Cecilia Concerts | Halifax Nova Scotia | Composer-In-Residence | Ian Cusson

2023/24 Composer-In-Residence

Composer Ian Cusson

Ian Cusson is a composer of art song, opera and orchestral work. Of Métis and French Canadian descent, his work explores Canadian Indigenous experience including the history of the Métis people, the hybridity of mixed-racial identity, and the intersection of Western and Indigenous cultures.

He studied composition with Jake Heggie (San Francisco) and Samuel Dolin, and piano with James Anagnoson at the Glenn Gould School. He is the recipient of the Chalmers Professional Development Grant, and grants through the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation, the Canada Council, Ontario Arts Council and the Toronto Arts Council.

Ian was an inaugural Carrefour Composer-in-Residence with the National Arts Centre Orchestra for 2017-2019 and was Composer-in-Residence for the Canadian Opera Company for 2019-2021. He was a Co-artistic Director of Opera in the 21st Century at the Banff Centre and the recipient of the 2021 Jan V. Matejcek Classical Music Award from SOCAN and the 2021 Johanna Metcalf Performing Arts Prize. Ian is an Associate Composer of the Canadian Music Centre and a member of the Canadian League of Composers.

He lives in Oakville with his wife and four children.

As part of his residency with Cecilia Concerts, Cusson will compose a brand new work for soprano, tenor, and piano. The commissioned work will be premiered during a recital of Cusson's compositions on May 11, 2024 in the Joseph Stug Concert Hall, featuring Innu soprano Élisabeth St-Gelais and Sri Lankan tenor Asitha Tennekoon.

Residency Concert

Soprano Élisabeth St-Gelais, Tenor Asitha Tennekoon, and Pianist Jennifer King
$12.50$37.50 MORE DETAILS

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A donation to our Composer-In-Residence Program will help us contribute meaningfully to the evolution of artistic endeavors by classical composers, leading the way for experimentation and growth in the field of chamber music. Your support is greatly appreciated. All donations will receive a tax-deductible charitable gift receipt.

Past Composers-In-Residence

2021-2022: Flutist and Composer Jessica McMann