The McGill Association of Student Composers presents its fourth Composer Forum of 2017: join us March 16 at 5pm in room A-410 for a talk by Brian Cherney of the Schulich School composition faculty.
Brian Cherney: Harry Somers, John Roberts and Music in Canada
"Harry Somers was one of the major creative figures in Canada in the second half of the twentieth century. Early on he developed a very personal language based, in part, on his receptiveness to the landscape of the 'north country' of Ontario as well as his exposure to the prairies during his military training in 1944-45. In this he was, to some extent, consciously following the example of certain painters, especially the Group of Seven. In the early years of his career, in the 1950s, his main source of income, besides working as a music copyist, was the CBC and this became even more pronounced in the 1960s, during the years in which John Roberts was head of CBC radio music. This raises an important question--should the state help to support creative artists, beyond intermittent and inadequate support through commissions? If the CBC had not existed or had not been in a position to help support artistic endeavours, how would this have affected Somers' career as a composer?"
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A concert of Canadian music, coordinated by Prof. Cherney, will be presented on March 23 in Tanna Schulich Hall. Details can be found here:
https://www.facebook.com/events/1168854553156472/
