Deon Neilsen Price

Deon Nielsen Price (Degrees: Brigham Young University; University of Michigan; University of Southern California) is a commissioned and published ASCAP composer and author, award-winning pianist, recording artist, conductor, church musician, and veteran college lecturer. Dr. Price advocates for women in music and for living composers as a former president of The National Association of Composers, USA and of The International Alliance for Women in Music.

In Carnegie Hall on January 24, 2025, “War Ends/Song Endures,” a tribute to the valiant spirit of Ukrainians, will be performed by flutist Lindsey Goodman and pianist Claire Longendyke. On January 31, at the Clark Center for Performing Arts in Arroyo Grande, California, Darryl Taylor, countertenor, Chika Inoue, saxophone, Mary Au, piano, and the Opera San Luis Obispo Grand Orchestra, conducted by Music Director Brian Asher Alhadeff, will perform “Behind Barbed Wire,” Songs from To the Children of War, and “Kizuna” (Empathy) for the commemoration, Behind Barbed Wire: A Glimpse at Central Coast Japanese-American Life in World War II.

2024 releases include “War Ends/Song Endures” on In the Company of Music (Navona); song cycles Ludwig’s Letter to Eternal Beloved (Beethoven), Gallery (James Morehead), and To All Women Everywhere (Carol Lynn Pearson); and duos Three faces of Kim and Silver and Gold, performed by Darryl Taylor, countertenor, Phillip Harris, baritone, Amy Goymerac, soprano, Suzanne Duffy, flute, Douglas Masek, saxophone, and James Lent, Chesley Mok, Susan Azeret Davies, and Deon Price, piano, on Concert from Presidio Chapel (Cambria). Upcoming release: Oratorio CHRISTUS, recorded in the Salt Lake Tabernacle. Visit: https://culvercrest.com

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Annette Johnson, composer

Music has always been a fundamental part of Annette Johnson’s life. Born and raised in Albuquerque,
New Mexico, she grew up singing and playing the violin. Her early experience includes participating in the Albuquerque Youth Symphony Program (AYS) from 2006 – 2017, and singing with the Santa Fe Opera in 2010 as the soprano spirit in The Magic Flute. Her passion for composing led to her original piece Soul of the Earth being performed by AYS in 2017 and again in 2024.

She graduated Summa cum Laude from Berklee College of Music in 2021 with her bachelor’s degree in film scoring. And for the past six years she has continued her education through her mentor, Emmy Award-winning composer Gavin Greenaway, known for writing the music for Illuminations: Reflections of Earth at Epcot, and for conducting the soundtracks for over a hundred feature-length films.

Annette has since written music for short films such as Giraffe Family Read by Dr. Jane Goodall, Asking
for It by Christy Lee Hughes, the Roaring River documentary series by Tim Bass, and has also done
music prep work for projects such as Fast X. Additionally, she has released singles including Bottom of
the Universe, Rise to the Challenge, Remembering Dream, and Railway to Paradise. More of her work
can be found on her website at annettejohnsonmusic.com.
Annette is honored to have her piece, Age of Invention, performed by Kaye Royer and the Odin Quartet!

Songs of Hope

Tracks:

1. Shreya Jha: Walk With Me (5:03) [notes and lyrics]

2. Elienna Wang: Rosé Leaves (5:36) [notes and lyrics]

3. Ted Runcie: Where Shadow Chases Light (5:42) [notes and lyrics]

4. Leela Gilday: All Alone (4:11)

5. Daniel Mehdizadeh: New Castles (5:12) [notes and lyrics]

6. Rachel McFarlane: Eternal Embrace (4:15) [notes and lyrics]

7. Bruno Degazio: Seven Parables of the Rising Dawn (17:09) [notes and lyrics]

8-10. Ronald Royer: Women of Dante’s Divine Comedy, Three Songs [notes and texts]

- Francesca da Rimini (Inferno) (6:05)
- Sapia of Siena (Purgatory) (6:42)
- Beatrice (Paradise) (5:55)

Danielle MacMillan, Mezzo Soprano (Tr. 1-10)

Maghan McPhee, Soprano (Tr. 3, 5)

Ronald Royer, Conductor (Tr. 1, 6-10)

Ted Runcie, Conductor (Tr. 3)

SPO Chamber Players:

Kaye Royer, Clarinet (Tr. 1, 3, 6-10)

Kristin Day, Bassoon (Tr. 7-10)

Gilles Thibodeau, Horn (Tr. 1, 3, 7-10)

