Lineage by Zosha di Castri

Zosha Di Castri’s Lineage is a bold, colorful work for chamber orchestra that explores memory, heritage, and how the past shapes our present. Written in 2013, it plays with contrasts, sudden bursts of energy, delicate textures, and rich harmonic shifts. The title hints at the idea of musical ancestry: how traditions are passed down, reshaped, and reimagined through generations. Di Castri doesn’t quote older music directly, but she captures its echoes. You’ll hear fragments that feel almost familiar. The result is a piece that sounds like it’s in conversation with history, without ever being stuck in it. Lineage was Zosha Di Castri’s first piece written for the New York Philharmonic as part of their inaugural Contact! new music series. Born in Alberta and now based in New York, Di Castri is part of a growing wave of Canadian composers gaining international recognition for their innovative, emotionally rich music.

Zosha di Castri, composer

Zosha Di Castri, a Canadian “composer of riotously inventive works” (The New Yorker), currently lives in New York. Her music has been performed across Canada, the United States, South America, Asia, and Europe and extends beyond purely concert music, including projects with electronics, sound arts, and collaborations with video and dance that encourage audiences to feel “compelled to return for repeated doses” (The Arts Desk). She is currently the Francis Goelet Associate Professor of Music at Columbia University. Highlights this season include Zosha’s new large chamber work commissioned by the LA Phil and conducted by John Adams, premiering April 2024; a Koussevitzky commission from the Library of Congress for percussionist Steve Schick and ensemble premiering November 2024; and upcoming collaborations with the Bozzini Quartet and Ensemble Paramirabo/Totem. Zosha’s 2019 debut album Tachitipo was released on New Focus Recordings to critical acclaim. The title track was nominated for The JUNO Awards’ 2021 Classical Composition of the Year. Tachitipo was praised as “a formidable statement. It is so comprehensively realized, institutionally ratified, and sensitive to the creative exigencies of the 21st century that one wants to send a copy of it to the publishers of textbooks for music history survey courses in the hope that it will be included in a last chapter or two” (I Care If You Listen). Zosha is a recipient of the 2023 American Academy of Arts and Letters Lieberson Fellowship, the 2021 Guggenheim Fellowship, and an inaugural fellow at the 2018-19 Paris Institute for Ideas and Imagination.

Oboe Concerto by Gary Kulesha

Oboe Concerto was premiered in 2006. Known for his ability to blend contemporary techniques with clarity and emotional depth, Kulesha creates a sound world that’s both modern and deeply human. The concerto unfolds over three movements, each offering a different perspective on the oboe’s voice. The orchestration is light and transparent, allowing colors and textures to shimmer around the solo line. The concerto demands both technical finesse and expressive nuance, and when performed well, feels like a personal journey told in music. Kulesha, one of Canada’s most respected composers, is also a conductor, pianist, and educator. He served as Composer Advisor to the Toronto Symphony Orchestra for over 20 years, helping shape Canada’s contemporary classical scene while supporting the creation of new music across the country.

