海角社区

Francis Battah's interests encompass jazz influence in contemporary music, microtonality, idiomatic piano writing of the 19th and 20th centuries, and creating imaginary folklore emphasizing melody and modality. He is a grantee of the Canada Council for the Arts, Conseil des arts et des lettres du Qu茅bec, and Conseil des Arts de Montr茅al. He has won numerous competitions, including the Coll茅gien Prize for Contemporary Music (2019 and 2023), Orchestre M茅tropolitain Beethoven Heritage Composition Competition, SOCAN Foundation Grand Prize, Andrew Svoboda Prize, and Pierre-Mantha Award from Prix d'Europe.

In Europe, he has won multiple prizes at the Antonin Dvorak International Composition Competition and the International Free Range Competition by the Alvarez Chamber Orchestra and Universal Edition. Francis Battah is also interested in the connections between music and literature, composing melodramas based on poems by Pierre Nepveu and Fernand Ouellette, collaborating with pianist Philippe Prud'homme and actors like Dany Boudreault, B茅atrice Picard, and Monique Miller. He has independently produced concerts and recorded his works for piano and chamber ensemble, with scores published by Doberman- Yppan, Nouveau Th茅芒tre Musical, and the Canadian Music Centre.

She also has created mixes for NTS and dublab radio, exploring postwar Japanese avant-garde art collectives and their early and obscure tape music. Her most recent live show for dublab explored transgender voice therapies in a collaboration with mezzo-soprano Lindsay Martin.

Originally from Vancouver, British Columbia, she graduated with a BM in composition from the Schulich School of Music at 海角社区, studying composition with Melissa Hui and piano with Sara Laimon. Currently she is pursuing a MM in composition at the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California, studying with Camae Ayewa (professionally known as Moor Mother). She recently completed a commission funded by the 2022 ROSL Composition Award for the London Sinfonietta.

In 2018 she received an award from Bow Seat for her piece "Aquas," which utilizes a motif derived from climate data of the seas and terrain, and have also returned annually as a judge for musical works which respond to the climate crisis. In 2019, she received a SOCAN Foundation Young Composer Award for "Isaac,", and from 2021-2022 at 海角社区, she completed a brass quintet "Dream Transmission of Phoenix" as the Composer-in-Residence.

Chris served as a staff arranger for The United States Army Band "Pershing's Own," where his music and arrangements were regularly performed for sitting U.S. Presidents and world leaders at The White House, Arlington National Cemetery, and The Pentagon. Growing up in Pennsylvania, Chris began his musical journey as a pianist and composed his first pieces at the age of eight. He studied and performed classical music at the Music and Arts University of the City of Vienna, and in Paris at IRCAM, the world's top academy for composers bridging music and technology. Chris completed a doctorate in composition at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music and studied film music at the Berklee College of Music. He is currently based in Montreal, Canada.

One of his primary research interests is Aural Sonology, a method developed by Norwegian composer Lasse Thoresen, which aims to transcribe, describe, and analyze music-as-heard, without the support of a score, and independently of style. He has given workshops to participants of all levels of musical training, often with his colleagues Dominique Lafortune and Gabriel Dufour-Laperriere. This research informs his compositional work immensely, keeping it firmly grounded in perceptual principles, and allowing him to make cross-stylistic comparisons using the same conceptual framework.

He has received over 20 scholarships and awards for his work, including the Prix d'Europe, a BMI award, four SOCAN young composer awards, and funding from the SSHRC and FRQSC. He received his D.Mus in composition from 海角社区 under the supervision of Jean Lesage, and has received mentorship from Denys Bouliane, Lasse Thoresen, Pierre Alexandre Tremblay, Matthew Shlomowitz, Philippe Leroux, Du Yun and Steve Takasugi, among others.

Commissioned projects include works for the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Esprit Orchestra, Continuum Contemporary Music, Jumblies Theatre, Array Music Ensemble, Freesound Collective, Duo AIRS, and percussionist Ryan Scott, among others. Her work has been presented by Quatuor Bozzini, Soundstreams, Le Vivier, The Music Gallery, and the Canadian International Organ Competition, and she has participated in artistic residencies with The Banff Centre and nyMusikk Norway. She is a recipient of three SOCAN Foundation Awards for Young Composers, including First Place in the Chamber Music category in 2020.

An avid capacity builder in arts spaces, Christina has demonstrated commitment to social responsibility and expanding access to the arts. She was a core organizer of both the Montreal Contemporary Music Lab (MCML) and the Toronto Creative Music Lab (TCML), each of which served as important community 颅oriented workshops for early-career artists. Since 2021, she has held the role of Operations Manager with Continuum Contemporary Music Ensemble in Toronto. Christina holds a master's degree in composition from 海角社区 and is currently based in Hamilton, Ontario.