orchestras were precursor ensembles to the curren ...
, the
Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, the
Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra, the
Victoria Symphony, the
Canadian Chamber Choir, the
Florida Orchestra, and the
South Dakota Symphony Orchestra, as well as a number of art song teams and chamber ensembles. He is an Associate Composer with the
Canadian Music Centre.
Early life and education
Ryan was born in
Toronto
Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
,
Ontario
Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
, Canada. He graduated with an honours bachelor of music degree from the
Wilfrid Laurier University and the gold medal in music. After earning a master's degree in composition from the
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...
, he went on to receive his doctor of musical arts degree in composition from the
Cleveland Institute of Music, where he studied with
Donald Erb. Previous teachers include
Alexina Louie, Lothar Klein, Mariano Etkin,
Boyd McDonald, and Owen Underhill.
Career
Since 1997, Ryan has been Composer Advisor for Music Toronto. He was an Affiliate Composer with the
Toronto Symphony Orchestra from 2000 to 2002; he then served as the
Vancouver Symphony Orchestra's Composer-in-Residence from 2002 to 2007, and continues as Composer Laureate of that ensemble.
Ryan and has been a featured composer with various festivals in Canada and the United States, including Soundstreams, Canada's Encounters series, the Winnipeg Symphony New Music Festival, Brandon New Music, the Strings of the Future festival, and
Bowling Green State University's New Music and Art Festival.
In 2018, Ryan's work "Angeline on Ossabaw" was performed as part of the Luminous Voices concert in Calgary.
Awards and recordings
Ryan was twice nominated for a
Juno Award
The Juno Awards (stylized as JUNOS), or simply known as the Junos, are awards presented by Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to recognize outstanding achievements in Canada's mu ...
for Classical Composition of the Year (for Quantum Mechanics in 2008 and Pangaea in 2005, the latter recorded by the
Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra conducted by Music Director
Geoffrey Moull). His works have also been recorded by the Bowling Green Philharmonia (Ophélie), the Hannaford Street Silver Band (She Threw It Down, Anathema), the Penderecki Quartet (String Quartet #3), the
Canadian Chamber Choir (Angeline on Ossabaw and After Storm), and Tyler Duncan and Erika Switzer (the song cycle Everything Already Lost).
References
External links
Jeffrey Ryan's homepage The Canadian Music Centre
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ryan, Jeffrey
1962 births
Canadian male composers
Cleveland Institute of Music alumni
Living people
Musicians from Toronto