Lisa Tahara, Piano (Tr. 1-3, 5, 7-10)

Odin Quartet:

Tanya Charles, Violin (Tr. 1, 3, 4, 6-10)

Alex Toskov, Violin (Tr. 3, 4, 6-10)

Matthew Antal, Viola (1-4, 6-10)

Samuel Bisson, Cello (1, 3-10)

Production:

Matt Antal, Recording Engineer; Jamie Way, Cover Design; Ronald Royer, Producer

Artistic Statement:

In 2023, the SPO decided to embark on a musical journey. We asked ourselves: “How can artists respond to the times in which we live?” Our answer was to create a song cycle embracing the theme, “through adversity, hope”. We brought together composers with a variety of lived experiences and cultural perspectives, who were also at different stages of their lives and careers. We selected 2 singers and chose an ensemble of 8 musicians from the SPO community, including our ensemble-in-residence, the Odin Quartet. We asked mezzo soprano Danielle MacMillan to be involved as we developed the various stories, lyrics, and music. Some of our composers wrote their own lyrics, and others were inspired by and adapted historical works. Each composer maintained their own musical voice but worked collaboratively while creating their lyrics and music. The SPO wanted to create a unified song cycle with the goal of engaging and touching our audience with music that finds hope in the face of challenge. For the next stage, Songs of Hope was workshopped, rehearsed, performed and finally recorded. Soprano Maghan McPhee summed it up for our team,

“For me, this project reaffirmed a core truth: music isn’t just about notes and rhythms—it’s about the stories we tell and the bonds we form along the way.Here’s to hope, collaboration, and the enduring power of art to connect us all.”

Acknowledgements:

On behalf of the SPO, I want to thank everyone involved for their commitment to the project and their great work, including our composers, performers, recording team, SPO administrative team, and our record label. I also want to thank the Canada Council for the Arts for their support in developing Songs of Hope. We enjoyed creating this album, and we hope you, our audience, will enjoy listening.

Ronald Royer

Songs of Hope project development and workshopping was made possible through the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.

Massimo Guida, composer

Toronto-based Italian-Canadian composer, theorist, educator, and copyist Massimo Guida was born in Modena, Italy, in 1990, and has lived in Canada since 2008. He completed his doctoral studies in composition at the University of Toronto in 2019, under the supervision of Professor Christos Hatzis. Described by La Scena Musicale in 2012 as a composer who writes with “a particularly strong melodic inspiration,” Massimo seeks to combine his fondness for Italian melodic lyricism and storytelling with a contemporary musical language in his works. A multi-award-winning composer, in 2015 he won the Violet Archer Prize, for his song cycle Confessions (2014), as well as the Mississauga Festival Choir Competition for his choral work Infant Joy (2013), which was written for the birth of his nephew. Massimo’s compositions and arrangements have been performed and read in Canada, England, France, Germany, Italy, South Korea, and the United States, by artists including the Scarborough Philharmonic Orchestra, the Brantford Symphony Orchestra, the North York Concert Orchestra, The Music4Life Ensemble, Fawn Chamber Creative, Slow Rise Music, The Odin Quartet, the St. Lawrence String Quartet, the Interro Quartet, the Bedford Trio, the Mississauga Festival Choir, the Fujita–Ko Duo, the GamUT Contemporary Ensemble, the University of Toronto Brass Ensemble, organist James Devor, Juno nominee Lindsay Schoolcraft, and pianist Alexander Panizza. He served as the Scarborough Philharmonic Orchestra New Generation Affiliate Composer during the 2020–21 season, and also took part at the Orford Music Academy in 2020. One of his piano compositions, Fantasia Sopra Sei Temi di Puccini (2021), is featured on Panizza’s album Everything Waits for the Lilacs, in collaboration with the SPO, which was released in March 2024. A keen supporter of contemporary music in Canada, Massimo also served on the board of the Canadian League of Composers as an Ontario councillor between 2020 and 2022, and is an associate composer with the Canadian Music Centre, as well as a Professional Member of the Canadian League of Composers.

