John David Bryson Burge (born 2 January 1961) is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

music educator Music education is a field of practice in which educators are trained for careers as elementary or secondary music teachers, school or music conservatory ensemble directors. Music education is also a research area in which scholars do original ...

, and

pianist A pianist ( , ) is an individual musician who plays the piano. Since most forms of Western music can make use of the piano, pianists have a wide repertoire and a wide variety of styles to choose from, among them traditional classical music, ja ...

. He has won a number of awards for his compositions, including the Alberta Culture Award (1982), the William Erving Fairclough Scholarship (1983), second prize in the Ithaca College Choral Composition Contest and Festival (1984), and five PROCAN Young Composers' Competition prizes between 1985 and 1988 among others. In 2009 he won the

Juno Award for Classical Composition of the Year The Juno Award for "Classical Composition of the Year" has been awarded since 1987, as recognition each year for the best classical music composition in Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territori ...

for his ''Flanders Fields Reflections''. Some music critics have likened his compositional style to that of

Benjamin Britten Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976, aged 63) was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He was a central figure of 20th-century British music, with a range of works including opera, other ...

and Maxwell Davies.John Burge
at

The Canadian Encyclopedia ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' (TCE; french: L'Encyclopédie canadienne) is the national encyclopedia of Canada, published online by the Toronto-based historical organization Historica Canada, with the support of Canadian Heritage. Available fo ...

. Born in

Dryden, Ontario Dryden, originally known as New Prospect, is the second-largest city in the Kenora District of Northwestern Ontario, Canada, located on Wabigoon Lake. It is the least populous community in Ontario incorporated as a city. The City of Dryden had a ...

, Burge earned an associate degree from

The Royal Conservatory of Music The Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM), branded as The Royal Conservatory, is a non-profit music education institution and performance venue headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded in 1886 by Edward Fisher as The Toronto Con ...

in 1979. He remained at the school, earning a bachelor's degree in 1983 and a master's degree in 1984. He earned a

Doctor of Musical Arts The Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) is a doctoral academic degree in music. The DMA combines advanced studies in an applied area of specialization (usually music performance, music composition, or conducting) with graduate-level academic study in ...

from the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public university, public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks a ...

in 1989. Among his teachers in music composition were John Beckwith,

Stephen Chatman Stephen Chatman (born 28 February 1950) is an American-born Canadian composer residing in Vancouver. His compositions have been performed across Canada and in the United States. Early life and education Chatman was born in Faribault, Minnesota ...

Walter Buczynski Walter Joseph Buczynski (born 17 December 1933) is a Canadian composer, music educator, and pianist.John Hawkins John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

, and

Derek Holman Derek Holman, (16 May 1931 – 20 May 2019) was a choral conductor, organist and composer. Life and work Born at Illogan, Cornwall, UK, Holman attended the Royal Academy of Music from 1948 to 1952 and studied with Sir William McKie, Er ...

. In 1987 Burge joined the music faculty at Queen's University where he continues to teach music theory, analysis and composition. He formerly served as the director of the

Queen's School of Music "Queen's Music" is part of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Queen's University at Kingston, in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. The School of Music is housed on the main campus of the University within Harrison-LeCaine Hall on Bader Lane, named af ...

. Burge's compositions have been performed by numerous notable ensembles, including the

BBC Singers The BBC Singers are a British chamber choir, and the professional chamber choir of the BBC. One of the six BBC Performing Groups, the BBC Singers are based at the BBC's Maida Vale Studios in London. The only full-time professional British c ...

, the

Elmer Iseler Singers The Elmer Iseler Singers is a professional chamber choir based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The twenty-voice choir, conducted by Artistic Director ''Lydia Adams'', founded by Dr. Elmer Iseler in 1979, is one of Canada’s leading choral ensemb ...

, the Hart House Chorus, the Nepean Symphony Orchestra, the Thirteen Strings Chamber Orchestra, the

New York City Gay Men's Chorus The New York City Gay Men's Chorus is a choral organization in New York City that has been presenting an annual concert season for more than four decades. History The New York City Gay Men's Chorus (NYCGMC) was founded in August 1980 by Ed Weav ...

, and the Michigan State University Children's Choir. His opera ''The Master's House'' was commissioned by the

Opera Lyra Ottawa Opera Lyra Ottawa (OLO) was a non-profit professional opera company based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It was founded in 1984 by Canadian soprano Diana Gilchrist after the demise of the National Arts Centre's annual summer opera productions. The co ...

and premiered by the organization in 1984. In 1986 the Choir of Christ Church Cathedral performed his "So Great Is God's Love" with

Diana, Princess of Wales Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997) was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of King Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William and Harry. Her ac ...

and

Charles, Prince of Wales Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to ...

in attendance. In 2004 his Clarinet Concerto was premiered by the

Kingston Symphony The Kingston Symphony (KS) is a Canadian orchestra based in Kingston, Ontario. Since 2014 the principal conductor of the symphony has been Evan Mitchell. The ensemble performs most of its concerts at The Grand Theatre.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Burge, John 1961 births 20th-century classical composers 21st-century classical composers Canadian classical composers Canadian male classical composers Canadian classical pianists Male classical pianists Juno Award for Classical Composition of the Year winners Living people Canadian opera composers Male opera composers People from Dryden, Ontario Queen's University at Kingston faculty The Royal Conservatory of Music alumni University of British Columbia School of Music alumni 20th-century Canadian pianists Canadian male pianists 21st-century classical pianists 20th-century Canadian male musicians 21st-century Canadian male musicians