And They're Off And Composing!

Evolution is evolving -- the CBC Radio-Canada composers competition gets underway this week at the Banff Centre. Five young Canadian composers selected to write pieces for one ensemble -- competing for the $20,000 National Composition Grand Prize among other awards -- are now settling into their 'huts' to write.

They're spending a month out there, writing music, contemplating the mountains, presumably exchanging ideas, who knows maybe even sharing a beer or two. (Since despite the intense demands at least one of them is on record saying they're hoping not to "live like hermits.")

But you can hear from the composers themselves throughout the week on The Signal (10 p.m.), leading up to the special live broadcast of the finished works on March 26th.

They've also been blogging over on the Evolution website.

And I suspect Geof Holbrook speaks for all of them when he says he's "absolutely psyched" about the experience. And also when he admits to a little trepidation about the task at hand:

"So I'll be writing a 10 to 15 minute work for 13 instruments in 16 days ... is it possible? I might have to change the way I compose a little, and "paint in broad strokes" to borrow from visual art."

Note that four of the five Evoution finalists have works that are currently available online at Concerts On Demand:

David Adamcyk
Geof Holbrook
Andrew Staniland
Vincent Ho

Photo taken at Banff by Thien Vu Dang