Dr. Erik Ross
Erik Ross, B.Mus. (Calgary), M.Mus. (Toronto), Doc.Mus (Toronto)
Piano, Theory, Composition, History
Erik Ross composes for all media. His portfolio includes solo, chamber, vocal, and orchestral works, and he has written for productions that include electronics, theatre, film and dance. He has written works for artists and ensembles such as the Aldeburgh Connection, Arpatambora, the Caliban quartet, the Esprit Orchestra, the Gryphon Trio, Tapestry New Opera, Toca Loca, Gabriel Radford and Sarah Jeffrey of the Toronto Symphony, the Vancouver Symphony, Joseph Salvalaggio and the Memphis Symphony, the Lee-Villanueva Duo, saxophonist Wallace Halladay, percussionists Ryan Scott and Fernando Rocha, soprano Carla Huhtanen and counter-tenor Scott Belluz. His compositions have also been performed by artists such as vocalists Tracy Smith Bessette, Norine Burgess, Matthew Leigh, Allyson McHardy, Marion Newman, Giles Tomkins and Vilma Vitols, as well as Nancy Goodearl of the Houston Symphony, percussionist Graham Hargrove, pianist Gregory Oh, french hornist Joan Watson, the Land’s End Chamber Ensemble, the Talisker Players and the Vancouver Symphony. He has had performances of his works in Canada, the United States, Mexico, England, Japan, Thailand and Australia.
He holds a Doctor of Music degree from the University of Toronto where his advisor was Christos Hatzis and he was a two-time recipient of the John Weinzweig Scholarship. He is an active educator, and has taught piano, theory and composition to individuals of all ages and ability levels. He also takes great enjoyment in performing contemporary piano repertoire, particularly that of his peers, and is active as an improvising pianist and keyboardist. He spent two years composing for the Canadian Composers Music Workshop at the Festival of the Sound under the direction of Gary Kulesha. He has received numerous awards, fellowships and scholarships, including top prizes at SOCAN, and has received commissions from the Canada Council, the Ontario Arts Council, the Toronto Arts Council, the Music Gallery, Roger D. Moore and the Laidlaw Foundation.
Dr. Ross’s Concerto for Oboe and Orchestra was premiered by Joseph Salvalaggio and the Memphis Symphony in 2003, and it was performed again at the 2004 International Double Reed Society Conference in Melbourne, Australia, by Diana Doherty under the direction of Nicholas Daniel. His piano trio was premiered by the Gryphon Trio at the Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival, he wrote an operetta for Tapestry New Opera Works’ production at the 2002 Opera America Conference, and he wrote a marimba concerto for Ryan Scott and the Esprit Orchestra in 2006.
Commissions in recent years include an accordion/audio piece for Joseph Petric, a vocal work for the Music Gallery at the SoundaXis festival in Toronto, a piece for Toca Loca’s P*P Project, a sax/percussion/audio piece for Wallace Halladay and Ryan Scott, a solo steelpan and brass band piece for steelpan virtuoso Liam Teague for the 25th anniversary season of the Hannaford Street Silver Band, and a cave installation that was produced in collaboration with the Contemporary Keyboard Society through the New Music in New Places series of the Canadian Music Centre. Recent premieres includea large work for the Evergreen Club Contemporary Gamelan and a chamber orchestra piece for the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra.
http://www.erikross.com