New, recent and upcoming
“Idle hands are the Devil’s workshop,” my Scottish grandmother used to say. And perhaps she was right – although, in my experience, much the same could be said of busy hands. But wherever the Devil stands on the idleness vs. industry debate, I manage to keep myself busy most of the time.
Below, you’ll find a chronological list of my various musical activities from the foreseeable future to the recent past.
Below, you’ll find a chronological list of my various musical activities from the foreseeable future to the recent past.
O magna res in Cracow
June 25, 2023
My setting of Hildegard von Bingen's poem O magna res was performed in a concert by the Cracow Singers. (To be honest, I didn't even know about the performance until the group's artistic director, Karol Kusz, send me a video.) The piece, which is scored for female vocal ensemble, was included in a a concert celebrating the 550th anniversary of the Polish astronomer Copernicus, presented at Cracow's MNK Czartoryiski Museum, in Cracow. You will find a splendid video of the whole concert here.
Broadcast on CBC's "Choral Concert"
May 28, 2023
Drop-kick me, Jesus! The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation has played my music! Two of my choral pieces were broadcast on the CBC's "Choral Concert" programme. The show was heard, coast-to-c0ast, on Radio 2, on Sunday, May 28, at 9:00am. And, after May 28, it can be streamed from the CBC's website, anywhere, anytime, here.
Colin Eatock: Choral and Orchestral Music
May 26, 2023
I am proud to announce the completion of my second CD!
In the fall of 2021, Sinfonia Toronto recorded two pieces for the disc: my Ashes of Soldiers (2010-2012) and my Sinfonietta (1999). And in the fall of 2022, Toronto's Choir 21 recorded eight of my choral works: The Lord is Risen (2021), In the Bleak Mid-Winter (1998), Cast Off All Doubtful Care (2012), Three Poems by Amy Lowell (2018), Three Psalms (2018), Benedictus es: Alleluia (2018), Two Poems by Walt Whitman (2017) and Out of My Deeper Heart (2015). Over 50 musicians were involved in the creation of this disc.
The CD was released on the Canadian Music Centre's Centrediscs label, on May 26, 2023. It was also released on Spotify, iTunes, and other popular music streaming sites.
To purchase, a real, shiny disc, with a hole in the centre, see here.
In the fall of 2021, Sinfonia Toronto recorded two pieces for the disc: my Ashes of Soldiers (2010-2012) and my Sinfonietta (1999). And in the fall of 2022, Toronto's Choir 21 recorded eight of my choral works: The Lord is Risen (2021), In the Bleak Mid-Winter (1998), Cast Off All Doubtful Care (2012), Three Poems by Amy Lowell (2018), Three Psalms (2018), Benedictus es: Alleluia (2018), Two Poems by Walt Whitman (2017) and Out of My Deeper Heart (2015). Over 50 musicians were involved in the creation of this disc.
The CD was released on the Canadian Music Centre's Centrediscs label, on May 26, 2023. It was also released on Spotify, iTunes, and other popular music streaming sites.
To purchase, a real, shiny disc, with a hole in the centre, see here.
Blake's "Seasons" in Vancouver
April 2, 2023
The Vancouver Chamber Choir has announced that they will premiere my setting of Blake's "Seasons" (2019) on their 2022-23 subscription series. It's a set of four poems written by a young William Blake, giving his personal impressions of the four seasons. Composing music about the seasons worked well for Vivaldi – so I'm hoping it works well for me, too!
The Lord Is Risen!, on Moveable Do
Released on March 28, 2023
Composer and conductor Steve Danielson has created a nice little "Moveable Snippet" on his Moveable Do podcast website. You'll first hear him reading a programme note I wrote for my piece The Lord Is Risen! (2021). In the recording that follows, the piece is performed by tenor Nicholas Nicolaidis, trumpeter Steve Woomert and Toronto's Choir 21, all under the baton of David Fallis. It will be included in my forthcoming CD, Colin Eatock: Choral and Orchestral Music. You can here the podcast here.
65th Birthday Concert
February 20, 2023
February 20 was my 65th birthday, and I decided to celebrate by presenting a concert in Toronto. I rented Heliconian Hall, and engaged recorderist Alison Melville and harpsichordist Christopher Bagan to perform. They graciously agreed to premiere my Two Pieces for Tenor Recorder and Harpsichord (2022). You can hear their excellent performance here.
