Owen Underhill

    Owen Underhill

    自介

    Owen Underhill 居住在溫哥華，於 Simon Fraser 大學當代藝術學院擔任作曲家、指揮、藝術總監和教職員。
    Underhill 創作的編制包括管弦樂隊、聲樂和合唱團，以及各種多樣化的室內樂，從傳統室內樂團到罕見樂器的組合型式。他對大規模的跨界合作特別感興趣，創作了大量的舞蹈音樂以及歌劇《The Star Catalogues》（1994）。近期代表作品有：長笛、大提琴與鋼琴《Ten Miniatures》（2013，Novo Ensemble 委約）；大提琴與室內樂團《The Curio Box》（2014，Vancouver New Music and String Quartet #4 委約）；《The Night》（2011，Quatuor Bozzini 委約）；長笛與豎琴《Canzone di Petra》（2004，Heidi Krutzen 與 Lorna McGhee 委約）曾獲2007年 WCMA 加西音樂獎的傑出作品獎。管弦樂作品《Lines of Memory》在1994年杜莫里爾加拿大作曲家的比賽中獲得一等獎；《Love Songs》入圍2002年朱諾獎。他的音樂有許多不同的表現手法，被形容為稠密而有趣、色彩豐富、靈感的抒情、旺盛和機智、微妙且深思熟慮。
    他作曲的作品主要由加拿大幾個指標性的音樂團體所發表，包括 Arraymusic、Quatuor Bozzini、St. Lawrence String Quartet、Esprit Orchestra、Vancouver Cantata Singers、musica intima、Vancouver Symphony、Vancouver Bach Choir 和轉捩點樂團。國際性的演出則有：於阿拉斯加 CrossSound 音樂節的兩個室內樂作品首演；King’s Chapel Choir、Arcadian Winds 以及低音管演奏者 Janet Underhill 於波士頓的演出；兩首作品《Bagatelle》和《One Page Sonata》於斯洛伐克首都 Bratislava 演出。他的作品已被數張專輯收錄，包括近期由 Centrediscs 唱片發行的「Still Image」。
    在指揮方面，Underhill 是加拿大最具特色且成就斐然的大型室內樂團 Turning Point Ensemble 轉捩點樂團的成員，此外還曾與溫哥華交響樂團、CBC 廣播交響樂團、國家藝術中心交響樂團、溫哥華新音樂樂團和 musica intima 人聲樂團等團體合作。他非常積極投入當代音樂和二十世紀早期音樂中，擔任指揮 Glenn Buhr、Christopher Butterfield、Michael Bushnell、Dorothy Chang、Chan Ka-nin、José Evangelista、Anthony Genge、Melissa Hui、Rudolf Komorous、Michael Oesterle、John Oliver、Rodney Sharman、Ana Sokolovic 和 Linda Catlin Smith 等加拿大作曲家至少超過150首作品的首演，也曾與著名的國際作曲家包括 Louis Andriessen、Gavin Bryars、Sofia Gubaidulina、Giya Kancheli、James MacMillan、Steve Reich、Toru Takemitsu 和 Judith Weir 等人合作。Underhill 擔任指揮參與的專輯錄製有：與 CBC 廣播交響樂團錄製作曲家 Gavin Bryars 的作品集（CBC 唱片發行），溫哥華新音樂樂團的兩張專輯（CordReCISS 和 CBC 唱片發行），以及三張轉捩點樂團專輯：「Liquid」（ATMA label 發行）、作曲家 Rudolf Komorous 作品集「Strange Sphere」（Artifact label 發行）以及作曲家 Barbara Pentland 作品集「Disasters of the Sun」（Centrediscs 發行）。作為一名指揮，他直接而清晰的表現了作曲家的觀點，敏感、有力、精確並營造出寬闊空間感的指揮風格著稱。
    於當代音樂的節目設計和推動上，Underhill 曾於溫哥華新音樂樂團1987到2000的樂團成長期間擔任溫哥華新音樂樂團藝術總監，目前擔任轉捩點樂團藝術總監，致力於二十世紀音樂和新音樂。於藝術宣導和支援加拿大音樂組織方面，他多年來積極投入加拿大音樂中心，並曾在2010至2014期間擔任總監。
    Underhill 自1981以來一直於 Simon Fraser 大學擔任教師，教授作曲和指揮並曾擔任當代藝術學院院長，現任傳播藝術與科技學院院長。

