Ron Hannah
- Composer
Ron Hannah was born in 1945 in Saskatchewan, and has resided much of his life in Western Canada. He is a pianist and clarinetist, and has studied various other instruments in order to be able to write effectively for them. In 2009 he returned to his homeland after several years of teaching English and backpacking in various parts of the world. At present he resides in Austria.
His interests are eclectic, ranging from travel and the sciences to wine and Eastern philosophy. In 1969 he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from the University of Alberta, and a Bachelor of Music and a Master of Music degree (student of Violet Archer, Manus Sasonkin and Malcolm Forsyth) in 1973 and 1975 respectively. While a student, he met singer/director Andrea Mellis, and 40 years later (June 2013), married her. Before that, he taught in public schools after receiving a Diploma in Education in 1980 and helped raise two daughters. Composition has always been his passion however, and he continued to write even during the most trying days of parenthood and making a living. He is a member of SOCAN, an affiliate of the Canadian Music Center, and of the Österreichisches Komponistenbund (Austrian Composers Association).
He doesn't have much in the way of film credits, but a portion of his "Pastoral Suite" for guitar was chosen for the film, A House by the Sea, and he has written a soundtrack for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's documentary, Lady from the Past. His extremely varied works (ranging from ragtime to 12-tone) have been performed in Canada and internationally. Recent performances have included a 2-piano suite entitled Dances for Camille; a work for soprano and harp called Two Songs after Christine de Pisan; and an opera based on St. Gregory of Armenia which was recently premiered there in the city of Yerevan. The opera was filmed by HD Studio, Yerevan, and may be viewed at Mr. Hannah's website. He is also a reviewer, essayist and travel writer.
His catalog contains over one hundred compositions: choral, chamber, song cycles, orchestral works, ballets, and several operas and theatre pieces. His music tends toward the conservative with a streak of Romanticism, an accessible style that he describes as "dissonant pan-tonality", but elements of the atonal, of textural writing, of minimalism, and of randomness can also be found - with the unending intention of being understood and enjoyed by an audience. He has received commissions from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, the Alberta Choral Federation, the Anahit Foundation (Yerevan, Armenia) and many others.
His interests are eclectic, ranging from travel and the sciences to wine and Eastern philosophy. In 1969 he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from the University of Alberta, and a Bachelor of Music and a Master of Music degree (student of Violet Archer, Manus Sasonkin and Malcolm Forsyth) in 1973 and 1975 respectively. While a student, he met singer/director Andrea Mellis, and 40 years later (June 2013), married her. Before that, he taught in public schools after receiving a Diploma in Education in 1980 and helped raise two daughters. Composition has always been his passion however, and he continued to write even during the most trying days of parenthood and making a living. He is a member of SOCAN, an affiliate of the Canadian Music Center, and of the Österreichisches Komponistenbund (Austrian Composers Association).
He doesn't have much in the way of film credits, but a portion of his "Pastoral Suite" for guitar was chosen for the film, A House by the Sea, and he has written a soundtrack for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's documentary, Lady from the Past. His extremely varied works (ranging from ragtime to 12-tone) have been performed in Canada and internationally. Recent performances have included a 2-piano suite entitled Dances for Camille; a work for soprano and harp called Two Songs after Christine de Pisan; and an opera based on St. Gregory of Armenia which was recently premiered there in the city of Yerevan. The opera was filmed by HD Studio, Yerevan, and may be viewed at Mr. Hannah's website. He is also a reviewer, essayist and travel writer.
His catalog contains over one hundred compositions: choral, chamber, song cycles, orchestral works, ballets, and several operas and theatre pieces. His music tends toward the conservative with a streak of Romanticism, an accessible style that he describes as "dissonant pan-tonality", but elements of the atonal, of textural writing, of minimalism, and of randomness can also be found - with the unending intention of being understood and enjoyed by an audience. He has received commissions from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, the Alberta Choral Federation, the Anahit Foundation (Yerevan, Armenia) and many others.