Biography

Candace is an emerging Canadian composer based in Toronto. Though early in her career, she has won first place in Jâca ensemble’s 2021 Emerging Composer Competition with her piece, Melodies from my Mother. In addition to the honorable mention received for her piece It’s All Love in the KW Grand Philharmonic’s 2022 Choral Composition Competition. Her compositions draw on her personal experiences, emotions, and feelings with “a unique and powerful artistic voice” (Jâca ensemble). She seeks to bring the audience into her sound world using musical gestures to draw out the listeners imagination.

Candace has recently completed her Master of Music in composition at the University of Ottawa, and holds an Honors Bachelor of Arts degree in Music with a music intensive specialization from University of Waterloo (’20). She has studied composition under the guidance of Dr. Karen Sunabacka and Dr. Kelly-Marie Murphy. In the summer of 2022 she completed the European-American Musical Alliance’s rigorous summer institute in Paris; following the pedagogy established by Nadia Boulanger. She studied with composers Dr. Philip Lasser, Dr. David Conte, and Dr. Benjamin CS Boyle who she will continue studying with privately beginning fall 2022.