EAR - a newsletter for choral pedagogues

Rebecca Gray is a soprano, composer and improviser based in Toronto who is passionate about performing and creating fresh, complex and inclusive new works.  

As a singer, she has performed with Esprit Orchestra, Tapestry Opera, Opera Q, and is a member of FAWN chamber creative. Rebecca’s compositions have been performed by musically diverse ensembles, including Ottawa’s 13 strings, the Capital Chamber Choir, and Ensemble Paramirabo.  

She has a particular interest in interdisciplinary work and has presented collaborative projects at Nuit Rose, the Montreal Contemporary Music Lab, the Toronto Creative Music Lab, the Atlantic Music Festival and the Banff Centre (Opera in the 21st Century, 2021). She participated in the Canadian League of Composer’s PIVOT mentorship program, which will culminate in a choral performance by Pro Coro in Edmonton, and participated in Soundstreams’ Young Composer Workshop in 2021. She looks forward to premiering her own work and the work of other Canadian composers with Pacific Opera Victoria as part of their 2022 Civic Engagement Program. She has received the support of the Canada Council for the Arts in composing a one-woman show for solo soprano and in composing her second opera.

1 - Major musical influence (either a style or a personality)? 

I'm particularly inspired by other performer composers such as Meredith Monk, Laurie Anderson and Kate Soper.

2 - What is your favourite instrument to write for?

The voice! I'm somewhat paralyzed to compose music without text, so even when I'm writing for instrumentalists, I tend to make them talk or sing as well. I write a lot for my own voice, and it's been such a joy to surrender that control and compose for Pro Coro!

3 - Where do you write your music?

My music emerges a lot from improvisation, and I absolutely need to sing, run around and talk to myself while I'm composing. This happens in my tiny Toronto bedroom, or sometimes while I'm cycling around Toronto, much to the amusement of passers by.

4 - Would you rather read the book before the movie or after?

I find both before and after reading offer great opportunities for critical thought! Classic literature is my jam, so I have a lot to say about different adaptations of Austen, Hardy, Tolstoy, Flaubert, the Brontes and James. You really shouldn't get me started.

5 - Are you an early bird or a night owl?

Absolutely not an early bird. Not really a night owl either. I just need a lot of sleep and try to get it wherever I can. And since my practice involves singing all the time, my downstairs neighbours wouldn't appreciate it occurring either very early or very late at night.

Apply to be a mentor with NYCC!

As an extension of the National Youth Choir of Canada (NYCC) professional artist training program and with the generous support of the Azrieli Foundation, Choral Canada has created a Mentorship Pilot Project. The purpose of this program is to match NYCC participants with more seasoned professionals involved in choral music and group singing including conductors, singers, composers, administrators, and educators from across the Choral Canada network.

What is the mentor’s role?
● Motivate - encourage young singers in their choral music journey, help them to identify goals and next steps to achieve those aims
● Explore - career opportunities, what life as a professional in the choral arts might look like
● Expand – the mentee’s professional network within Canada
● Support – act as a resource to assist with vocal technique, rehearsal, audition strategies, how to make professional contacts etc.