Biography
Coreen Morsink, Canadian/Greek composer, is inspired by unusual microtonal tuning systems and ancient Greek music which she often considers as a springboard for her compositions. Her works have been premiered by Carla Rees, Chenoa Anderson, Allison Balcetis, Karin de Fleyt, Kevin Komisaruk, Sophie Lanthier, Sarah Watts and Peter Sheppard Skaerved amongst others in Canada, USA, UK, Belgium, Bulgaria, Greece, Italy and played on the BBC Radio 3. Her duo for violin and cello, A Stack of Human Dilemmas was premiered by Carol Fujino and Paul Widner of Continuum as part of PIVOT, her wind and piano quartet Excursions in Diversity was part of the 2022 festival Mondi diversi in Rovereto, Italy and her Symphony Call of the Dove was played in the TSO “Explore the Score” Reading sessions with Gary Kulesha conducting the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Her work for solo alto flute Andromache will be quoted in the The Cambridge Companion to Composition as part of composer Ken Hesketh’s upcoming article Ex uno plures: composing for solo instruments. In May her work for piccolo Transformations in Flight will be played by Paco Varoch in Valencia, Spain. Here chamber orchestra work Eos and Tithonus will be played by the Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse under the baton of Bruno Mantovani in September 2024 as part of the finals of the Unanimes! Competition in Toulouse France and broadcast on Radio France. Originally from Toronto, Coreen lives in Greece with her husband and children and enjoys swimming in the sea, flowers and nature.
Coreen has presented papers on the subject of Ancient Greek music and presented her music at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and Oxford. She is the founder and co-ordinator of the Athens Composer/Performance Conference series (in collaboration with Goldsmiths University of London), which unites practice-led PhD students to present their work in Athens, Greece.
Coreen is currently Music teacher and Lower School Music Co-ordinator at St. Catherine’s British School in Athens, Greece and has also been a lecturer of music at undergraduate and Master’s degree level at the University of Indianapolis, Athens Campus. She is a Senior Examiner of music for the International Baccalaureate Organisation.
Coreen has an ARCT in piano performance (Margaret Parsons-Poole tutor) and a BMus in piano performance from McGill (Marina Mdivani tutor), MMus in piano performance (Dame Fanny Waterman and Benjamin Frith tutors) from Leeds University, MA in composition from the University of Indianapolis and has a PhD in composition (Roger Redgate tutor) from Goldsmiths, University of London. She is a member of the Canadian League of Composers (CLC), the Association of Canadian Women Composers (ACWC/ACC) and Associate Composer in the Canadian Music Centre (CMC).
More information and a selection of works by Coreen Morsink:
Her String Quartet No. 2, Time’s Doorway was played by the Ligeti String Quartet as part of their part 1 Workout! Sessions in December 2020. https://ligetiquartet.com/workout/sessions/coreen-morsink-times-doorway and https://ligetiquartet.com/workout
Her work A Stack of Human Dilemmas for violin and cello was premiered in an online broadcast Thursday, April 8th, 2021 in Toronto, Canada by Carol Fujino and Paul Widner of the Continnum Ensemble https://www.continuummusic.ca/events/pivot1/
Links:
https://cmccanada.org/composer/coreen-morsink/
Facebook page
Youtube channel
Twitter
Tetractys Publishing
Golden Hornet composer page
Her compositions for Alto Flute, Quarter-tone alto flute, Flute ensemble and Wind ensembles are published through Tetractys Publishing. Coreen Morsink page tetractys publishing
Scores for Strings and other instruments available at: CMC Canada
Her PhD thesis The Composition of New Music Inspired by Music Philosophy and Musical Theoretical Writings from Ancient Greece (Goldsmiths, University of London) is on-line with downloads of compositions and recordings at http://eprints.gold.ac.uk/9149/.
Scores as part of the UCLA escholarship music library
Stolen Glimpses of Eternity for string quartet (5 minute version)
Professional Composer Associations:
CMC (Canadian Music Centre) Associate Composer page: https://collections.cmccanada.org/final/Portal/Composer-Showcase.aspx?component=AAIL&record=6df68c06-7a5b-4ab7-aa91-4dfe8c18aaaf
Association of Canadian Women Composers ACWC/ACC https://acwc.ca/members/coreen-morsink/
Flute Futures Workshop links https://acwc.ca/category/events/
Canadian League of Composers https://www.composition.org/current-members/#m
The Lockdown Sketches collaboration with Peter Sheppard Skaerved initial workshop recording can be heard here: Lockdown Sketches and the collaboration page Peter Sheppard Skaerved collaboration
New Music Show on BBC Radio 3: Carla Rees and Karin de Fleyt playing Timbral Winds for quarter-tone alto flute and alto flute from the Cafe Oto concert in London, December 2019. A repeat of the show is available here until the end of July. New Music Show BBC Radio 3
Published Compositions
There was a Time for flute ensemble. Published by Tetractys Publishing, editor, Carla Rees score
rarescale Flute Academy performance
Play Songs for quarter-tone alto flute, cor anglais and bass clarinet. Published by Tetractys Publishing, editor, Carla Rees score
performance by the rarescale trio
Andromache’s Recitativo, Aria and Subtext for solo alto flute. Published by Tetractys Publishing, editor, Carla Rees score Performance by Carla Rees
Featured Composer in: Fowl Pox Press (journal) January 2013 edition: Publication of 12-1 Preludes for Prepared Piano by Coreen Morsink Performance by Coreen Morsink
Premieres and Concerts featuring compositions by Coreen Morsink
September 19, 2020, World Premiere, Song of the Polar Bear for contrabass clarinet as part of Feed the Beast Live Event in the Festival of the MInd, University Sheffield, UK. Sarah Watts, contrabass clarinet presents new works which highlight endangered species along with visuals by Peter and Paul, Sheffield and voiceovers by John Iles.
