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.
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Trained as a classical guitarist, Maria Molinari began her composing career writing concert music for soloists, chamber groups, ballet and orchestras until her love of film, storytelling & collaboration drew her to film scoring. A melodically driven composer, Maria’s love of film scores began with the tuneful, soaring themes of John Williams and the haunting harmonies of Thomas Newman. She cites among her strongest influences the music of Prokofiev, Debussy, Stravinsky, Arvo Pärt, Jerry Goldsmith and Dario Marianelli.
Maria recently composed the score for the bold critically acclaimed anthology film TO THE NEW GIRL. Based on playwright Samantha Macher’s celebrated female-driven stage production of the same name the award-winning film features an all-female creative team & cast. Her music can been heard in the score for the feature film END OF DAYS, INC. starring Mark O’Brien (CITY ON A HILL) and the theme for the forensic series MOTIVES & MURDERS: CRACKING THE CASE. She has provided additional music for the MARVEL COMICS based sci-fi syndicated series MUTANT X and the retro musical comedy series GETTING ALONG FAMOUSLY. Maria’s screen projects have enjoyed international broadcast as well as winning awards and playing at celebrated festivals including TRIBECA, VANCOUVER INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, MONTREAL WORLD FILM FESTIVAL, BLOOD IN THE SNOW FESTIVAL and the CANADIAN FILM CENTRE WORLDWIDE SHORT FILM FESTIVAL.
Critically acclaimed violinist MOSHE HAMMER, the VICTORIA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA and NATIONAL BALLET OF CANADA dancer/choreographer Stephanie Hutchison have premiered Maria’s concert works. Her prizewinning setting of ‘Willow Song’ from Shakespeare’s OTELLO in the STRATFORD FESTIVAL OF CANADA’S Composition Competition for Young Composers; an arrangement of the song for symphony orchestra and soprano soloist was subsequently commissioned and premiered by the GUELPH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA. Maria’s virtuosic three movement violin and piano work TRE PEZZI PER VIOLINO E PIANOFORTE has been performed internationally; its exciting movement DANZA has been released by the piano and violin MATHIEU-CHUA DUO on the Centrediscs/Centredisques label. Occasionally the film and concert music worlds collide as they did in a commission to compose original scores for the classic silent films THE PAWN SHOP (Charlie Chaplin) and MIGHTY LIKE A MOOSE (Charley Chase). Performed live by the CHAMBER MUSIC SOCIETY OF MISSISSAUGA the scores were received enthusiastically at a live performance to screenings of the films at the MISSISSAUGA LIVING ARTS CENTRE.
Maria studied composition at the UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO with Alexander Rapoport, and film scoring at the UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES with iconic film composers ELMER BERNSTEIN, LEONARD ROSENMAN, DAVID RAKSIN & CHRISTOPER YOUNG.
Maria is both a Canadian citizen and a citizen of the European Union.
Mitsuko Fernandes is a grade 11 student at the University of Toronto Schools. Despite a wide variety of interests, music is one of her main passions: she has played piano for over twelve years, and viola for six. She started composing from a young age, submitting early compositions to competitions just a few years after beginning piano. However, her love for composing was reignited in 9th grade after writing a song for a project in her music class. Her composition style is versatile, ranging from melancholy singer-songwriter to impressionist chamber music. She has played in multiple orchestras and chamber music ensembles, has held lead roles in multiple musicals, and is currently the lead singer of a band. She is currently studying piano with JUNO Award-winning pianist Angela Park and hopes to pursue music and composition in the future.
Shreya Jha is a composer, lyricist, playwright, educator, and medical student at the University of Toronto Temerty Faculty of Medicine. She previously completed dual Bachelors degrees in neuroscience and music composition at the University of Toronto. She is keenly interested in music composition, musical theatre, music education, and interdisciplinary research.
