Gavin Fraser (1993, he/him) is a composer, bass-baritone, filmmaker and educator hailing from Antigonish, Nova Scotia. His work “often balances on a tightrope between static beauty and violence” and has been described as “fresh with pithy modesty” (NY Classical Review ’17). Often inspired by dreams, the ocean, ecological restoration, and storytelling, Gavin composes chamber music, artsong, opera, electroacoustic music, large ensemble works, and film scores.

​

Recently featured on Radio-Canada Segments and CBC’s Tapestry (‘22), his music has also been performed across Canada, in NYC, LA, and Europe. Gavin values collaboration as a vital source of musical expression and joy, and has collaborated with artists such as Barbara Hannigan and the EQ ensemble, Jonathan Crow, Philip Chiu, Julian Schwartz, Marika Bournaki, among many other talented artists. He is currently working on the Canada Council for the Arts-funded interdisciplinary work SIRENS with singer and pipe organist Esther-Ruth Teel, which combines music, electronics, poetry and film to investigate and subvert the ancient patriarchal and misogynistic roots of the singing sirens from Homer’s Odyssey.

 

Gavin has received numerous awards, notably the Karen Kieser Prize in Canadian Music (’22) and the first-place award in the electroacoustic category from the SOCAN Foundation (’22), as well as awards and grants from the Canada Council for the Arts, the Land’s End Composer Competition, the University of Toronto’s COVID-19 Global Student Engagement Award, and the Nova Scotia Talent Trust.

 

This season, Gavin is honoured to be a Composer Fellow with the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra. He has also served as the composer in residence at the Lunenburg Academy of Music Performance (‘21-22), as well as their program director and resident composition teacher. He is currently a professional singer with the Christ Church Cathedral Choir in Montreal.

Fraser recently completed his doctorate in composition at the University of Toronto, and also holds degrees from McGill University and Memorial University of Newfoundland.

​

 

​