Willyn Whiting
Willyn Whiting (b.1993) is a composer of acoustic, electronic and mixed music. Most recognized for his work for solo instrument(s) and fixed media. He composes in a variety of styles, though his doctoral research was on Spectralism and Metaphor. Willyn's music has been performed in more than 12 countries and on over 200 different occasions. He has worked with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, and the Bozzini, Del Sol, Vaso, and 4Strings String Quartets. Since 2025 he has been working on 'Bill' a monodroma for non-binary soprano Émilie Versailles-Martin about a queer, 19th century sailor. He holds degrees in music composition from the University of North Texas, the University of Toronto, and the University of Western Ontario.
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Surfaces
Surfaces is a work for two violins which I wrote mostly to challenge myself as a composer in a specific way. I wanted to create music of emotional depth out of textures and colours which have more potential for decoration. My solution was to explore silence more ambitiously and to separate the work into discrete fragments. By isolating short sections of music in time, I offer the listener a method of savouring gesture and sound. The piece is intended for a small, intimate performance space. Surfaces was commissioned by Here Hear, a short-lived composer collective based in London, Ontario. It was premiered by violinists Hua-Chu Huang and Aysel Thagi-Zada. Sophie Reimer-Epp and Will Harder gave the piece its Winnipeg premiere seven years after it was composed there.