Ann Southam, have you ever heard of her? One of our Canadian traits is our modesty in the face of giftedness. Ann Southam was, among other things, a minimalist 20th century and early 21st century composer. Most Canadians have likely not even heard of her, let alone her compositions, and the respect and reputation that she gained as a contemporary composer.
She composed chamber music, works for piano, and electronic music. Some of her works definitely reflect how creative and sometimes surprisingly unconventional she was. She died at the age of 73 years in 2010, and left behind over a 14 million dollar legacy gift to the Canadian Women's Foundation .
One description of Southam's works is "lyrical atonal." One of my favourite pieces is "Rivers No. 8," performed by Christina Petrowska Quilico, which you can watch and listen to on Youtube.
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