Vincent Ho is a Canadian composer. Both his Arctic Symphony and The Shaman: Concerto for Percussion & Orchestra were nominated for Juno Awards.
Early life and education Ho was born in Ottawa, Ontario,"Happily Hectic: Vincent is Composing His Brains Out!". Music Live!, by Hannah Rutherford on Jan 6, 2018 and grew up in Calgary, Alberta."WSO names Vincent Ho composer- in- residence". Winnipeg Free Press, via Newspaper Archives. August 18, 2007 - Page 32 He studied at The Royal Conservatory of Music,"Some of the faces of our Asian community". Winnipeg Free Press, via Newspaper Archives. July 28, 2012 - Page 152 and later at the University of Calgary, graduating with a bachelor's degree in composition."Review: CPO True North Festival". Kenneth DeLong, Calgary Herald, Updated: October 19, 2017 He earned a Master of Music Degree (M.Mus.) from the University of Toronto, then later earned his Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) in composition from the University of Southern California.
Career Ho joined the teaching staff of the University of Calgary. In 2004, his first orchestral work Dragon Realms was presented by the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra during their annual New Music Festival. In 2006, his cello work Stigmata was awarded the Canadian Music Centre's Young Composer Award and featured at the same New Music Festival in Winnipeg that year (performed by cellist Caroline Stinson). In 2007 Ho was named composer-in-residence for the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, with duties which included organizing the festival."Vincent Ho gives festival a new look: NMF asks audience if it calls this music". Winnipeg Free Press, via Newspaper Archives, February 06, 2008 - Page 38
Since 2011, Ho has had a strong collaborative relationship with percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie that yielded several high-profile works, including:
The Shaman: Concerto for Percussion and Orchestra - 2011; inspired by shamanic traditions Nostalgia (solo vibraphone or piano) - 2011 From Darkness to Light: A Spiritual Journey (percussion and orchestra) - 2013; a work reflecting the experiences of people with cancer."Free Press critic, columnist was the voice of classical music". Winnipeg Free Press, via Newspaper Archives. November 29, 2013 - Page 59 Sandman's Castle (solo tam-tam) - 2015 Kickin' It 2.0 (violin, cello, piano, and drum set) - 2017. This work was nominated for a Juno Award, for Classical Composition of the Year, in 2020.
In 2017 Ho brought together a group of Canadian composers to create True North: Symphonic Ballet, commissioned by the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra to celebrate Canada's 150th birthday."DeLong: CPO's True North showcases Canadian talent". Kenneth DeLong, Calgary Herald , October 30, 2017
Ho composed Arctic Symphony, which was performed at the True North Festival in Calgary. The work was nominated for a Juno Award in 2019."Calgary composer Vincent Ho's Juno-nominated composition inspired by environmental science, Inuit culture". Calgary Herald, Eric Volmers, March 15, 2019
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