(b. 1969, Moncton, New Brunswick).
Canadian composer of mostly chamber and vocal works that have been performed in the Americas.
Mr. Cormier studied composition with Christopher Butterfield, John Celona and Michael Longton at the University of Victoria in British Columbia from 1995–99 and there earned his BMus. He then studied composition with Michael Pisaro, Morton Subotnick and James Tenney at the California Institute of the Arts in Valencia, Santa Clarita from 2000–02, where he earned his MFA.
Among his honours is the Murray Adaskin Prize in Composition from the University of Victoria (1997). His music has been performed in Canada and the USA.
He is also active in other positions. He performed on bass drum with the CalArts Improvisation Ensemble in 2000–01 and worked as a copyist and music engraver from 2001–03. In addition, he co-founded the collective OXO in New York, New York in 2003 and founded the vocal group Ensemble Ordinature in Vancouver in 2004 and has served as its artistic director since 2004.
COMPLETE LIST OF WORKS
STAGE:
Vibes Are...I–IV (dance music, choreography by Hector Garcia), vibraphone, 2000
Interpretation of the Moving Body (dance music, animation and choreography by Wan Chin Choong), banjo, piano, 2001
Beyond Time (dance music, choreography by Qi Zhang), 2 vibraphones, 2001
Self-Portrait (dance music, choreography by Yuan Yuan Wang), violin, vibraphone, bass drum, 2002
Annealing China (dance music, choreography by Qi Zhang), 3 percussion, 2002
ORCHESTRAL:
Idylle sur la Région Sud-Est, 200 cellos, 1999
About Julius, small orchestra (13 players), 2001
Jaune (Burglar March), small orchestra (20 players), 2001
L'Espace est bleu, entre les nuages, bassoon, French horn, small orchestra (21 players), 2002
CHAMBER MUSIC:
Scattershot Beethoven, violin, viola, 1996
25 bars for 4 dollars with fugue, 4 players (with 400 pennies, wooden bowl, glass bowl, steel bowl, plastic bowl), 1996
Préludes sans mesures, flute, 1997
À Deux, any 2 identical instruments, 1998
Crépuscule, 4 percussion, 1999, revised 2000
Embusscarné, flute, clarinet, bassoon, guitar, violin, viola, cello, piano, percussion, 1999
Messe Blanche, any 4 players, 1999
Viola Duet – 1 Movement, 2 violas, 2000
Quatuor pour Flûtes, 4 alto flutes, 2000
A Viola Solo, viola, 2000
Mandala #1, percussion, 2000
Chromium Canon, any number of players, 2001
Ligne #1–3, any number of players, 2001
Sonata micro #1 en ut majeur, violin, cello, 2001
Sax Quartet, 4 saxophones/any other instruments, 2001
Sault Ste. Marie Concerto, banjo, bass drum, 2002
Coup/Strike, violin, ensemble (3 percussion), 2002
Symposium 1–5, guitar, piano, 2002
Someille, clarinet, percussion, 2002
Forme uniche di continuità nello spazio, string quartet, 2002
$35 for Mike Robbins, player (with 100 pennies, 80 nickels, 100 dimes, 80 quarters, plastic bowl, metal bowl, glass bowl, wooden bowl), 2002
Beef Penis Princess System, any number of players, fixed media (4 tracks) (music by Shane Hubert), 2002
Une Terre pour deux, oboe, piano, 2003
Sounds for 8 Horns, cello, 2 percussion, 2003
Gucagyu, percussion, 2003
Piling Sand – Piling Stone, harp, live electronics, 2003
Dans un champs de paille, clarinet, piano, percussion, string quartet, 2004
CHORAL:
Pleurs (vocalise), mixed chorus, 2000
Deux Chorales sur des poèmes de Machaut, mixed chorus, 2004
VOCAL:
Beefheart Recitative (text by Captain Beefheart), tenor, harpsichord, 1997
Trois Sottises (text by Ponce-Poussé de la Vanille), soprano, piano, 1997
Moncton est triste (text by Martin Pître), soprano, 2 flutes, clarinet, bass clarinet, bassoon, French horn, harp, violin, viola, cello, bass drum, 2002
Je maudit l'heure (text by Guillaume de Machaut), soprano, percussion, 2003
Tableau de back yard (text by Guy Arsenault), voice, 4 percussion, 2003
PIANO:
Cinq Morceaux pour piano sur des noms de Saints, 1997
Marie et Pierre de Beaubassin, 2000
ORGAN:
Neuvaine, positive organ, 1998
MULTIMEDIA/PERFORMANCE:
Au dessus des éclats, percussion, sculpture (light bulb), 2003