Jocelyn Morlock (14 December 1969 – 27 March 2023) was a Canadian composer and music educator based in Vancouver, British Columbia.[1] Her piece My Name is Amanda Todd won the 2018 Juno Award for Classical Composition of the Year.[2][3][4]

Jocelyn Morlock
Background information
Born(1969-12-14)14 December 1969
Saint Boniface, Manitoba, Canada
Died27 March 2023(2023-03-27) (aged 53)
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
GenresClassical, contemporary classical, post-modern classical
Occupation(s)Composer
Years active1996–2023
Websitehttps://jocelynmorlock.com/

Early life and education edit

Morlock was born in Saint Boniface, Manitoba on 14 December 1969.[5] She studied piano with Robert Richardson, Sr. and completed a Bachelor of Music in piano performance at Brandon University (B.Mus. 1994), where her teachers included Gerhard Ginader (electroacoustic music) and T. Patrick Carrabré (composition).[6] She received both a master's degree and a Doctorate of Musical Arts from the University of British Columbia (M.Mus. 1996, DMA 2002) where her composition teachers included Stephen Chatman, Keith Hamel, and the late Russian-Canadian composer Nikolai Korndorf.[7][8][9][10]

Career edit

Jocelyn Morlock was Composer-in-Residence with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (2014-2019),[11][12] after completing her term (2012-2014)[13][14] as inaugural Composer-in-Residence for Vancouver's Music on Main, co-host of ISCM World New Music Days 2017.[15]

Morlock's international career was launched at the 1999 International Society for Contemporary Music's World Music Days with Romanian performances of her quartet Bird in the Tangled Sky,[16] followed by Top 10 at the 2002 International Rostrum of Composers[17] and Winner of the 2004 Canadian Music Centre Prairie Region Emerging Composers competition.[18]

Morlock wrote the imposed work for several music competitions including the 2008 Eckhardt-Gramatté National Music Competition[19] (Involuntary Love Songs) and the 2005 Montreal International Music Competition,[20] (Amore).[21][22] She won the SOCAN Jan V. Matejcek New Classical Music Award in 2018.[23]

Morlock's piece My Name is Amanda Todd premiered on 19 May 2016. It is a reflection on the life of Canadian Amanda Todd. It was commissioned and premiered by the National Arts Centre Orchestra as part of the multimedia symphonic work Life Reflected.[3][4] The piece won the 2018 Juno Award for Classical Composition of the Year.[24]

Morlock was the longtime partner of Hard Rubber Orchestra director and trumpeter John Korsrud.[25]

Style edit

Morlock's music exhibits a quirky and eccentric post-modernism, but is specially centred on emotion.[26] Her musical language is typically tonal or modal, but is expanded with extended techniques and colouristic effects.

Death edit

Morlock died on 27 March 2023, at the age of 53.[27]

Selected works edit

  • Bird in the Tangled Sky (1997)
  • Lacrimosa (2000)
  • Exaudi (2004)
  • Music from the Romantic Era (2005)
  • Amore (2005)
  • half-light, somnolent rains (2005)[9]
  • Cobalt (2009)[28]
  • Aeromancy (2011)
  • My Name is Amanda Todd (2016)
  • Lucid Dreams (2017; cello concerto)[29]

Discography edit

Cobalt, Centrediscs CMCCD 20014 (2014)

Halcyon, Centrediscs CMCCD 23817 (2017)

Awards and nominations edit

JUNO Awards edit

Classical Composition of the Year

  • Won: My Name is Amanda Todd (2018)[30][24]
  • Nominated: Exaudi (2011)

Western Canadian Music Awards edit

Classical Composer of the Year

Classical Composition of the Year

  • Won: Cobalt (2015)

Classical Recording of the Year

  • Nominated: Cobalt (2015)

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Jocelyn Morlock". UBC School of Music. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  2. ^ "Vancouver composer translates Amanda Todd's life into music". cbc.ca. 2 November 2017.
  3. ^ a b "My Name is Amanda Todd | Life Reflected". nac-cna.ca. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  4. ^ a b "Jocelyn Morlock says her Juno-winning piece My Name is Amanda Todd 'stands up for itself'". Retrieved 30 January 2020.
  5. ^ "Allegro, January to February 2018 (p. 19)". 31 December 2017. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
  6. ^ "Composition Studio | Patrick Carrabré". people.brandonu.ca. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  7. ^ "UBC alumni win Western Canadian Music Awards". The Ubyssey. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  8. ^ "Composer Profile – Jocelyn Morlock". Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra. 22 October 2016. Retrieved 25 May 2017.
  9. ^ a b half-light somnolent rains.mov, retrieved 26 January 2020
  10. ^ "Nikolai Korndorf: his music and aesthetics". musiconmain.ca. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  11. ^ barczablog (7 January 2015). "10 Questions for Jocelyn Morlock". barczablog. Retrieved 25 May 2017.
  12. ^ "Jocelyn Morlock". Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  13. ^ "Jocelyn Morlock – Composer in Residence (2012 through 2014)". musiconmain.ca. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  14. ^ "Jocelyn Morlock". musiconmain.ca. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  15. ^ "HOME | ISCM 2017". Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  16. ^ ISCM (30 October 2016). "ISCM WMD 1999 Romania, Moldavia". ISCM. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  17. ^ "Frederic Rossille Online – IRC". frederic-rossille.net. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  18. ^ Canadienne, Canadian Music Centre | Centre de Musique. "Emerging Composer Competition". musiccentre.ca. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  19. ^ "Brandon Sun Newspaper Archives, Nov 17, 2008, p. 7". NewspaperArchive.com. 17 November 2008. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  20. ^ "2005 – Past Laureates – About CMIM". Concours musical international de Montréal. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  21. ^ Elena – Amore.avi, archived from the original on 15 December 2021, retrieved 26 January 2020
  22. ^ "Montreal International Music Competition Notes". scena.org. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  23. ^ "Composer Jocelyn Morlock takes home Jan V. Matejcek New Classical Music Award". The Georgia Straight. 22 June 2018. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  24. ^ a b The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. "2018 JUNO Award Nominees". The JUNOS Website. Archived from the original on 7 August 2018. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
  25. ^ "Music community reeling from news that celebrated Vancouver composer Jocelyn Morlock has died". Stir. 28 March 2023. Retrieved 1 April 2023.
  26. ^ Keillor, John (June 2009). Words and Music. SOCAN. p. 9. Musical Dialogues
  27. ^ "Remembering Jocelyn Morlock". The University of British Columbia. 28 March 2023. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
  28. ^ Matthew Parsons. "10 pieces by living Canadian composers that you will love". CBC Music, 16 December 2014
  29. ^ "What has become of my British Columbia? – Macleans.ca". macleans.ca. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  30. ^ Smith, Charlie (24 March 2018). "Diana Krall, Michael Bublé, Anciients, Jocelyn Morlock, and Ivan Decker put B.C. in Juno Awards winners circle". The Georgia Straight. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
  31. ^ "2018 WCMA WINNERS ANNOUNCED". BreakOut West. Retrieved 26 January 2020.

External links edit