October 2024

"Aurora Borealis" - composed for orchestra

In a review published in the "Journal of the International Alliance for Women in Music", Dr. Margaret Lucia wrote: “Aurora Borealis"…is a strong, well-crafted orchestral…fanfare and is very clearly Stroobach's signature work. Prominent timpani and brass are answered by violins in an antiphonal style. The middle section is somewhat reminiscent of Bartok's "Game of Pairs" (the second movement of his "Concerto for Orchestra") in the angular, intervallic writing for bassoon and clarinet.”

"Aurora Borealis" is written in the tradition of a Franz Liszt tone poem - a one movement programmatic work. The rhythmic motive of the sixteenth note followed by the quarter note, which is heard throughout, conveys the majesty and awe one feels when viewing the Northern Lights. The more sparsely orchestrated middle section blends the different woodwinds together with the strings, to illustrate the beautiful colours of the Northern Lights. I also deliberately used the higher pitches in many of the instruments to represent the fact that the magnificent display of the Aurora Borealis is high up in the heavens. 

"Aurora Borealis" was performed and recorded onto a compact disc of the same name (https://collections.cmccanada.org/final/Portal/Composer-Showcase.aspx?component=AF-Query-Composer&record=eb48a3f6-04d5-42cd-9de6-092a8b5ca83f&lang=en-CA) by the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Maestro David Currie. This project was awarded funding from FACTOR (Foundation to Assist Canadian Talent on Records), the Council for the Arts in Ottawa and the Corel Endowment for the Arts.

Since this recording "Aurora Borealis" has received seventeen performances by leading orchestras across Canada and Europe and has been broadcasted on radio stations around the world.

Evelyn Stroobach is a professional musician and an award winning, published composer. She is currently a PhD candidate in Music Composition in the UK. Stroobach has won regional, national and international awards for her works.  Recently, Stroobach was honoured in the Senate and the House of Commons at the Houses of Parliament in Ottawa, Canada for her participation as composer on the newly released "Aboriginal Inspirations" CD (www.musiccentre.ca/node/147580).

Read her full bio here:
https://collections.cmccanada.org/final/Portal/Composer-Showcase.aspx?component=AAIL&record=eb48a3f6-04d5-42cd-9de6-092a8b5ca83f

Aurora Borealis

Evelyn Stroobach - Aurora Borealis

Emily Hiemstra, viola
Sonya Nanos, cello

Aesop's Fables, A Duo
i. the Donkey
ii. the Tortoise
iii. the Wolf

recording from August 26, 2024
performance at the London Public Library, Charis Collective's concert series for young listeners

Aesop's Fables; A Duo

Composer: Gerda Blok-Wilson
Publisher: Cypress Choral Music Inc.

visit https://cypresschoral.com to study the score while you listen

Little Child of Long Ago - by Gerda Blok-Wilson

Award-winning singer-songwriter and contemporary composer Carmen Braden shares her new single and video ‘An Invite’ out now on all digital streaming platforms. Listen here.

‘An Invite’ is the second single from the Yellowknife artist’s new album, A Hard Light, which is set for release on December 5th. The eclectic ambient pop track feels like an immersive experience, taking the listener on a journey from the first note. The song recalls a moment in Carmen's past, giving it a ghost-like quality, as if participating in a sense memory of someone else's life.

"This tune comes from a memory of a night when I was a young woman away from home," says Carmen. "There was an encounter that brought me sharply to a moment of choices—choices about what I was ready to do with my body and with whom. I remember coming out of that moment feeling so strong, knowing that I had made deep, clear choices for myself. The music emerged from a marimba loop and improvisation by my producer, Mark Adam, which reminded me of that time in my life. The call-and-response moments with Nova Scotia singer Cas Palmer weave into the long melodies of this story-song, featuring expansive rolling grooves and drum-and-bass vibes, all of which have grown into a darkness and intensity that truly match the memory."

A multi-talented artist recognized as an “acoustic ambassador of the Canadian Subarctic” (Musicworks Magazine), Carmen has played intimate theatres and main stage folk festivals, smoothly transitioning between genres of songwriting and composing. Her contemporary classical compositions are nationally recognized, with commissions and performances by world-class ensembles and performers, including the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, James Ehnes, and the Canadian Chamber Choir.

She has released three studio albums: Seed Songs (2021), Songs of the Invisible Summer Stars (2019), and Ravens (2017). Carmen has earned national recognition by winning the Western Canadian Music Award for Classical Composer of the Year in both 2020 and 2019. Additional nominations include Classical Album of the Year (2020) at the East Coast Music Awards, Classical Artist of the Year (2019 WCMAs), and Classical Composition of the Year (2017 WCMAs). Carmen's fourth studio album, A Hard Light, produced by her long-time collaborator Mark Adam (Music In the Woods, Nova Scotia), will be released on December 5th.

An Invite - MASTER 48kHz

For mixed octet, live electronics, and movement (fl, alto sax, bass cl, tbn, perc, pno, vln, vc). 

Commissioned by and composed for Alkali Collective with support from Arts Nova Scotia & Canada Council for the Arts.

Premiered on May 18, 2024 at The Music Room in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Performed by Alkali Collective, Julia Mermelstein (electronics). Live Recording.

Mixed Foliage

WILDERNESS (2021) for grade 4 concert band - composed and published by Cait Nishimura. Recorded by the Central Band of the Canadian Armed Forces with Matt McCrady, conductor.

For more info, please visit caitnishimura.com

WILDERNESS - Cait Nishimura x Central Band of the Canadian Armed Forces

Association of Canadian Women Composers

The ACWC is a professional organization for Canadian women composers, their supporters, and the performers of their music.

October 2024

ACWC / ACC