The WSO will be performing Friday and Saturday night with Canadian violinist Nikki Chooi. But also on the program is the world premiere of a brand new work by Vincent Ho entitled Song of Hope.  Diamond Lane host Sarah Jo Kirsch welcomed the composer live in studio Friday afternoon. Listen to the interview here!

Missed the interview? Listen here!

 

 

Vincent Ho is widely recognized as one of the most exciting composers of his generation. His works have been hailed for their profound expressiveness and textural beauty, leaving audiences talking about them with great enthusiasm. His many awards have included Harvard University's Fromm Music Commission, The Canada Council for the Arts €œRobert Fleming Prize,€ ASCAP €œMorton Gould Young Composer Award, four SOCAN Young Composers Awards, and CBC Radio's Audience Choice Award (2009 Young Composers Competition).

During his appointment to the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra as composer-in-residence in 2007-2014, Ho presented a number of large-scale works that generated much excitement and critical praise. His Arctic Symphony has been described as "a beautiful work that evokes the Far North in a very special "(John Corigliano), and "a mature and atmospheric work that firmly establishes Ho among North American composers of note" (Winnipeg Free Press). His percussion concerto, titled The Shaman, composed for Dame Evelyn Glennie was hailed as a triumph, receiving unanimous acclaim and numerous standing ovations. His cello concerto, City Suite, composed for Canadian cellist Shauna Rolston, received similar praise.

Vincent also composed a new concerto for Dame Evelyn Glennie, titled Symphonic Ritual, that was premiered on February 2, 2013, at the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra'€™s New Music Festival.

When Vincent took on The Shaman, he decided to use a crowdfunding campaign to finance this project. Watch his Indiegogo pitch video below.

 

 

This ia a piece called Nostalgia that was originally written by Vincent as an encore piece for The Shaman