Composer

Jordan Pal

“RBC (Toronto Symphony Orchestra) Composer in residence Jordan Pal’s Iris was another standout…it is okay for music to just be beautiful, and the audience seemed to agree.” – Musical Toronto

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Jordan Pal

The Bio

Affiliate Composer, Toronto Symphony Orchestra (2015-2018)
National Youth Orchestra of Canada’s RBC Composer-in-Residence (2014-2015)
JUNO^© Nominated for Classical Composition of the Year (“The Afar”)
JUNO^© Nominated for Classical Album of the Year (“Into the Wonder”)

• Curriculum Vitae

• The Music

• Performances

“The music of Canadian Jordan Pal , featured on the album Into the Wonder , is some of the most beautiful I have heard in recent years…we find ourselves in a world both shimmering and warm, quivering with life and intelligence. – ici musique/CBC Music Quebec review of album ‘Into the Wonder’

With performances of his works by the Montreal Symphony, Toronto Symphony, Vancouver Symphony, National Arts Centre Orchestra, Quebec Symphony, Gryphon Trio, St. Lawrence String Quartet and many more, Jordan Pal is one of the most frequently performed composers of his generation in Canada and is regarded as one of this country’s most exciting composers.His work, praised as “scintillating, exhilarating, genuinely attractive, well-crafted and brilliantly executed” (WholeNote), “masterfully developed, infectious, clever” (Ludwig-Van), and “beautifully crafted” (American Record Guide), has been lauded by audiences, critics and leading industry professionals. CBC described his music as “some of the most beautiful (they) have heard in recent years…shimmering and warm, quivering with life and intelligence.”Pal was the Toronto Symphony Orchestra’s RBC Affiliate Composer from 2015-2018, and the National Youth Orchestra of Canada’s 2014-2015 RBC Composer-in-Residence. In May 2017, the TSO took Pal’s work Iris on tour to Israel.His work The Afar was nominated for a Juno for Classical Composition of the Year (2016) and in 2019 an album dedicated to two of his orchestral works, entitled Into the Wonder, was nominated for for a Juno for Classical Album of the Year.Pal received his Doctorate degree (2011) in Composition under the mentorship of Gary Kulesha, who has always been a staunch supporter of sustaining this great tradition.

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Jordan Pal

The Performances

March 2024
Performance of On the Double for Orchestra - Kindred Spirits Orchestra (Kristian Alexander)23/24 Season
Premiere of Upwell for the Kitchener Waterloo Symphony and Digital Performer, Shawn Mativetsky (Andre Feher) - Canceled/Orchestra ClosedSummer 2023
Premiere/recording of Fleet for Cameron Crozman and his 1696 “Bonjour” Stradivarius celloJune 2022
Performance of On the Double for Orchestra - Hamilton Phil (Gary Kulesha)March 2022
Performance of Visions for Orchestra - Hamilton Phil (Gemma New)March 2022
Performance of Scylla: Trombone Concerto, written for soloist Gordon Wolfe (TSO Principal Trombone) – Regina Symphony (Tania Miller)Feb 2022
Performances of Scylla: Trombone Concerto, written for soloist Gordon Wolfe (TSO Principal Trombone) – Toronto Symphony (Gimeno)Nov 2021
Performance of On the Double for Orchestra - Oakville Symphony (Martin Macdonald)February 8, 2019
Iris for Orchestra with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of Kent Nagano. Place des Arts, Montreal – with video by Mathias Arroyo-BeginOctober, 2019
New work for the Hannaford Silver Street Band, under the baton of David PellMay 24 & 25, 2019
Premiere of Colour of Chaos for Orchestra written for the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of Sir Andrew DavisJanuary 26, 2019
Premiere of Scylla, Concerto for Trombone and Orchestra with Windsor Symphony and TSO Principal Trombonist Gordon WolfeApril 13, 2019
On the Double for Orchestra with the London Symphonia under the baton of Ankush Kumar Bahl2019
Premiere of Solo Cello Work by Cameron CrozmanMarch 2018
Inclinations for Wind Quintet, Regina Symphony Chamber Players, Regina, SaskatchewanMarch 17 & 18, 2018
Inclinations for Wind Quintet, Regina Symphony Chamber Players, Regina, SaskatchewanMarch 25, 2018
Inclinations for Wind Quintet, Blythwood Winds, Toronto, OntarioDecember 15 & 16, 2017
BURN for Full Orchestra with the Orchestre Symphonique de QuebecNovember 11, 2017
Fallen with the Toronto Symphony, written for the Windsor and Toronto Symphonies, under the baton of Tania MillerOctober 14, 2017
Performance of Arcadia, written for Cheng2 Duo, Winnipeg, ManitobaJuly 21, 2017
Premiere of Carmine Skies for string octet, written for Jonathan Crow and the Toronto Summer Music Festival artistsMay 13, 2017
Iris for Orchestra with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of Peter Oundjian. Charles Bronfman Auditorium, Tel AvivMay 11, 2017
Iris for Orchestra with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of Peter Oundjian. Sherover Hall, JerusalemSeptember 23, 2017
Premiere of Fallen with the Windsor Symphony, written for the Windsor and Toronto SymphoniesJune 21, 2017
Premiere of Arcadia, written for Cheng2 Duo, OttawaJune 9, 2017
Premiere of Study in White, written for Toronto Pianist, Rea Beaumont; International tourMarch 4, 2017
Premiere of Iris, written for the Toronto Symphony Orchestra’s New Creations Festival, under the baton of Peter OundjianNovember 27 & 28, 2016
On the Double: Concert Overture for Orchestra with the Victoria Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of Robert FranzFebruary 9, 2017
On the Double: Concert Overture for Orchestra with the Symphony Nova Scotia, under the baton of Marcelo LehningerNovember 19, 2016
Into the Wonder for Orchestra, with the Windsor Symphony under the baton of Robert FranzJune 15 & 16, 2016
Premiere of City in Colour, written for the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of Peter Oundjian

