Summary
Allison Cameron (born 1963) is a Canadian composer of contemporary classical music. She composes works for conventional classical instruments, early music instruments, and modern electric instruments such as the electric guitar. She is also a performer of free improvisation and experimental music.
Allison Cameron | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1963 (age 60–61) Edmonton, Alberta, Canada |
| Genres | Contemporary classical, free improvisation, experimental |
| Occupation(s) | Composer, musician |
| Instrument(s) | Keyboards, ukulele, banjo |
| Labels | Spool (record label) |
| Website | www |
Early life and education edit
Cameron was born in Edmonton, Alberta, and moved with her family to North Vancouver.[1] She studied at the University of Victoria and York University. She has cited Michael Longton and Rudolf Komorous as significant influences.[2]
Career edit
Cameron moved to Toronto in 1989. She founded a six-piece chamber ensemble, Arcana, in 1992, which performs a contemporary composition repertoire.[2] In 1995 she released a CD of chamber music, Raw Sangudo.[3]
Cameron's 1998 composition, "Retablo", was commissioned through the Canada Council for the Arts to be played by the classical music quartet The Burdocks.[4] Her 2000 release, Ornaments, features her compositions performed by violinist Marc Sabat, pianist Stephen Clarke, and clarinetist Ronda Rindone.[5]
Cameron has worked with Louis Andriessen, Gilius van Bergeijk, Per Nørgård, and Frederic Rzewski in Europe, and Rudolf Komorous, Michael Longton, and James Tenney in Canada. She was a member of the Drystone Orchestra, along with Martin Arnold, Stephen Parkinson, and John Abram.[2] She also performs in a duet with Parkinson.
Her music has been performed at the Bang on a Can Festival and she has been commissioned by the Bang on a Can All-Stars. Recordings of her music have been released by the CRI and XI (Experimental Intermedia) labels. In 2004, she was music director of the contemporary ensemble Arraymusic.[6]
In 2013, the Allison Cameron Band (Cameron, Eric Chenaux and Parkinson), released an album, Bent Spoon Duo, Without and With Allison Cameron through the Rat Drifting label.[7]
Discography edit
- 1995 - Raw Sangudo. CD. Experimental Intermedia.
- 1998 - Leisure. CD. Maarten Altena Ensemble. Donemus.
- 2002 - Ornaments. CD. Spool.
- 2004 - Canevas (Fin Fin). CD. Ensemble SuperMusique. DAME.
- 2010 - The Allison Cameron Band. CD. Rat-Drifting.
- 2012 - Mach Shorn – The EP. Stephen Parkinson, Sandro Perri, Marla Hlady, Christof Migone, Eric Chenaux, Allison Cameron.
- 2015 - A-Gossamer-Bit. CD. Redshift Music Society.
- 2022 - Somatic Refrain. CD. Apartment House. Another Timbre.
Compilations included on:
- 1992 - Bang on a Can Live. Vol. 1. CD. Emergency Music series. New York, New York: CRI. (Contains Two Bits by Allison Cameron.)
- 2001 - ArrayMusic Ensemble; compilation CD, Artifact, Toronto.
- 2008 - Rains Out. CD, Veni Ensemble Bratislava, Hevhetia.
- 2004 - The Art of Touching The Keyboard CD, Eve Egoyan, Earwitness Records.
References edit
- ^ "Allison Cameron’s Rarefied Soundworld". Music Works, Issue 122, Summer 2015. By Nick Storring
- ^ a b c Everett-Green, Robert (Fall 1995). "Arcana ensemble: an interview with Allison Cameron". Musicworks. 63: 28–31.
- ^ "Allison Cameron: Raw Sangudo". AllMusic Review by Gene Tyranny
- ^ "MG Encore: Works by Martin Arnold, Allison Cameron, Linda Catlin-Smith, Nic Gotham, Erik Ross and Ann Southam The Music Gallery, Toronto ON, October 16". Exclaim!, By Tom Beedham, Oct 17, 2015
- ^ "Allison Cameron Ornaments". AllMusic Review by François Couture
- ^ "A weird Wolff at the door". The Globe and Mail, CARL WILSON, January 29, 2004
- ^ "Bent Spoon Duo With and Without Allison Cameron". Exclaim!, By Bryon Hayes, Aug 09, 2013
External links edit
- Allison Cameron page from Canadian Music Centre site
- Allison Cameron page at The Living Composers Project site
- Allison Cameron page from Kalvos & Damian's New Music Bazaar
- [1] Spool (Record Label)
- [2] Experimental Intermedia
- [3] Allison Cameron's web page