News
Moncton, NB – January 6, 2014 - The New Brunswick Youth Orchestra (NBYO) has selected Canadian composer Kevin Lau to create an original composition commissioned by the NBYO to mark the centennial of the beginning of World War 1, and its significance to Canada.
The work will premiere on July 5, as NBYO’s entry as the only Canadian orchestra in the Summa Cum Laude International Youth Music Competition in Vienna, Austria. This new work will then be heard during the ensuing NBYO tour of Austria, Germany and Czech Republic, as well as performances in Ottawa and throughout New Brunswick.
Kevin Lau is a young and highly accomplished composer. Since he officially began composing in 1999, he’s written almost 50 concert works, plus 15 film scores, as well as scores for live theatre, and for settings as diverse as video games and documentaries. He is also an in-demand musical arranger, is prolific as a musical director for theatrical productions, and is a well-regarded pianist.
In 2007 Lau co-founded the Sneak Peek Orchestra with conductor Victor Cheng, composed primarily of young and emerging professionals from Toronto.
His work as a composer defines his reputation however. He served as composer-in-residence for the Mississauga Symphony Orchestra (2010-12) and was one of two emerging resident composers at the Banff Centre (summer of 2012). He was recently appointed Affiliate Composer of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra (2012-14).
“Due to the national importance of the project and the exposure of the music in New Brunswick, Canada and internationally, we wanted a leading Canadian composer for the commissioned orchestral work,” said NBYO President Ken MacLeod.
“We asked for the assistance of the Canadian Music Centre (CMC) to identify the right person. We gave them an in-depth briefing about the entire commemoration project, and went through a collaboration that lasted about three months,” said MacLeod.
Using the background from NBYO, the CMC researched and presented 11 possible composers. NBYO conductor and music director, Antonio Delgado, reviewed their profiles and music and Lau was chosen. After discussions with NBYO, Lau accepted the commission.
“We are impressed by Kevin Lau’s musical approach, considerable experience, and the high quality of his work,” said Delgado. “those are the prime criteria.”
“Further, the versatility of his own work mirrors the spirit of NBYO very well. More than just composing the music, he is ready to assist during recording, pre-tour preparation, and the world premiere performance itself” said Delgado. “He is very interested both in collaborating with us as an orchestra, and in the historical significance of the project. Lau’s appreciation for the work of the NBYO will be a real and added benefit for our young people and our audiences.”
The composer is pleased to be selected and eager to undertake the challenge.
“The “Great War” is very important internationally and to Canadians, and marks an important milestone in our history and in shaping our identity,” said Lau.
“It is through the lens of music that I am most comfortable expressing my identity. For this reason, I am honored and pleased to be able to offer a musical interpretation of the impact of the war both as a Canadian and as a citizen of the world.”
He added that it is always a challenge for one artist to create something that has relevance to a great number of people while also respecting the history, stories and traditions.
“For me, the best approach is to be creatively honest with my work. My own experience is far removed from those who gave their lives to ensure the freedom of individuals such as myself. To comment on and commemorate the events surrounding the First World War, I can only draw upon my reflections of human conflict, as well as my sense of gratitude to those who sacrificed so much for the ideal of peace.”
Lau also identified a “technical challenge.” “The composition will be eight minutes, which limits, in a good way, how many ideas I can include,” he said. “The commemoration of the war can be about so many things: the initial optimism, the savagery and death of the battlefield, the grief of a nation and the world, remembering the service and sacrifice. My challenge will be to discover an identity for the music that will ring true in an elegant way.”
After the 2014 competition, New Brunswick’s musicians will play at two other sites in Vienna, as well as in famous music venues in Munich, Germany and Prague, Czech Republic, opportunities being managed by the Summa Cum Laude International Youth Music Festival.
The orchestra will return to perform its new work as part of concerts at five locations in New Brunswick during the 2014-2015 season, as well as in Ottawa. The tour’s music will also be recorded for a CD to released in the fall of 2014.
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For more information please contact
Ken MacLeod
President, New Brunswick Youth orchestra
506-384-961-1530
