CURRICULUM VITAE
Alexander Rapoport
Associate Professor, teaching stream, Composition and Music Theory, University of Toronto
Composer in Residence, Talisker Players, Toronto, 2000-2017
Address: 10 Rosemount Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, M6G2M1
Tel. or fax: (416) 540-4058
E-mail: HYPERLINK "mailto:alexander.rapoport@utoronto.ca"alexander.rapoport@utoronto.ca
DEGREES
Doctor of Music, University of Toronto, 1991
Master of Music, University of Toronto, 1985
Diploma in Composition, Hochschule für Musik und darstellende Kunst, Vienna, 1982
Diploma in Composition in Traditional Styles, Hochschule für Musik und darstellende Kunst, Vienna, 1979
COMMISSIONED WORKS
Hymn to the Redeemer of the Nations, 1986. SATB, harp, percussion, organ. Commissioned by Judy Loman through the Ontario Arts Council. Premiered, High Park Alhambra United Church, Toronto, December 18, 1986. Judy Loman, harp; Ray Reiley, percussion; Anne Cooper-Gay, organ; Errol Gay, conductor.
Concerto for Violin and Young People’s Orchestra, 1988. Commissioned by the Toronto Montessori School through the Ontario Arts Council. Premiered, June 25, 1988, Toronto Montessori School, Janet Penning, solo violin, Lorna Lutz-Heyge, conductor.
The Mariposa Belles, 1989. Musical comedy, libretto by David Fanstone. Commissioned by the Orillia Opera House through the Ontario Arts Council. Premiered July 1, 1989, Orillia Opera House. Produced in the 1989 and 1990 summer seasons.
London Lackpenny, 1989. SSA, piano. Commissioned by the High Park Girls Choir. Premiered June 7, International Choral Festival, Yorkminster Church, Toronto, High Park Girls’ Choir, Alexander Rapoport, piano; Errol Gay, conductor.
Meditation for Orchestra, 1990. Commissioned by the Hart House Orchestra through the Ontario Arts Council. Premiered March 18, 1991, Hart House, Toronto, Hart House Orchestra, Errol Gay, conductor.
Silent DNA, 1993. Film score, director: Chris Philpott. Commissioned by Chris Philpott. Premiered November, 1993, National Film Board, Toronto. Subsequently shown on CBC TV.
Transcriptions for Piano, Violin and Violoncello, 1995: Solveig’s Song (Grieg), Slavonic Dance, op. 72#1 (Dvorak), March of the Toys (Herbert), Golliwogg’s Cakewalk (Debussy), Clair de lune (Debussy), 1995. Commissioned by Dorian Recordings for the Rembrandt Trio. The CD including these transcriptions was released by Dorian Recordings in the fall of 1995.
Reflections of Solomon, 1996. SATB, piano. Commissioned by the Toronto Jewish Folk Choir through
the Ontario Arts Council. Premiered: May 26, 1996, Walter Hall, Toronto. Toronto Jewish Folk Choir; Esther Gan-Firestone, conductor, Lina Zemelman, piano.
Variations on a Theme of Chopin, 1999, Solo piano, orchestra. Commissioned by Valerie Tryon and the
Toronto Sinfonietta through the Ontario Arts Council. Premiered: November 6, 1999, Bloor
Street United Church, Toronto. Appears on Romancing Chopin.
Oratio Sancti Ioannis Baptistae, 2000, Baritone solo, SATB, orchestra. Commissioned by the Toronto
Sinfonietta. Premiered: February 26, 2000, Ford Centre, Toronto, Peter Barret, Baritone,
Matthew Jaskiewicz, conductor, Toronto Sinfonietta.
Concerto for Erhu, Viola and orchestra, 2000. Commissioned by the Toronto Sinfonietta. Premiered: 29
October, 2000, George Gao, erhu, Katharine Rapoport, viola, Matthew Jaskiewicz, conductor,
Northumberland Symphony, Coburg, Ontario.
Northscapes, 2001. Mezzo-soprano and string quartet. Commissioned by Anthony Redpath and the
Talsiker Players. Premiered: 22 May, 2001, Mia Lennox, Mezzo-soprano, Talisker Players.
Glenn Gould Studio, Toronto.
Chicago Portraits, 2002. Baritone, violin, viola, cello, double bass, percussion. Texts by Carl Sandburg.
Commissioned by the Talisker Players through the Laidlaw Foundation. Premiered by Doug
McNaughton, the Talisker Players, Trinity St. Pauls Church, Toronto, May 14, 2002.
