Biography
Ryan Trew is a composer and music theory pedagogue. Ryan’s works have been performed by renowned Canadian ensembles including the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the Prince George Symphony Orchestra, the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, the National Arts Centre Orchestra, and the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra. He has worked extensively with Maestro Evan Mitchell who is one of the most innovative and sought after conductors in Canada.
In the 2024/2025 season, Ryan’s orchestral and operatic work was performed across the country: Symphony Number 1 by the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra, Intermezzo by the Saskatoon Symphony, his arrangement of Hindemith’s Flute Sonata by Amelia Lyon and the Kingston Symphony Orchestra, and his first chamber Opera Come Closer by Opera 5 (premiere) and Opera McGill (workshop). In addition, Come Closer has had residencies and workshops at Pacific Opera Victoria, Opera 5, The Banff Centre for the Arts, Opera McGill, and is supported by the Canada Council for the Arts. Ryan wrote the music for episode nine of Threepenny Submarine - Season 1, which is a 2024 winner of Opera America’s Digital Excellence in Opera Award - Noteworthy Project and was a winner of the Vancouver Symphony Olympic Commissioning Project in 2010.
Living in a modern tonal world, Ryan’s compositions focus on rhythmic, harmonic and timbral relationships, while incorporating popular styles and classical idioms in unique and unfamiliar contexts. His music has been described as “sumptuous, remarkable and constantly surprising.” Audiences across the country have consistently found his works to be deeply compelling.