Fonds 30-006 - Steven Gellman fonds

Steven Gellman is a Canadian composer, pianist, and former professor of composition and theory at the University of Ottawa. Gellman was born in Toronto (1947) where he began studying piano and composition at an early age under the instruction of Dr. Samuel Dolin. He appeared frequently as a pianist and composer throughout his teens. At the age of 16, he appeared as a soloist with the CBC Symphony Orchestra in a performance of his own composition Concerto for Piano and Orchestra. Gellman won the International BMI award in 1964, making him the first Canadian to be awarded the accolade.
Gellman studied at Juilliard in New York City under Vincent Persichetti, Luciano Berio and Roger Sessions from 1965 to 1968. He attended the Aspen Music Festival and School during the summers of 1965 and 1966 as a student of Darius Milhaud. In 1973, Gellman entered the Paris Conservatory where he studied with Olivier Messiaen from 1973 to 1976. During his time at the Conservatory, Gellman was awarded the Premier Prix. In 1970, Gellman’s piece Mythos for flute and string quartet won the UNESCO prize for the best work by a composer under the age of 25. In 1975, Gellman’s work Chori was premiered by the Toronto Symphony.
Gellman returned to Canada in 1976 and began teaching composition and theory at the University of Ottawa. He composed several pieces in the late 70s, notably Poème for Angela Hewitt; Wind Music, commissioned by the Canadian Brass; and Deux Tapisseries, commissioned by the French Government in honor of Olivier Messiaen’s 70th birthday in 1978.
Gellman received two commission from the Toronto Symphony in the 80s. The overture Awakening was premiered in 1983, and was featured during Toronto Symphony’s European tour of 1983. The second commission resulted in a five movement work for orchestra featuring the synthesizers of the Canadian Electronic Ensemble as soloists. The work was premiered in 1986, and was performed throughout Canada. Shortly after, Gellman received a commission from Jon Kimura Parker, which led to the composition Keyboard Triptych for Piano and Synthesizer. Gellman was named the Canada Council Composer of the Year in 1987.
Gellman became an Associate Professor at the University of Ottawa in 1984 and was promoted to Full Professor in 1994. While teaching, Gellman continued to compose many works that have been performed throughout Canada and internationally, by ensembles such as the National Arts Centre Orchestra, Musica Camerata, Société de musique contemporaine du Québec (SMCQ), the Ottawa Symphony, and the Gryphon Trio. Gellman retired from his position at the University of Ottawa in 2011 as Professor Emeritus. His most recent work was completed in 2014.
Prior to his position at the University, Gellman travelled extensively throughout the world. In addition to his studies abroad, he spent time in places such as New Zealand, the Middle East, Greece, India, South Africa, Morocco, and Europe. In his early 20s, Gellman married Cheryl, a visual artist, with whom he had two children, Dana and Misha. Gellman remains a resident of Ottawa.