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Heather Schmidt (1974-     )

Heather Schmidt, composerHeather Schmidt is recognized as one of the most talented, exciting and versatile musicians of her generation, bringing a contemporary freshness to the illustrious composer-performer tradition of the past. Originally from Calgary, Alberta, she is currently based in Toronto. Schmidt began piano lessons at age four and composing at the age of five. Following her formative studies at the Academy of Music at Mount Royal in Calgary, she received her Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees from Indiana University with double majors in composition and piano performance. At the age of 21, she became the youngest student to ever receive a Doctor of Music degree in both piano performance and composition from this institution. She also completed two years of professional studies in piano and composition at Juilliard in New York City, studying with Yoheved Kaplinsky and Milton Babbitt. She has received international acclaim through performances, broadcasts, commissions and awards in Canada, the United States, France, Germany, Switzerland, Poland, the Czech Republic, England, Finland, Iceland, Russia, Cyprus, Mexico, Brazil, and the British West Indies. As a pianist, she has performed extensively in solo and chamber recitals and as soloist with numerous orchestras. As a composer, Dr. Schmidt has composed over forty commissions in the past decade, eight of these premiered in one season alone. There have been hundreds of performances of her works by renowned soloists and ensembles around the world.

COMPOSITIONS                                                            Schmidt Links     ~ ~ ~     Works by Genre    ~ ~ ~    Schmidt on Schmidt
Daffodils, chorus (1990)
Suite for Cello and Piano (1990)
After Dark, violin, cello and piano (1991)
Cinq Pièces Brèves, flute, clarinet, violin, cello, percussion and piano (1992)
Trollskog, flute, bassoon and piano (1992)
Awakening at Sunrise, trumpet, marimba and double bass (1993)
Variations, flute, clarinet, trumpet, violin, viola, cello, percussion and harp (1993)
Atlantic Fanfare, trumpet, violin, viola and cello (1994)
Prism, flute, clarinet, violin, cello and piano (1995)
Phantoms, string quartet (1995)
Broken Columns, solo harp, flute, oboe, clarinet, horn, bassoon, percussion, 2 violins, viola, cello and double bass (1995)
Efflorescence, orchestra (1996)
Sinfonia, orchestra (1996)
Six Pieces for Woodwind Quintet (1996)
Movement, flute, clarinet, violin, cello and piano (1996)
Adagio, violin and piano (1996)
Solus, piano (1996)
Sonata, flute and piano (1996-97)
Piano Concerto No. 1 (1997)
La Nuit Verte, clarinet and piano (1997)
Serenade for String Orchestra (1998)
Cello Concerto (1998)
Quintet, flute, oboe, violin, cello and 2 guitars (1999)
Two Pieces, flute, oboe, violin, cello and 2 guitars (1999)
Trio, flute, viola and harp (1999)
Chaconne, piano (1999)
Piano Quintet, 2 violins, viola, cello and piano (2000)
Chiaroscuro, flute and piano (2000)
Aubade, marimba (2000)
Prelude and Fugue, piano (2000)
Piano Concerto No. 2 (2001)
Delphinidae, flute, clarinet, harp and string quartet (2001)
Ninasitako, bass trombone, percussion and piano (2001)
Of Time and the City, orchestra (2002)
Man, Homme, Mensch!, male chorus (2002)
Tears, chorus (2002)
Presto!, orchestra (2003)
Flute Concerto (2003)
Piano Concerto No. 3 (2003)
Light and Shadow, double concerto, viola, horn and orchestra (2003)
Sprint II, brass band and orchestra (2003)
Icicles of Fire, cello and piano (2003)
Planet, soprano and piano (2003; arr. with orchestra, 2004)
Sprint, piano (2003)
Shimmer, piano (2003)
Blue Morphos, orchestra (2004)
Petra: The Awakening of Myth, orchestra (2004)
Rising Storm, student recorder players, students on drums, student poetry readers and interactive audience with orchestra (2004)
Wonder, chorus and orchestra (2004)
Oceanus, violin, cello and piano (2004)
Symphony No. 1, "Manufactured Landscapes", orchestra (2005)
Piano Concerto No. 4 "Phoenix Ascending" (2005)
Wonder, chorus and piano (2005)
Serenity, piano (2005)
Transcendence, 2 pianos (2005)
Fantasy, cello and piano (2006)
Nebula, piano (2006)
Forbidden Embers, violin, cello and piano (2007)
Night Rainbow, piano (2007)
Twelve for Ten, Prelude-Fugue to Glenn Gould, piano (2007)
Lunar Reflections, violin, cello and piano (2008) [also arr. for orchestra]
    - Blue Moon (2008) [from Lunar Reflections] [also arr. for orchestra]
    - Pink Moon (2008) [from Lunar Reflections] [also arr. for orchestra]
    - Wolf Moon (2008) [from Lunar Reflections] [also arr. for orchestra]
    - Snow Moon (2008) [from Lunar Reflections] [also arr. for orchestra]
    - Thunder Moon (2008) [from Lunar Reflections] [also arr. for orchestra]
Tides and Eternity, string orchestra (2008)
Jupiter Borealis, orchestra (2008)
Silver Tides, piano (2008)
Centaurus A, 2 pianos (2008)
Cassandra Prophecies, concerto for saxophone quartet and orchestra or piano (2009)
Piano Concerto No. 5 "Ammolite" (2009)


