2023 Inclusive Repertoire Award Winner

 

Creating “Exquisitely layered soundworlds” (I care if you listen) and writing music “Brimming with youthful vitality” (Winnipeg Free Press), Chinese-Canadian composer Dr. Roydon Tse seeks to communicate to audiences from all backgrounds with music that reflects our lived experiences.

His music has appeared at the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, and the Melbourne Recital Hall and been performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra, iSing! Suzhou, Brussels Philharmonic, Hong Kong Philharmonic, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Shanghai Philharmonic, the Atlanta Opera, Vancouver Symphony, Winnipeg Symphony, Edmonton Symphony, Verona Quartet, Brno Philharmonic, City Opera Vancouver, Vancouver Bach Choir, and members of the Paris Opera and La Scala Orchestras.

A winner of multiple accolades, he has won seven SOCAN Foundation Awards for Young Composers, the Washington International Composition Prize (2015), Grand Prize from the iSing! Composition Competition, (2020) a Coups de Vents International Composition Prize (2021), Lieutenant Governor of Alberta’s Emerging Artist Award (2018), and the Johanna Metcalf Protégé Prize (2019). His career successes led to being named one of CBC Music’s Top “30 under 30” Classical Musicians in 2017.

Born in Hong Kong, Dr. Tse studied music in England before graduating from the Universities of British Columbia and Toronto in composition. He was a Toronto Symphony Orchestra NextGen composer for their 2020/21 season and an alumnus of the Gabriela Lena Frank Creative Academy of Music. Living in Toronto, he is as a teaching artist for the Canadian Opera Company and enjoys playing Blitz chess in his spare time.

 

In 2022, The Colorado Wind Ensemble issued a call for scores by underrepresented composers to be performed and recorded by the Colorado Wind Ensemble during the 2023-24 season. We desire to encourage and promote composers from historically marginalized communities to write music for the Wind Band at any developmental level (Grade 1-6). Submitted scores were  reviewed by members of a selection committee, and the selected piece will be programmed and recorded during the 2023-24 season. A professional recording of the work will be provided to the selected composer. In addition, the selected composer will receive a cash prize of $1000 and will be invited to participate in a two day, “Artist-in-Residence” at Metropolitan State University of Denver to work with the Colorado Wind Ensemble and interact with MSU Denver composition students (expenses paid, stipend provided).