July 4, 2020 BBC Radio 3 New Music Show, Music in Eight Parts, hosted by Kate Molleson. Timbral Winds for quarter-tone alto flute and alto flute premiered by Carla Rees and Karin de Fleyt
December 14, 2019, Timbral Winds for quarter-tone alto flute and alto flute premiered by Carla Rees and Karin de Fleyt, Café Oto, London, UK Timbral Winds recording of premiere
December 2018: Song of the Polar Bear played by Sarah Watts, contrabass clarinet Song of the Polar Bear
March 21, 2018, Chenoa Anderson, Andromache for alto flute as part of the Now Here This Festival of New Music, Holy Trinity Church, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
November 8, 2017, Andromache for quarter-tone alto flute, played by Carla Rees, Greek Premiere. Radar Theatre, Athens, Greece
July 13, 2017, Symphony No. 1 for String Orchestra, the “Agreekment”. World Premiere by the 432 Chamber Orchestra conducted by Ivan Yanakiev, Sofia, Bulgaria.
June 10, 2017, Andromache for Alto Flute, World Premiere, played by Chenoa Anderson, alto flute in a concert of new flute music at Mile Zero Dance, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada hosted by Edmonton Flute Events.
May 28, 2017, There was a Time for flute ensemble, rarescale Flute Academy, London UK. UK premiere.
February 4, 2017, There was a Time for flute ensemble. World Premiere by the rarescale Flute Academy, Athens, Greece.
June 21, 2016, Four Songs for Chorus: 1) Help us Gods! 2) Alas 3) The Wonder of Man 4) Love Unbeaten (texts by Sophocles translated to modern Greek) as part of The Theban Plays directed by Elias Malandris, Athens Greece
May 11, 2016, Play Songs played by the rarescale trio (Carla Rees Quarter-tone alto flute, Paul Goodey cor anglais and Sarah Watts bass clarinet) at The Forge, London, UK https://uk.patronbase.com/_Forge/Productions/SM/Performances
April 15, 2016, …catharsis… for organ played by Kevin Komisaruk at Christ Church Cathedral, Indianapolis, USA as part of the American Guild of Organists Recital Series. http://www.indyago.org/meetings.aspx\
March 8, 2015, Andromache’s Recitativo, Aria and Subtext (solo quarter-tone alto flute, also a version for alto flute) Performance at the Bangor New Music Festival, North Wales, 2015 Carla Rees.
Competitions
February 24, 2020, First Prize winner for Il Volo di Pѐgaso (The Flight of Pegasus) in the professional composer category. Composition- 12:8 for violin and piano. Rome, Italy. Il Volo di Pegaso
February 23, 2019, finalist in the Golden Hornet Smackdown V string quartet competition, Austin, Texas. Stolen Glimpses of Eternity recording by Invoke string quartet
March 22, 2014 Conversations with a Rose for solo cello. Finalist in Sorodha Cello composition Competition, Antwerp, Belgium. Premiered by Sigrid Vandenbogaerde.
https://soundcloud.com/coreen-morsink/sets/compositions-by-coreen-morsink
Compositions on CD’s
Listen to the Silence 05-02-2016 works for solo piano by Coreen Morsink influenced by mindfulness practice https://coreenmorsink.bandcamp.com/album/listen-to-the-silence
Piano Tales 15-06-2014 works for solo piano and voice by Coreen Morsink https://coreenmorsink.bandcamp.com/album/piano-tales
2020-2021PIVOT programme for emerging Composers
Premiere: A Stack of Human Dilemmas for violin and cello, April 8th, 2021, Toronto Canada, Continuum Ensemble members Carol Fujino and Paul Widner. See more details on website page PIVOT.https://coreenmorsink.wordpress.com/pivot/
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Hi Coreen;
What a fascinating composition weaving your mom’s art with violin & cello.
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