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