Composers » O » John Oliver (Vancouver, BC, Canada, 1959)

John Oliver came to international attention during 1988/89 when he won six prizes for five compositions ranging from chamber to orchestral to electroacoustic music. Among these the City of Varese Prize at the 1988 Luigi Russolo Competition (Italy), and the Canada Council’s Grand Prize at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s 8th National Competition for Young Composers for his live electroacoustic work, El Reposo del Fuego. Oliver has been commissioned by the Canadian Opera Company, National Arts Centre Orchestra, Vancouver Symphony, the CBC Radio Orchestra, Vancouver New Music, La Société de Musique Contemporaine du Québec, Ensemble Pierrot, and the St. Lawrence Quartet, among others, and his music has been presented at several international festivals, among them the ISCM World Music Days and the Juilliard School of Music Pacific Rim Festival. Based in Vancouver, Canada, John Oliver writes music for acoustic and electronic instruments. Oliver’s recent music combines familiar musical materials and techniques with new inventions, with a view to creating a perceptually-based and visceral experience. He is sympathetic to the “spectralist attitude”, believing that music should resonate with the listener’s intellect, emotions, and kinetic impulses. Master classes with I. Xenakis and Roger Reynolds, along with personal studies in perception, psychoacoustics, and social theory have contributed to this direction. Oliver’s formal training with John Adams, Stephen Chatman, John Rea, Bruce Mather, and Philippe Boesmans also contributed to Oliver’s formation. He holds a doctorate in composition from McGill University.

[60x60 2008—Canada, 2008]

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