Remembering Glenn Gould re-released as e-book
February 23, 2022
Ten years after the publication of my book Remembering Glenn Gould: Twenty Interviews with People Who Knew Him, I am delighted to say it is once again available. The e-book version can be read on tablets, mobile phones and Kindle readers, and may be purchased through Amazon.com, here.
Unlike many books about this remarkable Canadian artist, Remembering Glenn Gould is not a biography. Rather, it's a collection of Q&A interviews with people who knew him well: musicians, broadcasters, professional associates, writers and personal friends.
To quote KUSC Radio, Los Angeles: “In each of these twenty conversations, Eatock shines new light on the life of the enigmatic pianist. The author’s well-researched questions are individually tailored to each interviewee, allowing widely varying personal opinions and experiences to come to the fore.”
For more information on Remembering Glenn Gould, I invite you to listen to an interview I gave to Houston Public Radio in 2012, here.
Unlike many books about this remarkable Canadian artist, Remembering Glenn Gould is not a biography. Rather, it's a collection of Q&A interviews with people who knew him well: musicians, broadcasters, professional associates, writers and personal friends.
To quote KUSC Radio, Los Angeles: “In each of these twenty conversations, Eatock shines new light on the life of the enigmatic pianist. The author’s well-researched questions are individually tailored to each interviewee, allowing widely varying personal opinions and experiences to come to the fore.”
For more information on Remembering Glenn Gould, I invite you to listen to an interview I gave to Houston Public Radio in 2012, here.
Colin Eatock playlist on Soundcloud
February 12, 2022
“What kind of music do you write?” I'm asked this question from time to time, and I believe it’s a question best answered with the music itself. So I’ve put together a playlist on Soundcloud of my greatest hits (so far). Click here, and you’ll hear an hour-long mix of chamber music, choral music, a bit of orchestral music – even an Indonesian gamelan. Enjoy!
Interplay, with the Vancouver Chamber Choir
November 16, 2021
I flew out to Vancouver for "Interplay": the Vancouver Chamber Choir's annual workshop to read scores-in-progress by Canadian composers. (It's a great opportunity, and I've always wondered why more choirs don't do this sort of thing.) Kari Turunen, the VCC's conductor, was very helpful and encouraging. And the questions and suggestions from the choristers provided me with some much-needed insight into how singers grapple with a completely new piece of music by an unknown composer.
Recording with Sinfonia Toronto
October 18-19, 2021
In October 2021, Sinfonia Toronto, under the baton of Nurhan Arman, recorded two pieces by me: Ashes of Soldiers (2010-2012, arranged for chamber orchestra), and my Sinfonietta (1999). The session went very well, and the recordings will be included in my next CD, Colin Eatock: Choral and Orchestral Music. Click here to hear the first movement of the Sinfonietta.
Four Elizabethan Songs about Love (2016-2018) in Perth, Australia
May 31, 2021
In these troubled times, if you want to record a choir, you have to go to the Ends of the Earth – and that's exactly what I did. This recording of my Four Elizabethan Songs about Love (2016-2018) was made by an excellent vocal octet called the Giovanni Consort, in Perth, Australia. (There's virtually no Covid in Western Australia, so such things are possible there.) Listen and watch here.
Spring Night (2019) in Edmonton
October 18, 2020
Sadly, in the midst of the Covid pandemic, there are almost no performances of music are happening. But I am glad to report a ray of sunshine in the gloomy sky. Members of Edmonton’s Pro Coro Canada chamber choir, led by Michael Zaugg, presented a live-streamed concert on October 18, 2020. Included in the program was my setting of Sara Teasdale's poem Spring Night. And here is a video that Pro Coro Canada has made of Spring Night.
Out Of My Deeper Heart (2015) in Montreal
May 12, 2020
I intended to travel to Montreal in May to hear a performance of Out Of My Deeper Heart (2015) for choir and cello, on a program called “Vocello.” The concert was to have been presented by Voces Boreales, Andrew Gray conducting, with cellist Dominique Beauséjour-Ostiguy, and was to have taken place in the historic Chapelle-Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours. I’m sure it would have been splendid – but the coronavirus put a stop to it.
I am hoping that the concert will be re-scheduled in happier times to come But in the meantime, Dominique Beauséjour-Ostiguy and pianist Marie-Pier Allard have made a beautiful video of my cello-and-piano piece Canterbury, which you can hear here.
