Pat Carrabré


Pat Carrabré is a Canadian composer, teacher, and radio personality based in Manitoba.
He is currently a professor of music at the University of British Columbia, where he has previously served as Dean of Music and Vice-President

Early life and education

Carrabré studied music composition with Peter Paul Koprowski at The University of Western Ontario, where he received his Masters in Music degree. He went on to complete a PhD degree at The City University of New York.

Career

Carrabré began working with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra as associate composer in 1994. He was composer-in-residence at the WSO from 2001 to 2007.
In March 2007, Carrabré became the weekend host of The Signal, a new program on CBC Radio 2 devoted to contemporary music. The program was cancelled as part of a raft of English radio cuts in March 2009.
Carrabré has been a jury member of the Manitoba Arts Council. Drawing from this experience, he began lecturing students on effective grant writing in his Arts Administration course.
With his wife Mary Jo Carrabré and Naomi Forman, he recorded a five-song cycle Crazy; it was released by Winter Wind Records.

Composition

Carrabré has fulfilled over 30 commissions, writing contemporary music for a variety of performing groups using the twelve-tone musical language. His compositions have won a number of nominations and awards.
Sonata No. 1 "The Penitent" for the violin and the piano was nominated for a Juno Award in the Best Classical Composition category. "The Dark Reaches", commissioned by the Gryphon Trio, also received a Juno nomination.
His first album, "Firebrand", showcases his chamber works and was released in 2008. "A hammer for your thoughts" mimics the imagery of hammered piano strings with its use of the glockenspiel. This quintet received the Western Canadian Music Award for Best Classical Composition.
"War of the Angels", nominee for the 2013 WCMA Classical Recording of the Year, is a collection of pieces commissioned by the WSO, including two symphonies. One of these, "Inuit Games", features Inuit throat singing and was a recommended work at the 2003 International Rostrum of Composers.