Composition

The School of Music's composition section has a reputation for experimentation and innovation, attracting students from across Canada, the United States, and around the world.

Our faculty consists of accomplished composers involved in both the creation and research of music composition, whose works are performed at major festivals and concert venues both nationally and internationally.

Programs & Courses

We offer Bachelor of Music and Master of Music programs in Music Composition.

In addition to private instruction, students can take advantage of a variety of courses in the areas of composition, music theory, musicology, ethnomusicology, and computer music.

Course Calendar

For information about the specific course requirements of our undergraduate program, please see the UVic Calendar for required courses for the Major in Composition and Theory.

For information about the specific course requirements of our Master's program, please see the UVic Calendar for required courses for the MMus in Composition.

Concerts

Each piece written during students' time at UVic is expected to be performed. The School of Music sponsors numerous composition events, including composer concerts, colloquia, computer music workshops, as well as the annual University of Victoria Orchestra Reading Session. We invite guest speakers and ensembles from around the world to perform and teach.

Faculty

	Dániel Péter Biró MFA (Musik. Wurzburg), MFA (Musik. Frankfurt), Ph.D. (Princeton) Associate Professor birouvic@gmail.com
	Christopher Butterfield B. Mus. (U. of Vic.), M.A. (S.U.N.Y.Stony Brook) Associate Professor cbutterf@uvic.ca
	John Celona B.M., M.A. (San Fran. St.), Ph.D. (Calif., San Diego) Professor celona@uvic.ca
	Kirk McNally B.Mus., M.Sc. (McGill) P.E.A. kmcnally@uvic.ca
	Gordon Mumma Adjunct Faculty gordonmumma@yahoo.com
	W. Andrew Schloss B.A. (Bennington Coll.), Ph.D. (Stanford) Professor aschloss@uvic.ca

Recent Composition Events

Every year the School of Music invites guest speakers and ensembles from around the world. Recent and upcoming visitors include Maria de Alvear, Chaya Czernowin (Harvard University), Bozzini Quartet, Ensemble contemporain de Montréal, Frank Cox, Michael Finnissy, the Hug-Laplante Duo, the JACK String Quartet, Ensemble Nikel, Benedetto Passannanti, Helmut Lachenmann, Giorgio Magnanensi, Gordon Monahan, Quatuor Quasar, Rodney Sharman, Martijn Tellinga, Trimpin, Trio SurPlus, Olaf Tzschoppe, as well as ethnomusicologists Simcha Arom (CNRS – Paris) and Kofi Agawu (Princeton University); musicologist Leo Treitler.

Guest Artist & Lecture - Chaya Czernowin, Composer
February 28 - 29, 2012

SALT Festival
Friday, March 2 & Saturday, March 3, 2012
University of Victoria Orchestra & Open Space

New Course!
MUS 462 - 562 A/B - Seminar in Interactive Creation/Performance of New Music

Quatuor Bozzini
Readings of Student Works
March 11, 2011

Ensemble contemporain de Montréal
Concert and Readings of Student Works
Nov. 7-8, 2010

Guest Lecture - Bob Baker
Canadian Music Centre Presentation for Canadian Composers
Sept. 28 , 2010 - 12:30 pm

Mari Kimura
March 2-3, 2010

Quasar Saxophone Quartet
January 26-29, 2010
Readings, Lectures, Performance

Orion Visiting Artist: Luciane Cardassi, Piano (Brazil)
Oct. 7-9, 2009

Concert with Noa Frenkel (Holland/Israel) and
Sven Thomas Kiebler (Germany)
Oct. 7, 2009

Lecture/Performance with Louis Andriessen
April 1, 2009

Composing for the Voice
A workshop with Christopher Butterfield, composer, and Benjamin Butterfield, tenor.
Sunday March 15th, 2009

Voice and Electronics Workshop with Noa Frenkel, Contralto
February 27, 2009

Concert and Readings by the JACK String Quartet (New York)
Jan. 14, 2009

Bartók’s String Quartets: Tradition and Legacy - International Symposium
September 19-21, 2008

Helmut Lachenmann: Lansdowne Lecture/Recital
April 1-2, 2008

Alumni

Alumni Profile

Michael Berger (BMus, UVic)
DMA candidate, Stanford University

David Cecchetto (MMus/PhD, UVic)
assistant professor (tenure track), OCADU,Toronto

Anna Hostman (BMus/MMus UVic)
DMA candidate, University of Toronto

Hollas Longton (BMus, UVic)
MA candidate, Royal Conservatory, The Hague, NL

Darren Miller (MMus, UVic)
PhD candidate, UVic

Sabrina Schroeder (BMus, UVic)
PhD candidate, Harvard University

Felipe Ribeiro (MMus, UVic)
PhD candidate, SUNY Buffalo

Andrea Young (BMus, UVic)
PhD candidate, CalArts

Christoph Both (PhD SPAR)
Acadia University

Robert Coburn (PhD SPAR)
University of the Pacific

Georgui Harizanov (MMus, UVic)
PhD Candidate, Sofia Bulgaria

Mason Koenig (BMus, UVic)
Banff Residency, 2010-2011

Max Murray (BMus, UVic)
Hans Eisler Hochschule Berlin Masters Program

Nick Piper (MMus, UVic)
SOCAN Foundation Awards for Young Composers, 2010

Fuhong Shi (MMus, UVic)
Karen Kieser Prize Winner, 2007, PhD University of Toronto, 2010

Heymin Suk (MMus, UVic)
SOCAN Pierre Mercure Award, 2008