I am hoping that the concert will be re-scheduled in happier times to come But in the meantime, Dominique Beauséjour-Ostiguy and pianist Marie-Pier Allard have made a beautiful video of my cello-and-piano piece Canterbury, which you can hear here.
O Magna Res (2019)
April 22, 2020
Toronto’s Schola Magdalena is a female vocal sextet that’s best known for performances of Medieval and Renaissance music. But they also perform contemporary music – and they made plans to perform a recent piece of mine in April on an Earth Day-themed concert. O Magna Res (2019) is a setting of a poem by Hildegard von Bingen that I wrote specifically for this ensemble.
However, thanks to the coronavirus, the concert did not take place.
In October, I commissioned the New York-based countertenor Phillip Cheah to make a video, in which he sings all six parts. You can hear and see that video here.
However, thanks to the coronavirus, the concert did not take place.
In October, I commissioned the New York-based countertenor Phillip Cheah to make a video, in which he sings all six parts. You can hear and see that video here.
Four Elizabethan Songs About Love (2016-2018)
February 16, 2020
Once again, the fine singers of Providence RI’s Collegium Ancora have performed my music! This time, it was the world premiere of two of my Four Elizabethan Songs About Love (2016-2018), on a program of music based on the poetry of Donne and Shakespeare. It was well worth the trip to Providence!
You can hear a recording from the CA’s February concert here, singing my setting of Shakespeare’s Sonnet 116.
You can hear a recording from the CA’s February concert here, singing my setting of Shakespeare’s Sonnet 116.
Out of My Deeper Heart (2015) on Vancouver Island
November 29 & December 1, 2019
The Island Consort of Nanaimo, British Columbia, performed Out of My Deeper Heart (2015), on a program called “Music From the Heart.” For these performances, the choir and music director Bruce Farquharson were joined by cellist Hannah Wilson.
Memories of Places Past CD release
March 7, 2019
I’m delighted to report that Trio Dell’Aria – comprised of soprano Kripa Nageshwar, clarinetist Michael Westwood and pianist Ruta Vaivade – included my Ashes of Soldiers (2010) on their new CD, Memories of Places Past. A lovely CD-release concert/party took place on March 7 at 7:00 pm at Gallery 345, 345 Sorauren Ave. in Toronto. And you can hear their performance here.
Five Poems From the Great War (2018) premiered in Providence
November 10-11, 2018
In the winter of 2018 – mindful of the approaching 100th anniversary of the end of World War I – I decided to compose a cycle of choral songs using poetry written during and about that conflict. For this set of a-cappella miniatures, Five Poems from the Great War (2018), I chose the words of the English poets Robert Nichols, Harold Monro and Laurence Binyon, the American Alan Seeger, and a New Zealander identified only as “M.R.”
I approached a number of choirs with this idea, and the Collegium Ancora – a professional choir in Providence, Rhode Island, directed by Vince Edwards – decided to include the piece in their program, “Beneath the Armor,” performed on the centennial of of Remembrance Day (or Veterans Day, or Armistice Day).
You can hear an excerpt of the choir’s performance here.
I approached a number of choirs with this idea, and the Collegium Ancora – a professional choir in Providence, Rhode Island, directed by Vince Edwards – decided to include the piece in their program, “Beneath the Armor,” performed on the centennial of of Remembrance Day (or Veterans Day, or Armistice Day).
You can hear an excerpt of the choir’s performance here.
Darest Thou Now O Soul (2017) premiered in Pittsburgh
October 20-21, 2018
The Pittsburgh Camerata – an excellent professional choir directed by Mark Anderson – premiered my setting of Walt Whitman’s poem “Darest Thou Now, O Soul.” The piece is the second in a set of a-cappella choral songs called Two Poems by Walt Whitman, which I wrote in 2017. I’m delighted that one of the two settings found a happy home with the Pittsburgh Camerata on a program called “Homeward Bound.” And you can hear a recording of the performance here.
Out of My Deeper Heart (2015) premiered in Ottawa
June 24, 2017
On June 24, 2017, Ottawa’s Capital Chamber Choir and cellist Erin Joyce, all under the baton of Jamie Loback, presented the world premiere of Out of My Deeper Heart (2015) – a setting I composed of a text by Kahlil Gibran. I must say that it was one of the best performances of my music that I have ever heard. Thanks to all the performers, and also to Andrew McAnerney, who organized the Sing Ottawa en choeur festival that provided the opportunity for this amazing performance!
