|
|
Bell, Allan Gordon (b. 1953, Calgary, Alberta). Canadian composer of mostly orchestral, chamber and piano works that have been performed in Asia, Europe and North America.
Prof. Bell received his MMus from the University of Alberta, where he studied with Violet Archer, Malcolm Forsyth and Manus Sasonkin. He also studied with Jean Coulthard, Bruce Mather and Oskar Morawetz at the Banff Centre for the Arts.
Amici, Arraymusic, the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, the Canadian Chamber Orchestra, the Esprit Orchestra, the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra, the New Music Concerts Ensemble, the Purcell String Quartet, the SMCQ Ensemble, and the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra have performed his works. He has received commissions from such organizations as the Canadian Band Directors Association, the Canada Council for Arts and the CBC and his works have been performed in Israel, Japan, the UK, and the USA.
He has taught as Professor of Theory and Composition at the University of Calgary since 1983.
In addition to the works listed below, Prof. Bell has written scores for numerous film and TV productions.
CONTACT INFORMATION
E-mail address: agbell@ucalgary.ca
SELECT LIST OF WORKS
STAGE: The Gift of the Wolf (music theatre work), speaker, children's ensemble, violin, cello, piano, 1984 (also version for flute/violin, cello, piano [all players also speak], 1984); The Ugly Duckling (music theatre work), female voice, flute, violin, piano, 1985; Turtle Wakes – An Opera, 1998
ORCHESTRAL: Dynamus, string orchestra, 1980; Drawing down the Moon, string orchestra, 1982; From Chaos to the Birth of a Dancing Star, symphonic band, 1983; Concerto, percussion, orchestra, 1984; In the Eye of Four Winds, symphonic band, 1986; Concerto for Two Orchestras, 1988; Vision Quest, symphonic band, 1989; An Elemental Lyric, 1992; Spirit Trail, 1994; Arche III, violin, percussion, string orchestra, 1994; Animus, alto saxophone, percussion, string orchestra, 1995; Sundogs Reel, string orchestra, 1998; Chiaroscuro, 1999; Symphonies of Hidden Fire, 2002; Serenity, small orchestra, 2004
CHAMBER MUSIC: Pas de quatre, percussion ensemble, 1976; Beltine, violin, 1977; Arche, string quartet, 1980; Encounters, 2 violins, 2 celli, 1980; Five Rituals, flute (+ alto flute), oboe (+ English horn), clarinet (+ bass clarinet), French horn, bassoon, 2 percussion, 1980; Morning Music: A Reflection upon Stillness, violin, piano, 1980; Mistaya, 2 percussion, 1982; Monashee: Three Lyric Sketches, cello, piano, 1982; Gaia, flute, oboe, clarinet, 4 celli, piano, 2 percussion, 1984; An Enchantment, cello, piano, 1986; Innua: Three Masks, violin, cello, piano, 1987; The Ascendant Voice, brass ensemble, 1988; Arche II, string quartet, 1989; Orca, 9 players, 1989; Lumen: A Quintet, 2 violins, 2 violas, cello, 1990; A Prairie Requiem, clarinet, harp, marimba, 1991; Snow – More Snow – Snow, bass clarinet, cello, marimba, 1993; Aurages: Seven Ephemera, flute, violin, viola, cello, double bass, 1994; Sweetgrass, flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano, percussion, 1997; Chthonic Canons, 3 tubas, 1998; Trails of Gravity and Grace, clarinet, cello, piano, 2003; Festival Fanfare, French horn, 2 trumpets, trombone, tuba
CHORAL: Four Grassi Lakes Seasons, children's chorus, piano, 1993; Two Roads to the Heartland, children's chorus, piano, 1998
VOCAL: Nocturne, soprano, piano, 1977, revised 2001; Kinesis, female speaker, 2 pianos, 2 percussion, 1981
PIANO: Prelude and Passacaglia, 1977; Sonora Borealis, 1989; Old Coyote's Saturday Night, 1992; Nebulae, 1995; Danse sauvage, 1996
ELECTROACOUSTIC: Prairie, synthesizers, microcomputer, 1986; Prairie II, synthesizers, digital samplers, microcomputer, 1988; Moon of Flowers, synthesizers, digital samplers, microcomputer, 1990; Shadows, Echoes, Impressions, digital sampler, microcomputer, 1994; a great arch softening the mountains, voice, bass clarinet, violin, piano, aXio/sound files, 2001
(Last updated on April 20, 2005)
T