ASL 2012: Guest Composer, Leslie Uyeda

Leslie Uyeda was born in Montreal, and is a composer, conductor and pianist. She is an Associate Composer of the Canadian Music Centre. Uyeda’s many songs and song cycles have been performed by Martha Guth, Erika Switzer, Robyn Driedger-Klassen, Terence Dawson, Wendy Nielsen, Rena Sharon, Kathryn Cernauskas, Ari Barnes, Heather Pawsey, and Rachel Kiyo Iwaasa. Her choral music has been commissioned and performed by musica intima, chor leoni, the Phoenix Chamber Choir, and the Elektra Women’s Choir. Premieres in 2011 have included new songs for soprano Heather Pawsey, and baritone Doug MacNaughton. She has also composed song cycles for mezzo-soprano Jean Stilwell, and baritone Brett Polegato. Uyeda’s instrumental music is heard throughout Canada and the U.S.


Leslie’s most beloved poet is Lorna Crozier (OC) whose remarkable poems she has worked with to produce The First Woman (sop/piano), The Sex Lives of Vegetables (sop/clarinet/piano), White Cat Blues (sop/piano), Plato’s Angel (baritone/piano), A Summer’s Singing (SATB), and One Willow Grows (sop/piano). To pay tribute to her Japanese-Canadian heritage, Leslie chose the exquisite, evocative poetry of Joy Kogawa (OC), to create Offerings (sop/piano), Stations of Angels (sop/flute), and Flower Arranger (baritone/guitar). This year she is composing When The Sun Comes Out – a chamber opera for three singers and piano, commissioned by the Queer Arts Festival for production in August of 2012. The librettist is the talented Vancouver poet Rachel Rose.


Leslie’s compositions are published by The Avondale Press and Classica Music.