Shakespeare's Aviary, 2002. Soprano, clarinet, viola, piano. Commissioned by the Mississauga Chamber Society through the Laidlaw Foundation. Premiered by the Mississauga Chamber Society, Living Arts Centre, Mississauga, May 5, 2002.
Suite for Eight Violoncellos, 2003. Commissioned by Simon Fryer and the Inga Jarrett Memorial Concert, Don Heights Untarian Church through the Ontario Arts Council. Premiered March 29, 2003, Civic Garden Centre, Toronto, by Les Violoncelles de la Republique.
The Muskrat’s Dive, 2003. Incidental Music. Text by Mark Brownell. Based on the Ojibway legend. Project approved by and produced in collaboration with First Nations actors and elders. Part of The Storyteller's Bag, including works by Keith Bissell and Ronald Royer. Commissioned by Peggy McGuire through the Laidlaw Foundation. Recorded for CBC. Live premiere June 5, Living Arts Centre, Mississauga.
Four Love Songs. Tenor and Orchestra, 2003 Text drawn from the letters of Edward Johnson by Gloria Dent. Commissioned by the Guelph Symphony Orchestra. Premiered by Glyn Evans and the Guelph Symphony Orchestra, Simon Irving conductor, October 5, 2003, RiverRun Centre, Guelph.
Cappriccio for Violin, Cello and Piano, 2004. Commissioned by Music Toronto. Premiered by the Gryphon Trio, Jane Mallett Theatre, March 26, 2004.
Variationen ohne Worte, soprano and guitar. Commissioned by the Women’s Musical Club of Toronto. Premiered by Meredith Hall and Bernard Farley, April 20, 2005, Walter Hall, Toronto.
The Music theory Song, children’s choir, 2007. Commissioned b the Riverdale Youth Singers. Premiered by the Riverdale Youth Singers, conductor Teodora Georgeva, Riverdale Baptist Church, June 7, 2007
Thoughtscapes, brass quintet, 2009. Commissioned by the Trillium Brass Quinetet. Performances in GTA schools, 2009-2010.
And Hast Thou Glossed the Jabberwock?, 2011. Text: Lewis Carroll, Alexander Rapoport. Tenor, tpt, vla, tenor sax, piano. Commissioned by the Talsiker Players with the assistance of the Ontario Arts Council. Premiered May 3, 2011. The Talisker Players, Trinity-St. Paul UC, Toronto.
snippets from archy and mehitabel, 2014. Text: Don Marquis and Alexander Rapoport. Mezzo, baritone, flute/piccolo, clarinet/bass clarinet, violin, viola, cello. Commissioned by the Talisker Players with the assistance of the Ontario Arts Council. Premiere set for March 16, 2014, Trinity St. Paul's United Church, Toronto.
Whirlwind, 2015. Fl/ob/cl/bn/hn/tpt/perc/ db. 10 minutes. Commissioned by the Scarborough Philharmonic Orchestra. Premiere, February 23, 2015. Scarborough Philharmonic Wind Ensemble, Ron Royer, conductor.
Southscapes: Daydreams for Snow-shovelling Canadians, 2015. Commissioned by the Mississauga Symphony Orchestra. 17 minutes. Premiered December 19, 2015, Mississauga Symphony Orchestra, Denid Mastromonaco, conudctor. Living Arts Centre Mississauga.
At the Queen's Inn, 2017. Bar/fl/vln/vla/vlc. 10 minutes. Commissioned by the Talisker Players. Premtiere, March 28, 2017, Trinity St. Paul's United Chruch, Talisker Players Chamber Series. Joel Allison, baritone; Ann Thompson, flute; Elizabeth Loewen, violin; Mary McGeer, viola; Laura Jones, cello.
OTHER WORKS
Winter Sketches, 1982. SATB. Written for the Toronto Chamber Society. Premiered November 1982, St. Patrick’s Church, Toronto, Toronto Chamber Society, Lorna Lutz-Heyge, conductor.
Four Short movements, 1985. Horn and piano. Premiered by Jennifer Wilson, horn, Omar Daniel, piano,
Walter Hall, University of Toronto, November 1985.
Interrogations, 1985. Orchestra. Master of Music Thesis, University of Toronto.
Songs on Haikus by Izui Chieko and Asano Shofu, 1986. Written for the annual Peace Concert in
Hiroshima, Japan. Premiered August 1986, Hiroshima. Canadian Premiere, May 26, 1987,Walter Hall, Toronto, Gilda di Cola, soprano; Alexander Rapoport, piano.