(2024)

Zhiqi (Jimmy) Jin, composer

Jimmy Jin, born in 1996, is a composer, violinist, and music educator with a strong presence in both Canada and China. Currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Music Composition and working as a Theory Teaching Assistant at Western University, his work spans genres such as pop, contemporary, classical, folk, and jazz. Jimmy is passionate about composing for concert music, game soundtracks, and short film scores. Recently, he has focused on electroacoustic music, along with mixing and mastering. His diverse background reflects a deep passion for both traditional and modern musical forms, making him a versatile and innovative artist.
(2024)

CALL FOR SCORES-ASMAC and SCGC Collaboration

The Scarborough Philharmonic Orchestra (SPO) and the Screen Composers Guild of Canada (SCGC) are thrilled to make a preliminary announcement of a Call for Scores for an exciting series of events set to take place in Toronto and Los Angeles in early 2025. This initiative will showcase the talents of Toronto-based clarinetist Kaye Royer and the Odin Quartet during an eight-day tour featuring multiple concerts and workshops.

Focus on Film Scoring:
This Call for Scores is specifically aimed at the film-scoring component of the project. Composers are invited to create original scores for video clips that will be provided for this project. (Available Soon)

Submission Details:
Deadline: December 1, 2024
Eligibility: Open to members of the SCGC and the SPO community of composers, including past participants of the SPO’s New Generation Composers Workshops. For the Canadian portion of the event, participants must be a Canadian Citizen or Landed Immigrant.

Scoring Requirements:

Composers will score to video clips provided specifically for this project, which will be available online (location TBA) by the end of September 2024.
Scores must be written for clarinet and string quartet or any subset thereof.
Score Length: 60 to 100 seconds, depending on the chosen video clip.

The Challenge in Brief

1. Select a Video
  - - Choose one of eight videos provided. A link to the video files will be sent upon request TO bruno@spo.ca
2. Options include three short animated films created by Sheridan College graduates and five scenes from classic public-domain films.
3. All videos are approximately two minutes in length.
4. Compose Your Score
  - - Write music for an ensemble of 2 violins, viola, cello, and B-flat or A clarinet.
5. The score should enhance the narrative, action, and dialogue (if present).

Create a Demo Recording
- Use virtual instruments to produce a demo version of your composition.
Submit a Synchronized Video
- Your submission must be a video file that syncs your demo recording with the chosen film.
- File Specifications:
  - Format: MP4
  - Resolution: Minimum 720p
  - Frame rate: 24 or 29.97 fps
  - Audio: 16-bit, 48 kHz

Submit PDF Materials for Live Performance
- Provide a transposed PDF score and five individual parts (one per instrument).
- The live performance will feature the Odin Quartet with clarinetist Kaye Royer.

Eligibility

The Canadian challenge is open to:

1. Canadian citizens and permanent residents only.

2. Composers who are involved with the SPO or SCGC. If you are not sure, contact the organization that you have had a connection to.

3. ASMAC and NACUSA-LA have a separate US competition for their members.

We look forward to hearing your creativity and talent. Good luck, and enjoy the scoring journey!

Bruno Degazio (bruno@spo.ca) and the Film Scoring Challenge Team

This project involves the following organizations:

ASMAC – American Society of Music Arrangers and Composers – https://asmac.org/

NACUSA-LA – National Association of Composers USA- Los Angeles Chapter – https://www.nacusala.org/

SCGC – Screen Composers Guild of Canada – https://screencomposers.ca/

SPO – Scarborough Philharmonic Orchestra

Planned Events!

Los Angeles Event – February 8, 2025:
- A live reading to picture during an ASMAC Zoom event at 12 noon PST (UTC-08). Simultaneous live streaming will be available online world-wide.
- The event will feature a live audience in Los Angeles and conductors Ronald Royer (SPO) and Charles Fernandez (ASMAC).
- ASMAC will videotape the score reading and make it available to composers and ASMAC members.

Toronto Event: late February 2025, date TBA
- A live performance, sponsored by SPO and the Canadian Music Centre (CMC), with a live audience and simultaneous streaming world-wide.
- Selected film cues will be performed as part of a broader program.
- Six Canadian composers will be selected for participation in this event.

Selection Process:

The selection committee for this category will include:

Charles Fernandez (ASMAC)
Bruno Degazio (SPO)
An additional ASMAC Board member (TBA)

It is anticipated that eight works from ASMAC and NACUSA-LA, and six Canadian works will be selected.

All six Canadian selections will be performed at the Toronto events listed above. The top four Canadian selections will also be performed in Los Angeles as part of the events taking place there.

For the Canadian works there will be cash prizes of $500 and $300 awarded for the top two selections. Cash Prizes courtesy of the Screen Composers Guild of Canada and the Scarborough Philharmonic Orchestra

Daniel Lalonde, bass

Classical and Tango Double bassist, Daniel Lalonde, has recently won the position of Principal Bass of the Ontario Philharmonic. He is a sub with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, The Canadian Opera Company, Toronto Concert Orchestra, Amici Ensemble, Toronto Operetta Theatre, and other ensebles in the GTA . In 2015-16 Daniel was a member of the world touring crossover ensemble, Barrage 8, performing concerts, musical outreach and recording an album. He is also a part of a modern Argentinian Tango quintet called, Amarras, which performs regularly around Toronto.

Bingo Helpers

Casual labour $25/hr

Perfect for a student (over 18) or an active senior wanting to earn a few extra dollars while helping the community. Scarborough Philharmonic schedules 2 person shifts each Saturday afternoon to assist with our bingo fundraising at Delta Downsview. To qualify each applicant must first complete a short online training course (takes 1-2 hours to complete) and an orientation interview at the gaming facility. Following completion of these orientation tasks, we will schedule you for the next available shift.

For more information contact: ivanna@spo.ca

2024-2025 New Generation Film Composer’s Project

CALL FOR PROPOSALS: NEW GENERATION FILM COMPOSITION PROGRAM

Composing Music for Animated Film

Deadline: October 24, 2024

The Scarborough Philharmonic Orchestra (SPO) is issuing a call for proposals for early career and advanced student composers wanting to write music for animated film.

Successful applicants will write music for animated short films created by students of world-renowned Sheridan College Bachelor of Animation program. During the writing process, each selected applicant will be paired with an experienced film composer who acts as a mentor: helping with advice on spotting the film; choosing the synthesized instrumentation; writing the music; recording and synchronization to picture.

Participants will also be supported and advised by SPO music director Ronald Royer and will also take part in an orientation meeting to discuss the logistics of synchronizing to video.

Completed animation scores will be published on the SPO’s YouTube channel from April to July 2025.

Composers can also separately apply to the SPO’s New Generation Composer’s Project (link), writing a short concert piece for clarinet and string quartet. If a composer is accepted into both programs, they will need to choose one. Composers will not be able to participate in both programs in the same year.

ELIGIBILITY

The project is open to early-career and student composers who are Canadian citizens and permanent residents, aged 18 to 35. (Occasionally older applicants are considered where financial or life circumstances delayed the applicant’s access to higher education).
The program is focused on Canada-based composers. Composers can be involved in-person or online.
Composers are not required to have prior film scoring experience.
Composers must be equipped with a suitable computer, scoring software such as a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) or notation software, and sample libraries or software synthesizers.
Examples of suitable software include:
- DAW – Cubase; Logic; Digital Performer; FL Studio; Reaper;
- Notation: Sibelius, Finale, or Dorico (all with NotePerformer)
- Sample Libraries: g. Vienna Symphonic Library, Spitfire BBC Orchestra, Orchestral Tools Layers, and many others.

About the SPO New Generation Film Composer’s program:

Animated films from graduates of the Sheridan College Animation program will be provided for scoring purposes. The films are between one and four minutes long and will be provided to participants as MP4 video files. Note that these video files cannot be used outside this program and cannot be shared with others except through the SPO’s Youtube channel.
Scored music can include orchestral instruments (via the appropriate sample library), electronic/digital instruments, musique concrete or any other sounds deemed appropriate.
Selected composers are expected to participate in a minimum of two mentorship meetings.
Composers are encouraged to listen and view previously scored films on the SPO’s Youtube channel in the Animated Films Playlist.

APPLICATION PROCESS:

Completed Application Form (see below)
CV or Resume: Attach a PDF file focusing on your composition activity, including any film-scoring related projects. Be sure to include a valid email address and other appropriate contact information.
Two examples of your music: Recordings of two pieces must be submitted. These may be of music alone or music scored to picture.
- Live performance or MIDI recordings are both acceptable.
- Acceptable File formats are:
  - MP3 recordings (audio only).
  - MP4 video files (for audio and video).
  - Links to streaming services such as SoundCloud for audio and Youtube for video are also acceptable. Please ensure that the link is valid for at least one month following the deadline.

APPLY:

This form is currently closed for submissions.

New Generation Composers’ Program 2024-2025

The Scarborough Philharmonic Orchestra (SPO) is issuing a call for proposals for early career and advanced student composers wanting to write for a string quartet. Four composers will be selected to write a short piece for the Odin Quartet. This is the sixth edition of the Scarborough Philharmonic Orchestra’s New Generation Composer’s Project.

Author: Communications