April 2, 2016
String Quartet performed by members of the Wild West New Music String Quartet/Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra as part of Junofest 2016February 11, 2016
Dedicated fundraising concert of Starling and Into the Wonder, for recording with the Thunder Bay Symphony and Gryphon Trio. Disc of orchestral works by Jordan Pal, released fall 2017January 14 & 17, 2016
On the Double for Orchestra with the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal under the baton of Long YuDecember 5 & 7, 2015
BURN for Full Orchestra with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Pietari InkinenOctober 23 & 24, 2015
Into the Wonder for Orchestra, Third Movement, with Symphony Nova Scotia under the baton of Martin MacDonaldNov. 5, 2015
On the Double: Concert Overture for Orchestra with the Orchestre Symphonique de Quebec, under the baton of Adrian PrabavaMay 27 & 28, 2016
On the Double: Concert Overture for Orchestra with the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, under the baton of Marcelo LehningerJuly 28, 2015
Premiere of new work for the St. Lawrence String Quartet at the Ottawa Chamberfest, as commissioned by the Ottawa Chamber Music Society2015-2016
Cross-Canada tour of Into the Ether, the imposed test piece for the E-Gré National Music Competition 2015 Strings competition, Joshua Peters, ViolinJuly 10, 2015
BURN for Full Orchestra with the National Academy Orchestra and conductor Boris Brott05/06/15 & 05/07/15
Performances of Starling: Triple Concerto for Solo Violin, Cello, Piano and Orchestra, with the Gryphon Trio and National Arts Centre Orchestra, under the baton of Xian Zhang in Ottawa at NAC Southam Hall01/05/15
Premiere of Into the Ether as the imposed test piece for the E-Gré National Music Competition 2015 Strings competition in Brandon, Manitoba03/05/15
Premiere of Into the Wonder, a Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra Commission, under Arthur PostCD Release
The Afar Released on disc with the National Youth Orchestra of Canada and conductor Emmanuel Villaume – purchase it here01/24/15
On the Double: Concert Overture for Orchestra with the Sneak Peak Orchestra, under the baton of Victor ChengFall, 2014
The Afar for Large Orchestra to be released on CD, as recorded by conductor Emmanuel Villaume and the National Youth Orchestra of Canada07/31/14
The Afar for Large Orchestra with the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, under the baton of Emmanuel Villaume, in Ottawa at NAC Southam Hall as part of Chamberfest.08/06/14
The Afar for Large Orchestra with the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, under the baton of Emmanuel Villaume, in Edmonton at the Winspear.08/08/14
The Afar for Large Orchestra with the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, under the baton of Emmanuel Villaume, in Kelowna, BC07/28/14
Premiere of The Afar for Large Orchestra with the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, under the baton of Emmanuel Villaume, in Toronto at Koerner Hall. Cross-Canada Tour – more dates to come!10/19/14
Visions for Orchestra with the Brantford Symphony, under the baton of Philip Sarabura07/17/14
Featured composer for the Soundstream’s Salon 21 series. Inclinations for Wind Quintet with musicians of the NYOC, Gardiner Museum, Toronto, Ontario04/12/14
On the Double: Concert Overture for Orchestra with the National Arts Centre Orchestra, under the baton of Martin MacDonald11/28/14
On the Double: Concert Overture for Orchestra with the Scarborough Philharmonic Orchestra, under the baton of Ron Royer02/07/15
On the Double: Concert Overture for Orchestra with the Windsor Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of Robert Franz11/12/13
Appointed the 2014 National Youth Orchestra of Canada Composer-in-Residence05/12/13
Commission to compose the E-Gré National Music Competition Test Piece for the 2015 Strings competition in Brandon, Manitoba05/04/13
On the Double: Concert Overture for Orchestra to close the Regina Symphony’s 2012-2013 season, under the baton of Victor Sawa in Regina, Saskatchewan at Conexus Arts Centre03/28/13
Premiere of Starling: Triple Concerto for Solo Violin, Cello, Piano and Orchestra, with the Gryphon Trio and Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of Arthur Post in Thunder Bay at Thunder Bay Community Auditorium02/28/13
BURN for Full Orchestra, reading session with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Gary Kulesha in Toronto at Roy Thompson Halltrices neque fusce ut pharetra massa commodo. Enim egestas facilisis ultrices.

Jordan Pal

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