Robert Aitken (musician)

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Robert Aitken (born August 28, 1939 in Kentville / Nova Scotia ) is a Canadian composer, flautist, music teacher and conductor.

Act

Aitken studied flute with Nicholas Fiore at the Royal Conservatory of Music of Toronto from 1955 to 1959 . In addition, he was first flutist of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra in 1958 and 1959 and a composition student of Barbara Pentland at the University of British Columbia . After 1959 he studied electronic music with Myron Schaeffer and composition with John Weinzweig at the University of Toronto . During a stay in Europe in 1964 and 1965 he was finally a student of Jean-Pierre Rampal , Severino Gazzelloni , André Jaunet and Hubert Barwahser . He himself describes Marcel Moyse , with whom he had lessons for nine years, as his most important flute teacher.

Aitken was second flutist in the CBC Symphony Orchestra from 1960 to 1964 and first flautist in the Stratford Festival Orchestra from 1962 to 1964 . In 1964 he founded the Lyric Arts Trio with his wife, the pianist Marion Ross , and the singer Mary Morrison . In the following years he performed with the trio, as a soloist and in a duo with the harpsichordist Greta Kraus .

In 1971 he won third prize at the Concours international de flûte de Paris , the following year he won first prize at the Concours international de flûte pour la musique contemporaine in Royan. In addition to his international concert activities, he founded the New Music Concerts in Toronto with Norma Beecroft in 1971 , which he has directed ever since.

The focus of Aitken's repertoire is the music of the 20th century. In 1977 he recorded all of Kazuo Fukushima's flute works . The five-part chamber music concert series Flute Through The Ages for the CBC sold out in a week and received the Canadian Association of Broadcasters Award for Best Classical Broadcasting Program in 1982 .

Aitkens played the world premieres of flute works by numerous Canadian composers such as Louis Applebaum , Michael Conway Baker , Milton Barnes , Norma Beecroft , Walter Buczynski , John Burke , Ron Collier , Robert Fleming , Harry Freedman , John Hawkins , Otto Joachim , Walter Kemp , Tālivaldis Ķeniņš , Oskar Morawetz , François Morel , Jean Papineau-Couture , R. Murray Schafer , Norman Symonds , Gerhard Wuensch , John Wyre and León Zuckert . Also international musicians like Larry Austin , John Beckwith , Warren Benson , Attila Bozay , John Cage , George Crumb , Elliott Carter , Lukas Foss , Hafliði Hallgrímsson , Hikaru Hayashi , Jo Kondo , Nikos Mamangakis , Bruce Mather , Páll Pálsson , Thorkell Sigurbjörnsson , Atli Sveinsson Tōru Takemitsu and Gilles Tremblay dedicated works to him.

Between 1957 and 1968 Aitkens taught at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. From 1988 to 2002 he was a professor at the State University of Music in Freiburg . He has also given summer courses and master classes in Canada, Cuba, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Mexico, Norway, Poland, Sweden, New Zealand and the USA. His students included Kathryn Cernauskas , Bill McBirnie , Ron Korb , Jan Junker , Suzanne Shulman , Douglas Stewart and his daughter Diane Aitkens .

Works

  • Suite for violin and piano, 1960
  • Rhapsody for orchestra, 1961
  • Quartet for flute, oboe, viola and double bass, 1961
  • Music for Flute and Electronic Tape , 1963
  • Noesis for tape, 1963
  • Music for Hamlet for tape, 1964
  • Concerto for Twelve Solo Instruments and Orchestra , 1965
  • Spectra for Four Chamber Groups , 1968
  • Shadows I: Nekuia for orchestra, 1971
  • Kebyar for flute, clarinet, trombone and double bass, 1971
  • Shadows II: Lalitá for flute, three cellos, two drums, two harps, 1973
  • Shadows III: Nira for violin, flute, oboe, viola, piano, harpsichord, 1974–76
  • Spiral for orchestra, 1975
  • Icicle for flute solo, 1977
  • Plainsong for flute solo, 1977
  • Folia for flute, oboe, clarinet, horn, bassoon, 1981
  • Berceuse (For those who sleep before us) for flute and orchestra, 1992
  • Shadows IV: My Song for two flutes and ensemble, 1994
  • Concerto for Flute and String Orchestra (Shadows V) , 1999
  • Wedding Song for two flutes, 1999

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Aitken, Robert
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Canadian composer, flautist and music teacher
DATE OF BIRTH August 28, 1939
PLACE OF BIRTH Kentville , Nova Scotia