Featured Composer

Featured Composer: Jean Coulthard

JEAN COULTHARD was born in Vancouver in 1908 and died there in 2000. During her long life, she composed over 350 distinct works for keyboard, solo string instruments, instrumental duos, and works for orchestra, choir, voice, chamber ensembles as well as for the stage. The last includes two ballets and an opera.

Her early years were influenced by the extraordinary musicians alive at the time: Bartok, Debussy, Messiaen, Vaughan Williams, and Schoenberg, to name a few.

Coulthard's music was performed by some of the world's most respected musicians, including Maureen Forrester, Jon Vickers, Ruggiero Ricci, and Janos Starker. Towards the end of her career there was a growing interest in women composers and Coulthard always stated that her perspective was that of a woman. She wrote: "My aim is simply to write music that is good... I feel that human values remain the same and unless music is able to reach the heart in some way, it loses its compelling power to minister to human welfare... a composer's musical language should be instinctive, personal, and natural to [her] and not to be forced in any way as to the specific style or techniques of the moment."