Shreya’s first musical Statistics (book, music, and lyrics) premiered at the U of T’s Drama Festival in February 2019. It then went on to be win the Adams Prize for Musical Theatre at the Toronto Fringe Festival. It made its Fringe debut in 2022. Statistics was shortlisted for the Playwrights’ Guild of Canada’s Robert Beardsley Award and appeared in the 2021 shortlisted play bundle.
Shreya’s second musical Connections was premiered in November 2019. LUV, written as a collaboration, debuted as a cast Album in 2020-2021. 18 Palace Road debuted in fall 2021.
Shreya made her professional compositional debut with the National Arts Centre Orchestra in April 2021. Her piece, Just Tango With Me will be performed at an upcoming concert (TBD) The Scarborough Philharmonic Orchestra has performed her pieces String Sonata Op. 8 Mvt 4 – Allegro Vivace, Adversity, Spring in the Step, Forgetting and her arrangement of a traditional Inuit song, This Child. In March 2017 and 2018, the Gryphon Trio premiered her pieces Vexation and Two Left Feet at their Trinity College coffeehouse. The Bold City Contemporary Ensemble selected her piece Journey Through A Daydream for programming in their 2017-2018 season. The Can-Am Trio will premiere her piece Tributes in an upcoming season.
Shreya continuously explores the intersections between music and science, including education and research. She developed a composition program at Sistema Toronto and remains an involved artist. She also works with the Music and Cognition Lab at the University of Toronto Mississauga, the Behavioural Cardiology Research Unit at Toronto General Hospital, and the Toronto Dementia Research Alliance in conjunction with the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.
Shreya received her Associate of the Royal Conservatory (ARCT) in piano performance with honours in June 2016. She is an active violist and violinist and has played with both the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra and the University of Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
Rachel “Ray” McFarlane is an exceptional upcoming composer whose extraordinary talent and achievements have propelled them to the forefront of the music industry at a remarkably young age.
She displays a level of artistry and craftsmanship that surpasses many seasoned composers. Her compositions demonstrate a remarkable fusion of classical sophistication and contemporary innovation, leaving audiences in awe of their maturity and depth.
Rachel is a dual major student at Berklee College of Music, majoring in Film Scoring and Video Game Scoring. She has studied under Kevin Lau and is currently a composer for Orchestral Tools, Spitfire Audio, Sonixinema, and The Scarborough Philharmonic Orchestra.
Website: https://raymcfarlane.carrd.co/
French-Canadian mezzo-soprano and composer Anika-France Forget has been noted for her exemplary stage presence, and for being playful and vocally impressive. In 2022, she was the recipient of a Leverhulme Arts Scholarship at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, U.K., where she obtained a Master of Music in Voice Performance studying with soprano Marilyn Rees. In the same year, Anika-France was commissioned by Slow Rise Music and her work premiered during the Hanging by a Thread inaugural concert at the Canadian Music Centre in Toronto. Thanks to a mentoring partnership between the Diaspora Dialogues and the Orpheus Choir of Toronto, Anika-France’s choral piece “Prayer for Return” was commissioned and got its world premiere at the 2019 Raising Her Voice and 2019 Toronto’s Nuit Blanche. Her work received many praises: “Passion is at the core of Forget’s score, lush harmony, emotional questioning and a deeply felt synergy with Eskandani’s poem” (Robert Cooper, conductor).
In the fall 2024, she will be working with the Myriad Ensemble and their artistic director, Elise Naccarato, towards the premiere of her SSA piece “Of A Demon In My View”. Continuing her musical journey, she will commence an Intensive Profile Masters of Music in Composition at the University of Ottawa in September, supported by a full Arts Merit Scholarship.