Gary Kulesha, composer

GARY KULESHA is one of Canada’s most visible musicians. Although he is best known as a composer, he is extremely active as a conductor as well, and has appeared extensively as a pianist. His career has been an astonishing mixture of activities, taking him from the classical music world through broadcasting and theatre, film, and opera. His first professional compositions date from the age of 15, and several of his early works continue to be in the repertoire of several ensembles. His String Trio, written when he was 16 years old, is one of his most performed works. His Divertimento for Brass Quintet (No.1) was written when he was 17, and continues to be performed and recorded extensively. His Sonata for Horn, Tuba, and Piano, written when he was 22, is currently featured on three commercial recordings. As a young composer, he established a relationship with the Canadian Brass, and worked as a composer and arranger for them. The Canadian Brass continue to perform his work from this time in their many current appearances. In 1987, after having been Principal Conductor for several years, he became the Artistic Director of The Composers’ Orchestra, a position he held until 2004, when he ceded in favour of a directorate of three young composers. In 1988, Gary Kulesha became the first Composer in Residence in Canada through the Canada Council’s newly created programme. He was appointed Composer in Residence at the Kitchener Waterloo Symphony Orchestra, a position he held for 4 years. Upon leaving the KWSO, Gary became the Composer in Residence at the Canadian Opera Company, a position he held until for 3 years. His opera “Red Emma” was premiered by the COC in the late fall of 1995. In September of 1995, Gary Kulesha became the Toronto Symphony Orchestra’s Composer Advisor, a position he continues to hold. Gary’s work with the TSO has been extensive and exhaustive. In addition to conducting, he has advised Jukka Pekka Saraste, Sir Andrew Davis and Peter Oundjian on both Canadian and contemporary repertoire, and is continuing in this role with Gustavo Gimeno. He successfully created significantly more access to the TSO for Canadian composers immediately after assuming the job. An examination of the list of composers featured during his tenure reveals an open minded representation of aesthetics of all types, and a significant broadening of the number of Canadian composers performed. He successfully lobbied the orchestra to use unused services to read Canadian orchestral music, both by established and emerging composers. The reading sessions have been opened to the public. He was the founding architect of the Massey Hall New Music Festival, the first important attempt to bring all Toronto new music groups into collaboration. He was the founding co-architect of the TSO’s New Creations Festival, the most successful new music festival in the history of Canadian music (even if only judged on the basis of actual number of tickets sold.) Gary created and managed the Composer Affiliate programme, and 10 emerging composers have taken part. After being mentored by Gary, all these composers have gone on to distinguished careers. In 1996, he created the Young Composers’ Workshop at the Festival of the Sound in Parry Sound. Over the next decade, he supervised and conducted workshops and performances of the music of three young composers per year. In 2000, he won the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra Prize for the best Canadian Orchestral Composition of the 1990s. In 2000, Gary was appointed to the full time faculty of the Faculty of Music, University of Toronto. His former students now occupy several significant positions in the arts and education world, from the Beijing Central Conservatory, to the Pacific Music Festival in Sapporo, Japan, to universities in Europe and the U.S. In 2002, he was named by Pinchas Zukerman as one of three Awards Composers at the National Arts Centre Orchestra. He had five commissions from the NACO, including his Second Violin Concerto and Third Symphony. In the summer of 2002, he designed and supervised the first ever NACO Young Composers’ Programme. He returned as Lead Composer in 2005 and remained until 2010, when the programme was discontinued. In 2008 and 2009, he coordinated and directed the NACO’s Canadian Composers’ Reading Sessions, conducting music by Canadians in a public workshop setting. His honours include two Juno Nominations (1990 and 2000), and the 1986 PRO Canada (which has since become SOCAN) Composer of the Year award. He was and remains the youngest composer ever awarded this distinction. Also in 1986, his work “Angels” represented Canada at the International Rostrum of Composers in Paris. “Celebration Overture”, composed in 1986, is the most performed Canadian orchestral work. His Third Symphony had no fewer than 20 performances between 2007 and 2010. Gary Kulesha has had an unshakable commitment to his colleagues. He served 6 years on the Council of the League of Composers. He served 6 years on the Regional Council of the Canadian Music Centre. He served 2 years as Classical Music Representative on the SOCAN Board. He served an additional 2 years on SOCAN’s Classical Music Committee. Gary has programmed, conducted, premiered, and recorded hundreds of works by emerging and established composers over many years. He conducted the Canadian Premiere of Gyorgy Ligeti’s Mysteries of the Macabre with Barbara Hannigan and the Toronto Symphony in 2000. Gary has been a mentor to many young musicians who have gone on to make significant contributions to the musical life of both Canada and the world. He gave Barbara Hannigan her first orchestral performance with the KWSO, and brought her to the TSO for her debut with that orchestra. Other important artists he has mentored include Wallace Halladay, Andrew Staniland, Abigail Richardson, William Rowson, Scott Good, Jordan Pal, Kevin Lau, Emilie LeBel, and Owen Pallett.

The Grief Eater Firaga by Sonny-Ray Day Rider

The Grief Eater Firaga is an imaginative work by Blackfoot composer Sonny-Ray Day Rider. Composed in 2021, the piece blends contemporary classical music with influences from the composer’s cultural heritage and personal creative voice. The music reflects that burning energy, with layers of shifting textures, driving rhythms, and bursts of sonic intensity. Rather than telling a literal story, the piece captures an emotional journey, one that acknowledges pain but also points toward resilience and renewal. Day Rider’s music often explores themes of identity and place, and this work is no exception. Through bold gestures and an innovative use of the orchestra, he crafts a soundscape that is both personal and universally resonant. Sonny-Ray Day Rider is a member of the Kainai Nation and one of a growing number of Indigenous composers reshaping Canada’s musical landscape. He’s also a passionate advocate for integrating Blackfoot worldviews and language into his music.

Sonny-Ray Day Rider, composer

Sonny-Ray Day Rider (B.A., Music) is a Blackfoot composer, pianist from the Kainai Blood Tribe.  Sonny-Ray has a broad musical palate working with many genres. Sonny-Ray is currently pursuing advanced studies (M.mus) in music composition at the University of Lethbridge. He shows great promise in the field, having accumulated a large breadth of significant creative projects as an emerging Blood (Blackfoot) artist in an impressively short time span. He also currently has a seat on the Indigenous Advisory Circle to the Library and Archives Canada and is past faculty alumni to the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity.

