Bio

An affiliate composer of the Canadian Music Centre, Katya Pine received her Musical Composition degree as Dean’s List Scholar at the University of Toronto, studying with John Beckwith and John Weinzweig. Post- graduate, she obtained the prestigious Floyd Chalmers Award through the Ontario Arts Council, to continue studies in London, England with Charles Camilleri. She has studied Jazz and Contemporary Music at Mount Royal University in Calgary, Alberta; participated in orchestration workshops through the Screen Guild Composers of Canada; and taught at the Toronto Film School.

A diversified composer, Katya’s music embraces world beat, jazz, orchestral, popular, commercial and non- commercial musical styles. Her works are performed on the concert stage, musical theatre, radio, television, independent film, media and opera. A published composer, Katya’s works are listed in the RCM and CNCM syllabi.

Katya has written extensively for voice. Her song cycles, “A Salutation to Life”, for soprano, piano, sitar and tambura, and “A Piece of Alligator”, words by Dennis Lee, were performed and broadcast on CBC Radio’s, Music Toronto. Song cycles, “The Garden Going on Without Us” and “Wild Birds”, for mezzo, piano and alto flute, are composed to words of Order of Canada poet Lorna Crozier. Most are featured on Katya’s CD, “Taking Flight”.

Katya’s operatic compositions were performed at “Opera Briefs”: Theatre Passe Muraille,Toronto through participation in the 2011 Composer-Lib-Lab with Tapestry New Works Opera. Five new operatic scenes were created with librettists from Canada and USA. The experience at LibLab laid the fertile groundworks for the Three-Act opera in progress, “More Than a Queen” (MTAQ)

Since relocating to British Columbia in 2014, Katya participated at Art Song Lab (ASL) 2015 where Katya collaborated with late poet, Mary Aitken to create “Wood Sleeves”, performed at Vancouver’s Pyatt Hall. Subsequently Katya was commissioned by Erato Ensemble to arrange “Wood Sleeves” for small ensemble at “Present” performed in February 2019. At ASL Katya met Vancouver librettist felicia klingenberg and preparations began for MTAQ.

Katya continues to collaborate with local B.C. artists on a variety of projects, one recently being “Indie Opera Week” that showcased 20 minutes of MTAQ at Club Hollywood North in Vancouver. Concurrent to composing MTAQ, Katya has composed soundtracks for Vancouver films : “The Moving Child” (documentary) and “The Forerunner” (independent Sci-Fi film). She currently serves as Composition Coordinator and gives Composition workshops to the BCRMTA teachers for the Kwantlen International Music Festival/Kiwanis Festival. For more information see www.pineproductions.ca.