WORKS BY GENRE                                                            Schmidt Links    ~ ~ ~    Schmidt on Schmidt     ~ top of page ~
Orchestra
Efflorescence, orchestra (1996)
Sinfonia, orchestra (1996)
Serenade for String Orchestra (1998)
Of Time and the City, orchestra (2002)
Presto!, orchestra (2003)
Sprint II, brass band and orchestra (2003)
Blue Morphos, orchestra (2004)
Petra: The Awakening of Myth, orchestra (2004)
    - Petra: The Awakening of Myth, Suite No. 1 (2004)
    - Petra: The Awakening of Myth, Suite No. 2 (2004)
Symphony No. 1, "Manufactured Landscapes", orchestra (2005)
Lunar Reflections, orchestra (2008) [originally for violin, cello and piano]
    - Blue Moon (2008) [from Lunar Reflections]
    - Pink Moon (2008) [from Lunar Reflections]
    - Wolf Moon (2008) [from Lunar Reflections]
    - Snow Moon (2008) [from Lunar Reflections]
    - Thunder Moon (2008) [from Lunar Reflections]
Tides and Eternity, string orchestra (2008)
Jupiter Borealis, orchestra (2008)

Band
Sprint II, brass band and orchestra (2003)

Soloist(s) w/Orchestra
Piano Concerto No. 1 (1997)
Cello Concerto (1998)
Piano Concerto No. 2 (2001)
Flute Concerto (2003)
Piano Concerto No. 3 (2003)
Light and Shadow, double concerto, viola, horn and orchestra (2003)
Sprint II, brass band and orchestra (2003)
Rising Storm, student recorder players, students on drums, student poetry readers and interactive audience with orchestra (2004)
Piano Concerto No. 4 "Phoenix Ascending" (2005)
Cassandra Prophecies, concerto for saxophone quartet and orchestra (2009)
Piano Concerto No. 5 "Ammolite" (2009)

Chorus w/Orchestra
Wonder, chorus and orchestra (2004)

Choral
Daffodils, chorus (1990)
Man, Homme, Mensch!, male chorus (2002)
Tears, chorus (2002)
Wonder, chorus and piano (2005)

Chamber
After Dark, violin, cello and piano (1991)
Cinq Pièces Brèves, flute, clarinet, violin, cello, percussion and piano (1992)
Trollskog, flute, bassoon and piano (1992)
Awakening at Sunrise, trumpet, marimba and double bass (1993)
Variations, flute, clarinet, trumpet, violin, viola, cello, percussion and harp (1993)
Atlantic Fanfare, trumpet, violin, viola and cello (1994)
Prism, flute, clarinet, violin, cello and piano (1995)
Phantoms, string quartet (1995)
Broken Columns, solo harp, flute, oboe, clarinet, horn, bassoon, percussion, 2 violins, viola, cello and double bass (1995)
Six Pieces for Woodwind Quintet (1996)
Movement, flute, clarinet, violin, cello and piano (1996)
Quintet, flute, oboe, violin, cello and 2 guitars (1999)
Two Pieces, flute, oboe, violin, cello and 2 guitars (1999)
Trio, flute, viola and harp (1999)
Piano Quintet, 2 violins, viola, cello and piano (2000)
Delphinidae, flute, clarinet, harp and string quartet (2001)
Ninasitako, bass trombone, percussion and piano (2001)
Oceanus, violin, cello and piano (2004)
Forbidden Embers, violin, cello and piano (2007)
Lunar Reflections, violin, cello and piano (2008) [also arr. for orchestra]
    - Blue Moon (2008) [from Lunar Reflections] [also arr. for orchestra]
    - Pink Moon (2008) [from Lunar Reflections] [also arr. for orchestra]
    - Wolf Moon (2008) [from Lunar Reflections] [also arr. for orchestra]
    - Snow Moon (2008) [from Lunar Reflections] [also arr. for orchestra]
    - Thunder Moon (2008) [from Lunar Reflections] [also arr. for orchestra]
Cassandra Prophecies, saxophone quartet and piano or orchestra (2009)

Solo Instrument
Suite for Cello and Piano (1990)
Adagio, violin and piano (1996)
Sonata, flute and piano (1996-97)
La Nuit Verte, clarinet and piano (1997)
Chiaroscuro, flute and piano (2000)
Aubade, marimba (2000)
Icicles of Fire, cello and piano (2003)
Fantasy, cello and piano (2006)

Piano
Solus, piano (1996)
Chaconne, piano (1999)
Prelude and Fugue, piano (2000)
Sprint, piano (2003)
Shimmer, piano (2003)
Serenity, piano (2005)
Transcendence, 2 pianos (2005)
Nebula, piano (2006)
Night Rainbow, piano (2007)
Twelve for Ten, Prelude-Fugue to Glenn Gould, piano (2007)
Silver Tides, piano (2008)
Centaurus A, 2 pianos (2008)

Vocal
Planet, soprano and piano (2003; arr. with orchestra, 2004)

Incidental/Film
see Composer's website


SCHMIDT  LINKS                                                            Works by Genre    ~ ~ ~    Schmidt on Schmidt      ~ top of page ~

Composer's website        . . . contact Heather Schmidt:  info@heatherschmidt.com

Schmidt @ Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra
Schmidt @ ClassicalConnect.com
Schmidt @ IMDb (Internet Movie Database)
Schmidt @ MGMG
Schmidt @ Naxos
Schmidt @ The Other Side of Truth
Schmidt @ Piano Plus
Schmidt @ York University, Toronto/York Fine Arts Recording Label

Publisher
Schmidt @ Echo North Music

Streaming Audio
Schmidt @ Composer's website
Schmidt @ ClassicalConnect.com
Schmidt @ last.fm
Schmidt @ Rhapsody

Recordings
Schmidt @ Composer's website
Schmidt @ ArkivMusic
Schmidt @ Canadian Music Centre
Schmidt @ ClassicsOnline

Video
Schmidt @ YouTube
Schmidt @ Google Video

                                                                                                                                                                                         ~ top of page ~
Schmidt on Schmidt: On Composing for Film/The Classical Now


. . . and check out more    Composers Speak on the Web    at Pytheas

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