Sylvia Rickard

Sylvia Rickard (born May 19, 1937 in Toronto ) is a Canadian composer.

Rickard took piano lessons from Della Johnston and Grace Bailey and lessons in music theory from Cecilia McLean . From 1959 she studied French and Russian at the University of British Columbia . At the same time she took a course in music theory and composition with Jean Coulthard . She continued her language training at Grenoble University and Stanford University and received her teaching certificate from the University of British Columbia in 1970.

After a fourteen-month stay in India, she began studying composition at the Shawnigan Lake Summer School of the Arts in 1973 , and took private lessons from Coulthard. She continued her composition studies at the Banff Center from 1978–79 , and from 1987–1988 she also studied musicology at the University of Victoria .

In the 1970s, Rickard was a three-time winner of the Okanagan Composers' Festival . She then acted as a juror at numerous composition competitions. In 1987 she founded the Murray Adaskin Scholarship Concerts at the University of Victoria , which she directed until 1999. From 1990 she belonged to the Canadian Music Center , from 1996 to the Canadian League of Composers . In addition to numerous chamber music works, she composed songs, choral works and an opera.

Works

• Pastorale for Flute and Strings , 1974
• Sonata for Oboe and Organ , 1974
• Silvergreen for piano, 1972
• Estival (formerly Ballet Sonatina) for piano, 1973
• Four Indian Songs for soprano and piano, 1974
• Leprechaun Suite for Guitar , 1975
• Ile de Ré for cello and piano, 1975 ( dedicated to Jean Coulthard )
• A Breast for Beating in My Hour of Need for cello, 1976
• Three Chinese Songs of Autumn for bass baritone and horn or flute and harp, 1978
• L'Arc-en-ciel for harp or piano, 1980
• Theme and Variations for Solo Harp , 1982
• Ambystoma for piano, 1981
• 5 Pieces: Invention, Minuet and Trio, Polonaise, L'Arc-en-ciel, Study , teaching pieces for piano, 1982
• Epithalamion (based on a poem by John Donne ) for soprano and violin, 1984
• Four Indian Songs for soprano and orchestra, 1985
• Varsix Tango for cello or violin and piano, 1986
• My Faithful Dog, On the High Seas, Playing Fair Lessons for Cello and Piano, 1986
• Why Nobody Pets the Lion at the Zoo (based on a poem by John Ciardi ) for two pianos and narrator, 1986
• Waltz (from “Fantasy on a Theme by Jean Coulthard ”) for piano and string quartet, 1987
• The Five Elements for woodwind quintet, WP 1987
• Requiem for Judith (based on a poem by Sheilagh Ogilvie ) for soprano, mezzo-soprano and piano, 1987
• String Quartet No. 1: Human Time Zones , 1988
• The Mature Student (based on a text by Sylvia Rickard, Norma Selwood and Lanny Pollet ) for mezzo-soprano and piano, 1989
• Kuer for Wolfgang: Suite for Brass Sextet, Solo Bassoon, Four Percussion , 1990
• Little Latin Suite for Cello and Piano, 1991
• Rum-ba-ba for four violas and double bass, 1992
• Birth, Death and Regeneration after Rainer Maria Rilke for tenor, cello and piano, 1992
• with every breath you take ... for clarinet, 1993
• Fletcher's Challenge: Allegorical opera in pageant form , 1993
• Songs of the Loon for clarinet and cello, 1995
• Three Chinese Songs of Autumn for bass and chamber orchestra, 1995
• Love Flowers of Chinese Courtesans for soprano and harp, 1995
• Belle-Mère (based on a poem by Claude Treil ) for bass and piano, 1995
• Brise Marine (based on a poem by Stéphane Mallarmé ) for soprano, oboe (d'amore) and piano, 1995
• photographing you a ... (based on a poem by Daphne Marlatt ) for soprano, viola or cello and percussion, 1996
• Wreck We Em: Pour une voiture défunte ... for female choir and two alto soloists, 1997
• Reunion for cello, piano and percussion, 1997
• Nagareboshi / Shooting Stars for piano, 1997
• My Grouchy Cat for cello and piano, 1998
• The Gardener's Song for mezzo-soprano and guitar or piano, 1998
• The Bells of Casalmaggiore (based on a poem by Marie Balistreri ) for soprano, violin, viola and cello, 1999
• Lullaby (based on a poem by Dorothy Parker ) for soprano and viola, 2000
• Buttercup Fields (based on a poem by Lindsay Selwood ) for medium voice and piano, 2000
• Sonata for Oboe and Organ , 2000
• Epitaph (based on a poem by Dorothy Parker ) for mezzo-soprano and piano, 2000
• Mopoongaleli for harp and marimba, 2001
• Answering the Call (based on poems by Lindsay Selwood) for baritone, clarinet and guitar, 2001
• Three Poems: “Epitaph” and “Unfortunate Coincidence” (based on poems by Dorothy Parker ) for mezzo-soprano and piano, world premiere 2003
• Sonnet: The Song Within (naxhc a poem by John Gracen Brown ) for mixed choir and piano, 2003
• Our Song (based on the poem My Mother, the Parrot by Janine Rickard ) for choir, 2005
• Welcoming Waves for oboe or horn, cello and harp, 2004
• Tuning to Spirit for violin and viola or cello, 2005
• Rarescale for flute or bass flute and piano or harp, 2006
• Plachuschy Myesyats (Weeping Moon) for six-part mixed choir, 2007
• Song for the Earth for cello and piano , 2006
• Lullaby Arr. for flute and viola, WP 2008
• Teco-Teco for clarinet, WP 2008
• Anywhen , UA 2017
• Three Cabaret Songs for soprano and piano, premier 2009
• The Language Police for high voice and piano, 2010
• Three Yeats Songs for baritone and piano, WP 2014
• Three Late Period Yeats Songs for baritone and piano, UA 2017

Web links

• Homepage of Sylvia Rickard
• Biography, list of works and discography in the Canadian Music Center (2007)

source

• Victoria Composers Collective Sylvia Rickard