The Toronto Symphony Orchestra has named Liam Ritz as the next RBC Affiliate Composer. The position comes with a two year term, incorporating the 2024/25 and 2025/26 seasons. As Affiliate Composer, Liam will be working alongside TSO Music Director Gustavo Gimeno, TSO Composer Advisor Emilie LeBel, the artistic staff, and the musicians of the TSO.
The program will allow him to write works for full orchestra. Liam will also be able to network with visiting Canadian and international composers, and he’ll be participating the orchestra’s educational programs.
Liam shared the news in a social media post.
The RBC Affiliate Composer
The RBC Affiliate Composer program doesn’t just offer opportunities to write music. Liam will receive training and experience in areas critical to a future career, including,
- Orchestra operations;
- Marketing and public relations;
- Educational initiatives;
- Selecting and programming Canadian and contemporary music.
While there’s no age restriction attached to the position, it’s an opportunity designed for an emerging composer who has completed formal education, and has already demonstrated their abilities in the realm of Canadian orchestral music to some extent.
This year’s search committee included TSO Music Director Gustavo Gimeno, TSO Composer Advisor Emilie LeBel, musician representatives of the TSO, and TSO staff. The finalists were auditioned via live interviews, and a written exercise.
Composer Liam Ritz
Hamilton-born Liam Ritz is based in Toronto, and he earned a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Toronto, studying composition under Abigail Richardson-Schulte. Liam went on to study privately, and in masterclasses with prominent composers like Ana Sokolovic, Jean Lesage, Derek Bermel, and Kelly-Marie Murphy, among others.
His music draws influences from a number of genres from pop to jazz, along with classical music. Liam’s pieces are often multi-layered, and reference not just music but other art forms such as theatre.
He’s worked with a number of ensembles in Canada, including:
- The Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra, where he was an inaugural Composer Fellow;
- Toronto Symphony Orchestra;
- Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra;
- National Youth Orchestra of Canada.
His compositions have also been performed in the United States, Italy, Finland, Argentina, and Japan, and featured in music festivals and workshops across North America, including the Bowdoin International Music Festival (Brunswick, Maine), Winnipeg New Music Festival (Winnipeg, MB), Orford Music Academy (Orford, QC), Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra’s What Next Festival (Hamilton, ON), University of Toronto’s New Music Festival (Toronto, ON), and others.
Liam’s prize count includes:
- Six SOCAN Foundation Young Composers Awards;
- A Prix Artistique from Jeunesses Musicales Canada: Concours Do Mi Si La Do Ré;
- The 2020 City of Hamilton Arts Award.
Congratulations to Liam, and we’ll look forward to hearing his work over the coming seasons.
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