Website: https://anikafrance.com/
Elienna is a Toronto-based composer studying with Professor Norbert Palej at the University of Toronto. Her songs, choral works, and chamber music have been performed at the University of Toronto, the Women’s Art Association of Canada, the Neighbourhood Unitarian Universalist Church, and retirement homes across the GTA. This year, her art song, “Promise Me A Moment” premiered at the University of Toronto’s New Music Festival while her choral piece, “Wings,” was premiered by the Spirit Singers Choir at the “Come In From the Cold” fundraising concert this March. Her composition for piano solo, “Butterfly,” was performed at the University of Toronto’s Student Composers Concert and was awarded gold at the 2024 Toronto Kiwanis Festival. This April, her art song, “Rosé Leaves,” will be premiered by Daniel MacMillan as part of the New Generation Composers program, and her choral piece “Words Unspoken,” will be workshopped by the Elmer Iseler Singers at the CMC. Elienna is also a collaborative pianist, accompanying the University of Toronto’s Graduate Voice Pedagogy Program and the Spirit Singers Choir this year. At the same time, her work organizing concerts at retirement homes, including the Bradgate Retirement home and Richmond Hill Retirement Residence shows her passion for promoting well-being as a performer and composer. By sharing her musical voice, Elienna hopes to bring joy, hope, and belonging to her listeners. Elienna’s music is available through her Youtube channel, showcasing her work in the past 4 years.
Yuhan is a Chinese-born composer and pianist based in Toronto. She recently won the Ann H Atkinson Prize in 2023 and currently serves as the composer-in-residence at the University of Toronto Wind Symphony and Chamber Choir. Her winning composition, performed with the Bedford piano trio, titled “The Not-yet,” premiered at the 2023 UofT New Music Festival. Yuhan’s work has been showcased across East Asia and North America, including soundtracks for visual media like Hulu’s 2021 id Artists showcase advertisement, as well as award-winning films such as “Oop” and “Gamble”. In 2021, she assumed the role of music producer and team lead at ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company in Beijing. Yuhan is presently pursuing a composition doctorate at the University of Toronto under the guidance of Professor Christos Hatzis.”
Taiwanese-born Canadian, Hsiu-Ping Patrick Wu, is an award-winning composer, violinist, and multimedia artist who is constantly on the search for musical language that bridges his multicultural
identity. Patrick’s music ranges from his own style of neo-romanticism to avant-garde soundscapes; fusing theatrical elements and improvisational techniques.
In the upcoming season of 2023-2024, Patrick will be launching his solo violin work “EN ROUTE” on Gillian Smith’s upcoming album with Leaf Music. Some highlights of the season include: a new string quartet for Boston-based Gaia Quartet, an aria for LYSISTRATA Reimagined to be premiered in
January 2024, and various chamber music works in Toronto and Boston.
Patrick has worked with renowned ensembles such as the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Hypercube Ensemble, The Julius Quartet, Loadbang, Alkali Collective, Neave Trio, Gaia Quartet, and nexbloom.
His works have premiered at highSCORE Composition Festival, Zodiac Music Festival, Uzmah Upbeat Composition Program, Atlantic Music Festival, Scotia Festival of Music, Tuckamore Chamber Music Festival, and most recently, Mostly Modern Festival. Patrick has worked with composers Jérôme
Blais, Alexandra du Bois, Vivian Fung, Amy Beth Kirsten, David Ludwig, and Dinuk Wijeratne.
In addition to composing, Patrick performs actively on the violin from solo performances to chamber music and orchestral repertoire. Patrick has studied the violin with I-Ching Li, Philippe Djokic, Mark Lee, Sean Wang, and Jesse Mills. In 2016, he served as concertmaster of the Evergreen
Symphony Orchestra Summer Festival in Taiwan, as well as concertmaster of the Nova Scotia Youth Orchestra.
Patrick is an Associate Composer of the Canadian Music Centre and an affiliate member of the Canadian League of Composers. His music is represented by SOCAN and ASCAP. Patrick is currently pursuing his Doctoral of Musical Arts at the University of Toronto under the guidance of Dr. Norbert
Palej. Patrick holds his Master of Music in Composition and Violin Performance as well as a Graduate Diploma in Composition from Longy School of Music of Bard College. He earned his
Bachelor of Music from the Fountain School of Performing Arts, Dalhousie University.