HAMILTON, ON, June 3, 2025 — The Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra is thrilled to announce Composer Fellows for the 25-26 season. Now in its eighth year, the Composer Fellowship program offers early-career Canadian composers artistic and professional mentorship with HPO musicians, staff, Music Director James Kahane and Composer-in-Residence, Abigail Richardson-Schulte. Two Fellow positions are available with one for an emerging composer aged 25 or under and one for an emerging composer aged 26 or over.
A jury of HPO artistic leadership and musicians review the applications to make selections. Composer Fellows selected for the 25-26 season are Mari Alice Conrad in the 26 and over position and Joseph (Sehyeok) Park in the 25 and under position. Each composer will write a new work to be premiered by the HPO in the 25-26 Season. Joseph (Sehyeok) Park’s new work will premiere at Intimate & Immersive: Earth Songs on April 8, 2026, at The Cotton Factory. Mari Alice Conrad’s work will premiere at Tchaikovsky’s Fate on May 2, 2026, at FirstOntario Concert Hall.
The HPO is also excited to announce Future Award winner, Kalaisan Kalaichelvan. This category is offered to applicants who show exceptional promise, providing them the opportunity to be involved in the Composer Fellowship program staff sessions, and additional mentorship. Kalaichelvan will write a short piece to be premiered at the HPO Intimate & Immersive Concert on April 8, 2026 at The Cotton Factory.
“We are thrilled to welcome Mari Alice Conrad and Joseph Park to the HPO as our 25-26 Composer Fellows, along with Kalaisan Kalaichelvan as our Future Award winner,” said Abigail Richardson-Schulte, HPO Composer-in-Residence. “Each of these composers has a unique compositional voice and are at an ideal stage in their careers to get the most out of the program we offer. It was a hard decision this year with many exceptional applicants. Thank you to the many talented and hard-working composers that applied.”
“Fostering the next generation of composers in Canada is an essential part of the HPO’s mission and we are proud to see this program entering its eighth year,” said Kim Varian, HPO Executive Director. “We continue to grow this program to respond to the evolving landscape of Canadian orchestral music and create opportunities for early-career composers to connect with our industry and community.”
The Composer Fellowship program is presented in partnership with the Ontario Region of the Canadian Music Centre.
Mari Alice Conrad, 25-26 HPO Composer Fellow
Mari Alice Conrad is an award-winning, emerging composer in Alberta, Canada completing her doctorate in composition at the University of Alberta. She specializes in concert works for soloists, chamber ensembles, choirs, and large ensembles. Funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, Mari Alice travelled to the Canadian High Arctic and Greenland (2022) in the creation of a large-scale, interactive composition project for youth exploring the effects of climate change. Her current doctoral SSHRC research-creation project examines the perception and expression of place, personal history, and the intersection of sound and geography by exploring objects, light, staging, movement, and space alongside acoustic instruments to create innovative musical contexts.
Joseph (Sehyeok) Park, 24-25 HPO Composer Fellow
Joseph (Sehyeok) Park is a Toronto-based composer and pianist. His music takes inspiration from many different sources, such as his fascination with the French classical music tradition, as well as jazz fusion and other popular music genres. He also seeks to infuse his religious identity into his music. Joseph is an active concert pianist, frequently performing his own works as well as standard concert repertoire. Joseph has been recognized as a fellow at notable festivals such as the Aspen Music Festival, Norfolk New Music Festival at Yale School of Music, and RED NOTE festival. He earned his Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Toronto, studying composition under Norbert Palej, Christos Hatzis, and Abigail Richardson-Schulte, and studied piano under Younggun Kim.
Kalaisan Kalaichelvan, 25-26 HPO Future Award Winner
Kalaisan Kalaichelvan’s compositional practice spans multiple disciplines, drawing from film, dance, theatre, installation and deals with themes of translation and transference. Named by Ludwig Van Toronto as one of “six emerging Canadian composers to keep an eye on” and Playback’s 10 to Watch, his music has been performed and premiered by celebrated ensembles such as Pro Coro Canada, the Dior Quartet, NMC Ensemble and featured at festivals such as Cannes Film Festival and the Sundance Film Festival. He was awarded the Kathleen Morrow Award in 2024 and the SOCAN Emerging Composer Award in 2023. Kalaisan’s music is defined by its genre-bending boldness, refined classicism and musical ingenuity. Having worked across various disciplines and communities of thought, Kalaisan seeks to bring together incongruous institutions to build novel structures that reflect his artistic upbringing.
About the HPO: For more than 140 years, the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra has presented orchestral music and education programs with a mission to enrich the wellbeing of the greater Hamilton region. The HPO presents dynamic orchestral performances ranging from standard classical repertoire to popular music and world premieres by living composers. As one of Canada’s leading professional orchestras, the HPO has proudly contributed to the shaping of Hamilton’s cultural landscape.
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