PhD Candidate Rashaan Allwood premieres "Black Ice" as New Music Concerts' Composer in Residence
Current PhD Candidate (Composition) Rashaan Allwood is New Music Concerts' (NMC) Composer-in-Residence, and his new piece Black Ice will premiere at NMC's February 8 concert.
In a recent article (via Ludvig van Toronto), Allwood described creating this piece, which was written in 2024. “I wanted to explore the most contemporary sounds,” he says. “I was looking for something that pushes the boundaries of the [piano],” he says, “like Beethoven, using every key. That’s the energy I have now for composition.”
Excerpt from article:
"He greatly appreciates the opportunity that being Composer-in-Residence affords. “Just knowing that you can write something that professional musicians can play [is great],” he says.
That’s important when your music offers advanced challenges from notation to performance. He creates soundscapes, and uses the instruments in more complex ways. As an example, he says he’s sourced an old upright piano online that will be played by a percussionist. “Playing the wood of it with drum sticks and much more,” he explains.
“The whole piece is kind of about fragility and danger.”
Black ice is treacherous because it’s largely unseen. He likens it to the position of marginalized communities, who deal with processes and systems that are invisible, yet have an enormous impact on their lives.
“The piano is kind of a representation of that,” he says. “At one point, it gets stabbed by a knife.”"
Read full article "INTERVIEW | New Music Concert's Composer-in-Residence Rashaan Allwood Talks About The World Premiere Of Black Ice" (by Anya Wassenberg, Ludwig Van Toronto, February 3, 2025)
Allwood will be New Music Concerts (NMC’s) Composer-in-Residence for the 2024/2025 and 2025/2026 seasons. When the residency was announced, NMC Artistic Director Brian Current noted "Rashaan is an immensely talented organist, pianist, and keyboard player, but he is also a remarkable composer—curious, exacting, and deeply knowledgeable about both 20th and 21st-century music. Rashaan has proposed three exceptional projects, including a response to Hans Abrahamsen's 'Schnee' titled 'Black Ice' for nine players, a fascinating solo piano piece involving three pianists performing inside and outside the piano, accompanied by spoken word and electronics, and a groundbreaking concerto for vintage synthesizers, keyboards, electronics, and large ensemble."
Related links
Composer-in-Residence Announcement (NMC, August 2024)
Graduate Studies in Music at Western University