Glenn Gould: Music and More
September 9- 30, 2015
I enjoyed teaching a course on Glenn Gould at Toronto's Royal Conservatory of Music in September. The course took place over four Wednesdays, and was offered through the RCM's Adult Programs.
My Brain on Music
Fall 2015
Dr. Mark Doidge of Toronto has developed the software that makes it possible to see brainwaves, and in spectacular colours. I hooked my brain up to his computers to see what would happen when I listened to some music I like and music I don't like. (The photo shows how my brain lit up like a Christmas tree as I was listening.) The article appeared in the Fall 2015 issue of Listen magazine. (Or see here.)
Schafer's Apocalypsis
Fall 2015
Canadian composer R. Murray Schafer's Apocalypsis was staged in grand style by Toronto's Luminato Festival in June 2015. Luminato's production was only the second that this massive dramatic account of the End of Days has received – the first was in 1980, in London, Ontario. I attended both productions: the first time as a chorister in the show; and the second as a critic, writing for Queen's Quarterly. My review appeared in the Fall 2015 issue.
Interview with Valentina Lisitsa
June 2015
Pianist Valentina Lisitsa became the talk of Toronto when she didn’t perform with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra in March. Her remarkable success as the “YouTube sensation” and her cancelled engagement with the TSO are the subjects of my interview with Lisitsa, published on the Wolfgang's Tonic website. You can read the article here.
Tears of Gold (2000) in Germany
March 12 and 13, 2015
Margit Beukman, soprano; Susanne Götz, piano; Jonathan Gray, cello.
My song-cycle Tears of Gold (2000) was performed in Stuttgart on March 12 and in Tübingen on March 13, by the Susanne Götz Trio. These performances also served to launch a new CD recording, including my Tears of Gold and works by other composers. See here for more information about the performances. And click here to hear a song from the cycle.
Ashes in Vancouver
November 1, 2014
Yet another performance of my Ashes of Soldiers (2010) took take place, in Vancouver, on November 1. This time, it was the chamber version, for soprano, clarinet and piano – and it was presented by the Erato Ensemble (see here.) The theme of the concert was “Gods and Monsters, ” and the performance took place at the Orpheum Annex.
Ashes of Soldiers (2010)
August 18, 2014
I originally scored my Ashes of Soldiers (based on a text by Walt Whitman) for soprano, clarinet and piano. But a couple of years ago, Toronto clarinettist Kornel Wolak asked me to create an orchestral arrangement of the piece. The resulting version – for soprano, clarinet, strings and harp – was premiered at noon on August 18, at the Church of the Holy Trinity, in downtown Toronto. Kornel played his clarinet, the soprano soloist was Rachel Krehm, Evan Mitchell was on the podium.
Bernard Herrmann: The Right Man
Winter 2013
Bernard Herrmann was an American who became a Hollywood film composer at a time when the industry was dominated by Europeans. I examined how rise to prominence, and how his sensibilities changed film music. You can read about it in Listen magazine, here.
Why Serge Koussevitzky Still Matters
Fall 2013
The conductor Serge Koussevitzky had an enormous influence during his lifetime – and his influence continues to this day. I explored his impact on classical music in America in an article in the Fall 2013 issue of Listen. You can read it here.
Interview with Marc-André Hamélin
Summer 2013
Canadian pianist Marc-André Hamélin was in Toronto on January 22, playing a recital for Music Toronto. I took advantage of this opportunity to talk with him about his dual career as a pianist and composer, for an article that appeared in the Summer 2013 issue of Queen’s Quarterly. You can read it here, on the Classical Voice North America website.
Interview with Gabriel Prokofiev
Summer 2013
Sergei Prokofiev's grandson was in Toronto this winter for a concert of his chamber music (he's a composer), and to DJ at a local dance club (he does that, too). I sat down with him for an interview, for Listen magazine. You can read it here.
Canadian Day in Rome
July 5, 2013
The Accademia Filarmonica Romana presented a concert of Canadian Music on July 5. Included in the program was my Ashes of Soldiers (2010). For more information, click here.
Quartet of Dances (2004)
May 25, 2013
Toronto's Magenta String Quartet performed my Quartet of Dances (2004) in a program of Canadian chamber music on May 25. The performance took place at Eastminster United Church, 310 Danforth Avenue, in Toronto.
