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Aitken, Robert (b. August 28, 1939, Kentville, Nova Scotia). Canadian composer of mostly orchestral and chamber works that have been performed throughout the world; he is also active as a conductor and flautist.
Mr. Aitken studied flute privately with Nicolas Fiore in Toronto from 1955–59 and studied counterpoint with Barbara Pentland at the University of British Columbia in 1958–59. He then studied composition with John Weinzweig and electronic music with Myron Schaeffer at the University of Toronto from 1959–64, where he earned his BMus and MMus in composition. He had subsequent training as a flautist with Marcel Moyse in both Europe and Vermont intermittently for nine years and studied with Hubert Barwähser in The Netherlands, Severino Gazzelloni in Italy, André Jaunet in Switzerland, and Jean-Pierre Rampal in France, all in 1964–65, on a grant from the Canada Council for the Arts.
His honors as a flautist include prizes in the Paris flute competition (1971) and the new music flute competition in Royan (1972) and an invitation from Pierre Boulez to present a solo recital at IRCAM (1977, one of twelve instrumentalists chosen), as well as the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Flute Association (2003). Among his many awards as both a composer and flautist are the Canada Music Citation, the Canadian Music Council Medal, the Jean A. Chalmers National Music Award, the Order of Canada, and the William Harold Moon Award. In addition, he was given the title Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the government of France.
As a conductor, he has primarily been active as a regular conductor of the New Music Concerts Ensemble, which he co-founded with Norma Beecroft in Toronto in 1971, but has also guest-conducted orchestras in Canada and Japan. Moreover, he led performances of Patria 1: Wolfman by R. Murray Schafer for the Canadian Opera Company in 1987.
As a flautist, he served as principal flautist of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra in 1958–59 (the youngest in the orchestra's history), second flautist in the CBC Radio Orchestra from 1960–64 and co-principal flautist of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra from 1965–70. More than 65 works have been written for him by noted composers, including John Beckwith, Elliott Carter, George Crumb, Manuel Enríquez, Heinz Holliger, Bruce Mather, Arne Nordheim, Roger Reynolds, R. Murray Schafer, Tōru Takemitsu, Gilles Tremblay, and John Weinzweig.
Mr. Aitken is also active in other positions. He co-founded with soprano Mary Morrison and his wife, pianist Marion Ross, the Lyric Arts Trio in Toronto in 1964 and performed with it, as well as with harpsichordist Greta Kraus, until the 1970s. He founded the Music Today series at the Shaw Festival in Ontario in 1970 and served as its director from 1970–72. He then co-founded with Norma Beecroft the series New Music Concerts in Toronto in 1971 and has since served as its artistic director.
He taught flute at the University of Toronto from 1960–75 and the Shawnigan Summer School of the Arts in British Columbia from 1972–82, where he founded Music at Shawnigan in 1981, a three-week festival devoted to the study of chamber music. He later served as director of the Advanced Studies in Music program at the Banff School of Fine Arts from 1985–89 and taught as Professor für Flöte at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik in Freiburg im Breisgau from 1988–2004. He has also given masterclasses in Cuba, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Mexico, Norway, Poland, Sweden, and the USA.
CONTACT INFORMATION
E-mail address: robertaitken@newmusicconcerts.com
Website: http://www.bobaitken.ca/
SELECT LIST OF WORKS
ORCHESTRAL: Concerto, piccolo, flute, oboe, English horn, clarinet, bass clarinet, bassoon, French horn, violin, viola, cello, double bass, orchestra, 1964; Spectra, 4 ensembles (flute, oboe, piano, 10 violins; clarinet, 2 trumpets, 3 violas, timpani; English horn, 2 French horns, harp, 3 celli; bass clarinet, bassoon, trombone, 2 double basses), 1969; Shadows I: Nekuia, large orchestra, 1971; Spiral, 1975; Berceuse (For those who sleep before us), flute, orchestra, 1992; Concerto for Flute and String Orchestra (Shadows V), 1999
CHAMBER MUSIC: Quartet, flute, oboe, viola, double bass, 1961; Music for Flute and Electronic Tape, 1963; Kebyar, flute (+ temple blocks), clarinet (+ temple blocks), trombone, 2 double basses, percussion, tape, 1971; Shadows II: Lalita, flute, ensemble (2 harps, 3 celli, 2 percussion), 1972; Plainsong, flute, 1977; Icicle, flute, 1977; Folia, flute, oboe, clarinet, French horn, bassoon, 1981; Shadows III: Nira, violin, ensemble (flute, oboe, viola, double bass, piano, harpsichord), 1973–88; Shadows IV: My Song, 2 flutes, ensemble ad libitum (oboe, bassoon, violin, cello), 1994; A Little Ground for Max, bass clarinet, trumpet, violin, double bass, piano, percussion, 1997; Wedding Song, 2 flutes, 1999
CHORAL: Monody (text by Karen Aitken), mixed chorus, flute, 1983
ELECTROACOUSTIC: Noesis, tape, 1963; Music from Hamlet, tape, 1964
(Last updated on December 10, 2004)
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