Judy Specht composes music for solo instruments and ensembles, and electronic scores for theatre. She began playing piano at age 5, eventually adding accordion and flute, which she played for many years while performing as a multi-instrumentalist with the theatre troupe, The Trollsons. She has an A.R.C.T. degree (piano) and holds B.MUS and M.MUS degrees (composition) from UBC. She taught theory at the University of Ottawa and at Douglas College/Langara, and piano at her own studio in Vancouver before retiring to Gabriola Island to devote herself to composing and listening to the seagulls and the surf.
Toronto-based composer Patrick McGraw was born in the United States but has made Canada his home since 2001. An early interest in the sciences led him to a Ph.D. in theoretical physics from the California Institute of Technology, but the pull of his other great love, music, proved irresistible and he returned to school to study composition with David Mott and Gary Kulesha. He was awarded the Karen Kieser Prize in Canadian Music for his string quartet Glass in 2014. Although music is now his primary focus, he remains active in the sciences as a teacher.
Steven Webb is a Toronto based performer, composer, and audio engineer, who recently completed his Masters in Composition at the University of Toronto under the direction of Dr. Christos Hatzis. Steven has written music for a variety of films and commercials, as well as for contemporary dance and classical performance. His compositions and arrangements have been performed across North America and Europe, and include performances by: The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, The UofT Symphony Orchestra, The University of Guelph Symphonic Choir, Prairie Voices Choir, Exultate Chamber Choir, and at the Conservatory of Music Giuseppe Tartini in Trieste, Italy. As a film composer, Steven has worked on a variety of projects including ‘Chopin’s Heart’ for The National Screen Institute, which played at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival, ‘Period Piece’, winner of the best Canadian Short Film at the Toronto After Dark Film Festival, and ‘Scheduled Violence’ for MTS On Demand. He currently works as a full time composer, audio engineer and collaborative pianist.
Arturo Fernandez is a native of Miami, Florida. He has had his compositions performed by groups such as the Ludovico Ensemble, the Fifth Floor Collective, and the Boston Conservatory orchestra under the direction of Yoichi Udagawa. He has also had compositions premiered at various summer music festivals, including the New York Summer Music Festival, the Atlantic Music Festival, Sienna Summer Music in Italy, and ASL 2014. He is a graduate of the Boston Conservatory and the Cleveland Institute of Music, and is a recent doctoral graudate of the College-Conservatory of Music in Cincinnati.
Katerina Gimon is an award-winning and emerging Canadian composer, improvisor, and experimental vocalist based in Vancouver. Recently named as one of Canada's hot 30 classical musicians under 30 by CBC, her compositions have been broadcast and presented across Canada, the United States (most notably at Carnegie Hall), and Europe. Katerina currently serves on the board of The Association of Canadian Women Composers and is an Associate Composer at the Canadian Music Centre (currently the youngest associate). She continues to performs regularly as part of experimental mixed-media ensemble Chroma of which she is a founding member (vocals, extended vocals, and electronics).