Roland Starr Plays Book of Saints (2008)
April 29, 2013
Toronto pianist Roland Starr played my Book of Saints (2008) on the Canadian Music Centre's shiny new Steingraeber piano. The performance took place at the CMC's headquarters at 20 St. Joseph Street, in Toronto, and was presented by the CMC's Score Reading Club.
My Life on Earth and Elsewhere
January 2013
In the January 2013 issue of Literary Review of Canada, you'll find my review of R. Murray Schafer's recently published autobiography, My Life on Earth and Elsewhere. It's a must-read for all Schafer fans. (I'm talking about the book – but the review is pretty good, too.) You can read the review here.
Royal Conservatory in The Strad
November 2012
The November issue of The Strad magazine, from the UK, contains a feature article by me about Toronto’s Royal Conservatory of Music. As I learned while researching the article, it’s a happening place, with lots going on and big plans for the future.
Nézet-Séguin Goes to Philadelphia
Fall 2012
In September, Yannick Nézet-Séguin officially takes the reins of the Philadelphia Orchestra. For the Canadian conductor who’s not yet 40 this is both a huge honour and a daunting challenge. In March 2012, I travelled to his home town of Montreal to talk to him and find out what he intends to do in the City of Brotherly Love. My interview appears in the Fall 2012 issue of Queen’s Quarterly. You can read it here.
Remembering Glenn Gould
Summer 2012
My new book, Remembering Glenn Gould: Twenty Interviews with People Who Knew Him, was published in August 2012. (The launch took place on August 15, at Stratford Public Library, presented by Stratford Summer Music.)
Remembering Glenn Gould is a unique collection of Q&A interviews with people who knew him personally and professionally. In the book I interview close friends, people who worked for him, musicians who performed with him, critics who wrote about him, and people in the radio, television and recording industries who collaborated with him.
Some of my interviewees knew Gould for many years, others only briefly – yet each offers insights into one of Canada’s most remarkable artists.
Here's a link to one of the interviews in the book, with Gould's concert manager, Walter Homburger.
And here’s a link to the publisher, Penumbra Press.
Remembering Glenn Gould is a unique collection of Q&A interviews with people who knew him personally and professionally. In the book I interview close friends, people who worked for him, musicians who performed with him, critics who wrote about him, and people in the radio, television and recording industries who collaborated with him.
Some of my interviewees knew Gould for many years, others only briefly – yet each offers insights into one of Canada’s most remarkable artists.
Here's a link to one of the interviews in the book, with Gould's concert manager, Walter Homburger.
And here’s a link to the publisher, Penumbra Press.
Colin Eatock: Chamber Music
Summer 2012
I have just released my first CD, on the Canadian Music Centre’s Centrediscs label. Colin Eatock: Chamber Music (CMCCD 17812) is a collection of half a dozen pieces I’ve written over the last 25 years, for small combinations of voices and instruments. It is my finest hour!
I’m very grateful for the support of Roger D. Moore, who has generously agreed to support the manufacture of this compact disc.
The works on the disc are:
These works are presented in studio recordings by 15 musicians: soprano Melanie Conly, mezzo Anita Krause, bass-baritone Andrew Tees, clarinetist Peter Stoll, violinist Laurel Mascarenhas, cellists Karl Konrad Toews and Thomas Wiebe, members of the Niagara Brass Ensemble, harpsichordist Ian Robertson, and pianists Kate Carver, Peter Longworth and Timothy Minthorn.
If you’d like to hear sample tracks from this disc, click here or here.
I’m very grateful for the support of Roger D. Moore, who has generously agreed to support the manufacture of this compact disc.
The works on the disc are:
- Ashes of Soldiers (2010) for soprano, clarinet and piano
- Suite for Piano (1995)
- Tears of Gold (2000) for mezzo, cello and harpsichord
- Three Songs from Blake’s “America” (1987) for baritone and piano
- Three Canzonas for Brass Quartet (1991)
- Trio for Violin, Cello and Piano “The Lotos-Eaters” (2000)
These works are presented in studio recordings by 15 musicians: soprano Melanie Conly, mezzo Anita Krause, bass-baritone Andrew Tees, clarinetist Peter Stoll, violinist Laurel Mascarenhas, cellists Karl Konrad Toews and Thomas Wiebe, members of the Niagara Brass Ensemble, harpsichordist Ian Robertson, and pianists Kate Carver, Peter Longworth and Timothy Minthorn.
If you’d like to hear sample tracks from this disc, click here or here.
