HAMILTON, ON – The Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra has selected participants for the 20-21 Composer Fellowship Program. Designed in collaboration with the Ontario Region of the Canadian Music Centre and awarded to early-career Ontario-based composers, the fellowship offers six months of artistic and professional mentorship with HPO musicians, staff, Music Director Gemma New and Composer-in-Residence Abigail Richardson-Schulte. Two Composer Fellow positions were available to applicants: one for composers 25 and under and another for those 26 and over. Applications were reviewed by a jury including Music Director Gemma New, Composer-in-Residence Abigail Richardson-Schulte and Concertmaster Stephen Sitarski.

Composer Arie Verheul van de Ven was selected as Composer Fellow in the 25 or under category, and Matthias McIntire was selected as Composer Fellow in the over 26 category. In response to a number of strong applications, two additional composers were selected to receive the newly created HPO Future Award, providing recipients with an HPO reading session, professional development mentorship focused on professional score and part preparation, and an honorarium. These composers are Sophie Dupuis and Nathalee Jacques.

As a part of the program, each Composer Fellow will compose a work to be premiered in our 20-21 Broadcast Season. Arie Verheul van de Ven’s work will be presented at Postcards from Buenos Aires premiering April 24, 2021 at 7:30pm while Matthias McIntire’s work will be premiered at Mozart & Strauss premiering June 5, 2021 at 7:30pm. HPO Future Award Winners Sophie Dupuis and Nathalee Jacques will each have a reading session with the orchestra at Intimate & Immersive: Dragon Unfolding.

Arie Verheul van de Ven
Arie Verheul van de Ven is a composer and violist currently based in Toronto. In his recent work, Arie has been exploring geographic relationships and the experience of location through sound. The Covid-19 pandemic has led to an exploration of different possibilities of remote music making and creating music that is unique to an online space, furthering his exploration of location and distance through sound making. Arie is currently a Composer-in-Residence with the Gather Round Singers, a community choir that has been regularly meeting virtually since March 2020. Together they have developed two new works: Remote Choir Etudes and In This Moment, both written specifically for virtual performance. As a violist Arie regularly performs with Ontario-based free improv ensemble HARP+ along with harpist Grace Scheele and synthesist Dave Klassen. Their recent project Homecomings was performed remotely over an interactive website developed by creative coder Jamie Christopher Webber. Arie is pursuing his Master’s degree at the Netherlands’ Royal Conservatoire in The Hague where he studies with Peter Adriaansz & Yannis Kyriakides. Previously he has studied with Linda Catlin Smith, Cameron McKittrick, Kaythryn Ladano and Christine Vlajk.

Matthias McIntire
Matthias McIntire is a composer, violinist, violist, electronic musician, improviser and music educator active across a broad spectrum of contexts. Some of Matthias’ recent compositional highlights include a successful Toronto Arts Council commissioning grant to compose a song cycle for self-accompanied soprano/pianist Rachel Fenlon, a new work for violinist Andrea Tyniec, large ensemble and live electronics, first prize in the Costello Composition Competition (Curtis Institute, Philadelphia), as well as performances of his work at New Music Concerts (Toronto), the Canadian Music Centre (Toronto), TEDxUofT, the New Art/New Media Festival (Ottawa), the San Francisco Centre for New Music and at the New Music for Strings Festival (Iceland). Matthias has developed a personal, expressive compositional voice that blends influences from his eclectic background in performance (violin/viola/voice/electronics), Western classical/new music, as well as jazz, fiddle, free improvisation, field recording, foley art and electronic music. Personal expression, connection with others, love of nature, the urgency of climate change and his time spent in places around the world are some of the recurring themes in his pieces. Matthias recently graduated from the University of Toronto where he received a Doctor of Musical Arts in Composition under the guidance of Christos Hatzis and Eliot Britton. Equally comfortable in his roles as composer and performer, in classical, new music, and improvised music settings, Matthias is establishing a varied career that keeps him on his toes.

Nathalee Jacques
Nathalee Jacques (b. 1996) is pursuing her Master of Music Composition at the University of Ottawa, studying with Kelly-Marie Murphy, where she previously completed an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Music in 2018. During her undergraduate, she had the opportunity to study with John Armstrong and Frederic Lacroix. Nathalee’s work embodies aspects of her life, creating pieces that are reflective and accessible. She has written solo work and music for numerous ensembles such as chamber ensembles, marching band and string orchestra, and is continuing to develop her electro-acoustic repertoire. She hopes to further expand her focus to reflect on current issues such as feminist issues and reflection and inclusion of the BIPOC community.

Sophie Dupuis
Sophie Dupuis is a composer from New Brunswick interested in acoustic, electroacoustic and interdisciplinary art music. She finds her voice in the picturesque scenery of the Maritimes where she spent her childhood, her attraction to raw electrical sounds and her intense emotional response to art involving the human body and voice. A recent graduate of the Doctor of Musical Arts program in Composition from the University of Toronto, Sophie now works on developing her skills with live and fixed electroacoustics and collaborating with performers on projects for their instrument. Aside from her activities as a composer, she is as a violinist, arranger and music educator in Ottawa and the President of the Canadian League of Composers since 2020. Sophie also holds a Bachelor of Music from Dalhousie University and a Master of Music from the University of Toronto.

Postcards from Buenos Aires
Premieres April 24, 2021 at 7:30pm
Recorded at FirstOntario Concert Hall
Tickets: $27

Mozart & Strauss
Premieres June 5, 2021 at 7:30pm
Recorded at FirstOntario Concert Hall
Tickets: $27

Intimate & Immersive: Dragon Unfolding
Premieres June 30, 2021 at 7:30pm
Tickets: $27

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About the HPO: The Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra was founded in 1884 as The Hamilton Orchestral Society and grew to become one of Canada’s major professional orchestras. Today, the HPO is a leader in Hamilton’s robust arts community where it provides professional orchestral services and music education programs to address the needs of the community. The HPO continues to commission and premiere works and is one of the artistic jewels of the Hamilton area. The combined musical talents of its artists continue to enrich the community and enhance the quality of life for its residents.

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