Concerto for Viola and Orchestra, 1991. Doctor of Music Thesis, University of Toronto.
Elegy for Viola and Piano, 1993. Included in the Royal conservatory of Music Viola Syllabus.
Gigue for Viola and Piano, 1993. Included in the Royal Conservatory of Music Viola Syllabus.
Sonata for Pianoforte, 1996. Premiered by John Kruspe, University of Toronto New Music Festival,
Walter Hall, Toronto, October 29, 1996.
Sonata for Pianoforte #2, 1997. Premiered by Barry Salwen, Royal Conservatory of Music, October 9, 2003.
The Eternal Husband, 1997. Film score. Director: Chris Philpott. Premiere: Montreal International Film
Festival, August-September, 1997. Shown at the Carlton Cinema, Toronto, August 1999.
Fragments of Verlaine, 1997. Soprano, string orchestra. Recorded: Scarborough College, University of
Toronto. Meredith Hall, soprano; Scarborough Pro Musica; Brad Thachuk, conductor.
Sonata #2 for Viola and Piano, 1997. Premiered by Katharine Rapoport, viola; Elizabeth Acker, piano;
University of Toronto New Music Festival, Walter Hall, Toronto, November 15, 1997.
Songs of a Forgotten Life, 1998. Trumpet, piano. Premiere: Salon des refusés Concerts, Church of the
Holy Trinity, Toronto, November 8, 1998. James Tinsley, trumpet; Kent McWilliams, piano.
Quartet for Strings and Pianoforte, 2000. Premiered by Marta Hidy, Anthony Rapoport, Peter Schenkman
and Kent McWiliams, McMaster University, 15 October, 2000.
Lysistrata, 2002. Incidental music to Aristophanes's comedy. Directed by Michael Schonberg. Performed March 2002, Leah Lee Browne Theatre, University of Toronto at Scarborough and subsequently at the Ypsilon Theatre, Prague, Czech Republic, May 7, 2002.
Alice in Wonderland, 2003. Incidental music to the dramatization directed by Keith Fernandez. Performed February 2003, Leah Lee Browne Theatre, University of Toronto at Scarborough.
The Tempest, 2004. Incidental music to Shakespeare's play. Directed by Michael Schonberg. Performed March 2004, Leah Lee Browne Theatre, University of Toronto at Scarborough.
Sextet for Brass and Pianoforte, 2004. Prenmiered by the Trillium Brass Quintet with Kathy Tremills, Civic Garden Centre, April 3, 2004
Rounded With A Sleep, 2004. Two trumpets, violin, cello, piano. Premiered by Jens Lindemann, james Thompson, trumpets; Scott St.John, violin, Shauna Rillston, cello; Jamie Parker, piano, University of Toronto Trumpet Symposium, Walter Hall, University of Toronto, August 20, 2004.
Barcaruola, 2004. Violin and cello. Premiered by Duo Creativ, Sergei Bolotny, violin, Gabriel Faur, cello, Teatrino della Grigia, Venice, Italy.The Russian Dolls, 2004. Narrator, chorus, orchestra. Text by Gregory Ward. Premiered by Gregory Ward
And the Northumberland Symphony, Matthew Jaskiewicz, conductor, Cobourg, December 12, 2004.
The Experiment of Doctor Ox., 2006 Incidental music to the play by Michal Schonberg. Performed March 16-18, 22-24, Leigha Lee Browne Theatre, University of Toronto at Scarborough.
String Quartet, 2006. Premiere: April 28, 2006. The Windermere Quartet, St. Olave’s Church, Toronto.
The Flying Doctor and That Scoundrel Scapin, 2007. Incidental music to the double-bill of Moliere’s plays. Performed March 15- 23, 2007, Leigha Lee Browne Theatre, Scarborough Campus, University of Toronto. Directed by Michal Schonberg.
Stepping on Toes, 2009. Incidental music to the play by Jiři Havelka. Performed march 18-21, 2009, Leigha Lee Browne Theatre, Scarborough Campus, University of Toronto. Directed by Jiři Havelka.
The Pilgrimage of Henry Pyne, 2009. Text by the Composer. Mezzo, flute, viola, bassoon, harp. Premiered by Norine Burgess and the Talisker Players, May 5, 2009, Trinity St. Paul’s United Church.
