What happens when you give a traditional Celtic and Chinese musician/composer electronic dance music equipment and tell him to incorporate sounds from NASA?

Amach Ansin (Out There)

www.tranadams.com

Matthew Tran-Adams is a Toronto-based composer and a Lecturer at OISE/University of Toronto. His interest in world music and folk songs have generated a variety of unique works which feature and integrate various cultures. His works have been performed by groups such as the Carson City Symphony (Nevada, USA), The Brampton Symphony (Brampton, Canada), The Brock University Chorale (St. Catharines, Canada), The Orchid Ensemble (Vancouver, Canada) and The Vancouver Chinese Choir Association. Matthew is an Associate Composer of the Canadian Music Centre.

Born in Niagara Falls, Matthew has worked extensively as a composer, performer, educator, historian, writer, and editor. His work experience is varied in that he has been a university instructor, head of an integrated arts department at Parkdale Collegiate Institute, curriculum writer, church music director, piano accompanist, flautist, harpist, rock and Celtic musician, and lounge pianist. Matthew has written for the journal, The Canadian Music Educator where he explores the topic of equity and social justice in music education. His other passion is Canadian history and he often uses historical events as inspiration for his work. His work Gold Mountain Elegy, performed by performed and recorded by both the Vancouver Chinese Choir Association and the Brock University Chorale is dedicated to Chinese-Canadians who risked and lost their lives building the railroad across Canada.

In 2014 Matthew won the Royal Conservatory of Music’s 21C: 21st Premiere Contest for his work to-BEI-ron-JING-to/多—北—伦—京—多 REMIX I. In 2005 Matthew was runner up in the Foundation Orchestra Association's International Composition Competition with his work The Refugee Child which is dedicated to the Vietnamese Boat people who risked their lives to escape Vietnam. This piece incorporates a children's folk song Ly Ngua O (The Black Horse) to depict a child's journey from the security and familiarity of home to an unknown and possibly dangerous future.

Matthew also works as a freelance musician specializing in Celtic/electric harp, piano, flute and voice.