Announcement

I am honoured and grateful to have been given the opportunity to pursue doctoral studies in music at York University, a program I'll be starting full-time in September. I have been curious for some time about efforts in the Canadian band music community to include and promote more Canadian works and also more works by composers from underrepresented demographics. Personally, I've found it hard to find a convergence in those two distinct goals, both as an ensemble director and as a festival organizer.

My research will investigate systemic barriers facing composers and potential composers of band music in Canada, who are of underrepresented demographics. I am also hoping to find ways for the community to implement supports and pathways for non-male and non-white composers in Canada to get their music into concert programs and onto festival lists. This is part of a larger conversation that has already begun in the Canadian band community, and also related to the recent surge of anti-racist sentiment around the world, but the momentum we're seeing needs to be translated into results.