    Owen Underhill lives in Vancouver where he is active as a composer, conductor, artistic director and faculty member in the School for the Contemporary Arts at Simon Fraser University.
    As a composer, Underhill writes for diverse combinations including orchestra, voice and choir, and a wide variety of chamber music ranging from traditional ensembles to groupings of unusual instrumentation. He has a special interest in large-scale interdisciplinary collaborations, having composed a number of works for dance as well as his 1994 opera The Star Catalogues. Among his most recent compositions are Ten Miniatures (2013) for flute, cello and piano commissioned by the Novo Ensemble, The Curio Box (2014) for solo cello and ensemble commissioned by Vancouver New Music and String Quartet #4: The Night (2011) commissioned by the Quatuor Bozzini. His Canzone di Petra (2004), a piece for flute and harp commissioned by Heidi Krutzen and Lorna McGhee, was the winner of the 2007 Western Canadian Music Outstanding Composition Award. His orchestral work Lines of Memory won first prize in the 1994 du Maurier Canadian Composers’ Competition and his Love Songs was nominated for a Juno in 2002. His music has many different expressions and has been described as dense and interesting, colourful, lyrical in inspiration, exuberant and witty, subtle, and thoughtful.
    His compositions have been performed by leading music organizations in Canada including Arraymusic, Quatuor Bozzini, the St. Lawrence String Quartet, Esprit Orchestra, Vancouver Cantata Singers, musica intima, the Vancouver Symphony, Vancouver Bach Choir and the Turning Point Ensemble. International performances have included the premiere of two chamber works by the CrossSound Festival in Alaska, Boston performances by the King’s Chapel Choir, Arcadian Winds, and bassoonist Janet Underhill, and performances of Bagatelle and One Page Sonata in Bratislava, Slovakia. His music has been included on several recordings including his recently released disc Still Image on the Centrediscs label.
    As a conductor, Underhill is a member of the Turning Point Ensemble, one of Canada’s most distinctive and accomplished large-size chamber ensembles. In addition, he has made conducting appearances with orchestras and ensembles including the Vancouver Symphony, CBC Radio Orchestra, National Arts Centre Orchestra, Vancouver New Music Ensemble, and musica intima. Underhill has been especially active in contemporary music and music of the early twentieth century. He has conducted well over 150 premieres by Canadian composers including Glenn Buhr, Christopher Butterfield, Michael Bushnell, Dorothy Chang, Chan Ka-nin, José Evangelista, Anthony Genge, Melissa Hui, Rudolf Komorous, Michael Oesterle, John Oliver, Rodney Sharman, Ana Sokolovic and Linda Catlin Smith. He has conducted works in collaboration with several prominent international composers including Louis Andriessen, Gavin Bryars, Sofia Gubaidulina, Giya Kancheli, James MacMillan, Steve Reich, Toru Takemitsu, and Judith Weir. Underhill’s discography as a conductor includes a recording of the music of Gavin Bryars with the CBC Radio Orchestra (CBC Records), two discs with the Vancouver New Music Ensemble (Centrediscs and CBC Records), and three recordings with the Turning Point Ensemble (“Liquid” on the ATMA label, “Strange Sphere: music of Rudolf Komorous” on the Artifact label, and “Disasters of the Sun: music of Barbara Pentland on Centrediscs). As a conductor, he is committed to bringing the composer’s vision off the page with directness and clarity. His conducting has been described as sensitive, vigorous, precise, and exhibiting panache.
    Active as a programmer and promoter of contemporary music, Underhill was Artistic Director of Vancouver New Music from 1987 to 2000, a period of substantial growth for the organization. He is currently Artistic Director of the Turning Point Ensemble, a large chamber ensemble of outstanding Vancouver musicians dedicated to the celebration of twentieth century music and new music. He has been active as an arts advocate and supporter of Canadian music organizations, and has been active for many years with the Canadian Music Centre, serving as the President from 2010 – 2014.
    Underhill has been an SFU faculty member since 1981, teaching music composition and conducting, and serving for a series of terms as Director of the School for the Contemporary Arts. He is currently Dean Pro Tem of the Faculty of Communciation, Art and Technology.

    聲部位置/ 角色

    • Composer
    • Conductor