Role

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Composer Conductor

Genre

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Vocal

 

John Oliver was a Canadian composer, conductor, and educator who was born on May 18, 1959, in Regina, Saskatchewan. He grew up in a musical family, with his father being a jazz pianist and his mother a singer. Oliver began playing the piano at a young age and later learned to play the guitar and bass. He attended the University of Regina, where he earned a Bachelor of Music degree in composition and guitar performance. After completing his undergraduate studies, Oliver moved to Vancouver to pursue a Master of Music degree in composition at the University of British Columbia. While there, he studied with renowned Canadian composers such as Jean Coulthard and Stephen Chatman. Oliver also became involved in the Vancouver new music scene, performing with various ensembles and collaborating with other composers. In 1986, Oliver was awarded a scholarship to attend the Banff Centre for the Arts, where he studied with American composer Morton Feldman. This experience had a profound impact on Oliver's music, as he began to explore more experimental and avant-garde techniques in his compositions. Oliver's early works were characterized by their use of extended techniques and unconventional instrumentation. For example, his piece "The Garden of Sonic Delights" (1985) featured a chamber ensemble that included a prepared piano, a toy piano, and a variety of percussion instruments. Another early work, "The Book of Sounds" (1987), was a collection of short pieces for solo instruments that explored the sonic possibilities of each instrument. In the 1990s, Oliver's music began to incorporate more traditional elements of classical music, such as tonality and melody. However, he continued to experiment with form and structure, often incorporating improvisation and aleatoric elements into his compositions. One notable work from this period is "The Four Elements" (1994), a suite for string quartet that was inspired by the ancient Greek concept of the four elements (earth, air, fire, and water). Oliver's music also began to reflect his interest in spirituality and mysticism. He was particularly drawn to the teachings of the Sufi mystic Hazrat Inayat Khan, and his music often incorporated elements of Indian classical music and Sufi poetry. One example of this is his piece "Sufi Songs" (1997), which features settings of poems by the 13th-century Sufi poet Rumi. In addition to his work as a composer, Oliver was also an accomplished conductor and educator. He served as the conductor of the Vancouver Bach Choir from 1998 to 2002, and he was a faculty member at the University of British Columbia School of Music from 1991 until his death in 2018. He was also a founding member of the Turning Point Ensemble, a Vancouver-based chamber ensemble that specializes in contemporary music. Throughout his career, Oliver received numerous awards and honors for his work as a composer and educator. In 2003, he was awarded the Canada Council for the Arts' Victor Martyn Lynch-Staunton Award for excellence in music composition. He was also a two-time recipient of the British Columbia Arts Council's Composer-in-Residence program. Some of Oliver's most notable works include "The Book of Sounds" (1987), "The Four Elements" (1994), "Sufi Songs" (1997), "The Garden of Sonic Delights" (1985), and "The Birth of Venus" (2003).

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