A Day at the Farm

Yvonne began her musical career as a pianist following her studies at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Alberta. At age thirty, she embarked on music composition, and completed a degree in composition at the University of Victoria, studying with Christopher Butterfield and graduating in 1994 with distinction. She continued her compositional studies at the University of British Columbia completing a Master in Music in 2005 after working with both Stephen Chatman and Keith Hamel. She has also studied composition on several occasions privately with Canadian composer, Malcolm Forsyth. After pursuing Doctoral studies in theory at the University of British Columbia, Yvonne decided to discontinue her theoretical studies so as to focus solely on composition.

Yvonne’s distinct and interesting musical style is garnering her recognition as one of Canada’s premier emerging composers. Her extensive portfolio includes numerous works for orchestra, chamber ensembles, and solo piano while performances of her music have been heard across Canada and the United States, including radio broadcasts by the CBC. Recently she was commissioned by the Canadian Music Centre to compose one of a collection of five choral works for the 150th Anniversary of BC. The resulting choral works have been performed several times in both Vancouver and Victoria during November, 2008 and January, 2009. In addition, several of her orchestral works have been read by Canadian orchestras including Endless, which was read by the Vancouver Symphony during the Jean Coulthard Orchestral Readings in March 2005. She also participated in both the Vancouver and Victoria Symphony’s 2004 Orchestral Readings. Several leading Canadian ensembles have commissioned works by Yvonne and she has been the winner of the Murray Adaskin Composition Competition. Yvonne has also been the guest composer with the Windsor Symphony Orchestra during both their 1999 and 2000 Canadian Music Festivals.

With a desire to share her music with young children, Yvonne formed a musical trio in 1986 to perform her original stories and music. The ensuing popularity of her material prompted her to orchestrate these works which are now performed frequently in the children’s series of Canadian orchestras, including past performances by Vancouver and Calgary Symphony Orchestras. In 2005, the Kamloops Symphony Orchestra presented three concerts of her complete children’s program called “A Day at the Farm”.

Yvonne lives with her husband on Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada.