Harry Somers

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Harry Stewart Somers (born September 11, 1925 in Toronto , † March 9, 1999 ibid) was a Canadian composer.

Somers was between 1949 and 1948 piano student of Dorothy Hornfelt (1939-41), Reginald Godden (1942-43), Weldon Kilburn (1945-48) and E. Robert Schmitz (1948). From 1941 to 1949 he also studied composition with John Weinzweig . He performed as a pianist in the 1940s with works by Barbara Pentland and his own compositions, but in 1948 abandoned his plans for a career as a pianist in order to devote himself entirely to composition.

In 1949 he studied for a year in Paris with Darius Milhaud , during a second stay in France in 1960 he studied Gregorian singing in Solesmes. In the 1950s he made his living as a music copyist. In the 1960s he devoted himself to school music lessons.

From 1969 to 1971 he lived on a scholarship from the Canada Cultural Institute in Rome, in 1972 he was named Companion of the Order of Canada as one of the most productive and well-known composers in Canada . His compositional work includes stage works (including the opera Louis Riel ) and orchestral works (including 3 piano concertos, a guitar concerto, a symphony), numerous compositions for chamber music, songs and choral music.

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personal data
SURNAME Somers, Harry
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Somers, Harry Stewart
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Canadian composer
DATE OF BIRTH September 11, 1925
PLACE OF BIRTH Toronto
DATE OF DEATH March 9, 1999
Place of death Toronto