Endymion by Jean Coulthard

Endymion is a luminous and lyrical work inspired by the myth of Endymion, the beautiful shepherd who, in Greek legend, was granted eternal sleep and youth by the moon goddess Selene. Coulthard paints this dreamy tale with impressionistic textures, and rich harmonies. Written in the 1970s, Endymion reflects Coulthard’s distinct voice: romantic, expressive, and rooted in emotional storytelling. Although she was influenced by composers like Debussy and Ravel, her music always maintained a clear personal identity, embracing beauty and atmosphere. When Coulthard was writing Endymion, Canada was preparing to host the 1976 Montreal Olympics, a moment that spotlighted Canadian culture on the world stage. Coulthard herself was a major figure in shaping Canadian music in the 20th century, especially as one of the few prominent women composers of her generation. 

Jean Coulthard, composer

Jean Coulthard was one of Canada’s most influential composers, educators, and musical pioneers. Born in Vancouver in 1908, she developed her love for music early, studying piano and composition in Europe and the United States, including with notable teachers like Arnold Bax and Béla Bartók. Though she came of age during a time when modernism and atonality were gaining ground, Coulthard stayed true to a lyrical, expressive style rooted in Romanticism and Impressionism. Her music is often described as poetic and emotionally rich, with vivid orchestral colors and a strong sense of atmosphere. She composed in nearly every genre, from chamber music and symphonic works to vocal pieces and ballets. She was inspired by nature, literature, and mythology. Beyond composing, Coulthard had a huge impact as a teacher at the University of British Columbia, mentoring many future Canadian composers. At a time when few women were recognized in the classical music world, she carved out a lasting legacy through both her music and her mentorship. In 1978, Coulthard became an Officer of the Order of Canada which is one of the country’s highest civilian honors, recognizing her immense contributions to Canadian culture.

Elysium by Samy Moussa

Elysium is a bold and haunting work for string orchestra that explores the boundary between serenity and unease. Premiered in 2012, the piece takes its name from the mythological Elysian Fields which is the final resting place of heroes and the virtuous in Greek mythology. But rather than portraying an idyllic paradise, Moussa offers a more ambiguous, even unsettling vision of the afterlife. The music opens with a long, static chord, a kind of suspended breath and unfolds slowly, with subtle shifts in harmony and texture. Tension builds gradually, drawing the listener into a world that feels timeless and weightless, but also eerie and emotionally charged. The work is minimalist in construction, yet deeply expressive, creating a powerful atmosphere using just the bare essentials. When Elysium premiered in 2012, Samy Moussa was gaining international recognition — and just a few years later, he would go on to conduct major orchestras like the Vienna Radio Symphony and the Bavarian Radio Symphony. 

Samy Moussa, composer

Born in Montréal in 1984 and now based in Berlin, composer-conductor Samy Moussa is one of the world’s leading composers. Moussa’s work has been performed by many of the world’s most prestigious orchestras including Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra and Los Angeles Philharmonic. He has also featured as Artist in Residence at Toronto Symphony Orchestra and works closely with Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal. The 2022/23 season saw the world premiere of his Trombone Concerto “Yericho” with Orchestre national de Lyon and trombonist Jörgen van Rijen, as well as the European premiere of his Second Symphony with BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and the BBC Proms 2023, whilst Moussa himself made appearances as conductor with Musikkollegium Winterthur and Edmonton Symphony Orchestra. Upcoming highlights in the 2023/24 season include the world premieres of Antigone, an oratorio for female chorus and orchestra conducted by Erik Nielsen with Dutch National Opera & Ballet, and Adgilis Deda, a hymn for orchestra by Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra to be conducted by Manfred Honeck. In the 2023/24 season, Moussa conducts Orchestra della Svizzera italiana, as well as Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and Bilbao Orkestra Sinfonikoa. Recent seasons have seen him take up the baton to lead a range of repertoire from Classical to contemporary music with Bayerisches Staatsorchester, RSO Wien, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, MDR Sinfonieorchester Leipzig, Staatskapelle Halle and Zürcher Kammerorchester. Regularly programmed by the world’s most prestigious orchestras, Moussa’s works have been commissioned and performed by the likes of Wiener Philharmoniker, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, DSO Berlin, Dutch National Opera and Ballet, Dallas Symphony Orchestra and Brussels Philharmonic. This season sees even more premiere orchestras take up his work with performances by NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester, Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra and Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. His works remain popular with internationally-renowned conductors such as Hannu Lintu, Manfred Honeck, Kent Nagano, Kevin John Edusei, Chistian Thielemann, Christoph Eschenbach, Gustavo Gimeno and Fabien Gabel.