Kashes: Fantasia on Two Yiddish Folk Songs. Viola and Piano. Premiered by Katharine Rapoport and Carolyn Jones, Limmud International Festival, May 24, 2009, Colortado Springs, Colorado, USA
Trio for Clarinet, Viola and Pianoforte, 2010. Premiered at A Composer and his World, All Saints Anglican Church, King City, Ontario by Peter Stoll, Katharine Rapoport and Peter Longworth, March 5, 2010.
Weiß mir ein Blümlein blaue, soprano and cello, 2010. Premiere scheduled for May 25, 2010, Heliconian Hall, Toronto, Desirée Warkus, soprano; Coenraad Bloemendal, cello.
By the Mill, 2010. Solo Viola and Orchestra. Premiered October 28, 2010, Walter Hall, Toronto, Jan Reznicek, vla; Toronto Sinfonietta, Philip McConnell, conductor.
Three Trios for Nine Violas, 2011, 9 vlas. Premiered January 27, 2011, University of Toronto Viola Ensemble, Katharine Rapoport, music director, William Rowson, conductor.
Three English Love Songs, 2011, Mezzo-soprano and piano. Text: Alexander Rapoport. Premiered, Walter Hall, February 11, 2013, Shannon Coates, mezzo; Stephen Philcox, piano.
Capriccio for Violin and Orchestra after Zamyatin's “We”. 2012.
Sonata for Theremin and Piano, 2013. Premiered February 22, 2014, Villa Wertheimstein, Vienna, Austria. Pamelia Kurstin, theremin; Marie-Theres Rauba, piano. Canadian premiere and video recording, Gallery 345, Toronto, January 11, 2016.
If Elvira hadn't arrived in time, 2015. Narrator and orchestra. Premiered October 20, 2015, Sacrborough Philharmonic Orchestra, Alex Eddington, Narrator, Ronald Royer, conductor.
The Resistable Rise of Arturo Ui, 2016. Incidental Music to the play by Bertolt Brecht. March 11-12 and 17-19. 2016, Leiagh Lee Brown Theatre, University of Toront at Scarborough. Barry Freeman, director. Alexander Rapoport, piano, with student ensemble.
Waldberauscht, 2016. Hn/pno. Recorded March 6 for upcoming release on a CD of performances by alimni of the University of Toronto School. by James Somerville, horn; Annie Zhou, piano.
String Quartet no. 2, 2017. Written for the Windermere String Quartet. Premiered April 29, 2018, Windermere String Quartet, St. Olave's Anglican Church, Toronto.
Sonata No. 2 for Theremin and Piano, 2017. Written for Pamelia Stickney. Premiere scheduled for 2019.
Do you want me to finish this symphony? Orchestra, 2018. Written for the Scarborough Philharmonic Orchestra. Premiered October 20, 2018, Scarborough Philharmonic Orchestra, conductor Ronald Royer.
FILM SCORES
Silent DNA. Director: Chris Philpott, 1993
The Eternal Husband. Director: Chris Philpott, 1999
The Happy Couple. Director: Chris Philpott, 2002
COMMERCIAL RECORDINGS
Salon Classics, Rembrandt Trio, Dorian Records: Includes trio arrangements.
Romancing Chopin, Toronto Sinfonietta, Polish Canadian Society of Music: includes Variations on a
Theme of Chopin, arrangements of Chopin Mazurkas. Re-released on the Naxos Direct label, CD 1225 2017.
Brass Feast, Niagara Brass: includes Songs of a Forgotten Life with James Tinsley, trumpet, Kent McWilliams, piano and Four Short Movements for Horn and Piano with Tim Lockwood, horn and Kent McWilliams, piano.
The Storyteller’s Bag: includes The Muskrat’s Dive and Berceuse. Text by Mark Brownell. Peggy Mcguire, Corey Gemmell, violins; Bev Spotton, viola, Marsha Moffitt, cello, Rob Wolanski, bass; Kaye Royer, clarinet; Richard Moore, percussion. Released by the Mississauga CHmaber Society, 2004.
Where Words and Music Meet: Talisker Players at Massey College. Includes Chicago Portraits, text: Carl Sandburg. Doug McNaughton, baritone, Talisker Players.
Entre Espana y America, Ezequiel barrera, piano, Bar-estrudio, Mexico, 2011; includes Sonata for Pianoforte no. 2.
Canadian Panorama, Scarborough Philharmonic Wind Ensemble, Ronald Royer, conductor, 2017. Cambria CD-1227. Includes Whirligig.
I Remember UTS: University of Toronto SChools. Contains Waldberauscht recorded by James Somerville and Annie Zhou.