December Featured Artist, Ronald Beckett

December’s Featured Artist is Ronald Beckett, a composer best known for founding the musical production company, Arcady.

Beckett has had numerous compositions performed by ensembles throughout Ontario. He has written three operas that constitute a trilogy: Ruth, John, and I Am, all of which have bene given fully-staged performances by Arcady and Queens Student Opera. Beckett’s catalogue of compositions includes a dozen or so additional large-scale works for orchestra and chorus and an abundance of chamber music, songs, and works for the piano or organ.

Writing music at the age of 11, Beckett was fortunate enough to have a piano teacher, Raymond Daniels, who was willing to let him write pieces in place of the usual piano lesson regime. In third year of University, he asked the department at McMaster if he could study composition privately with American composer William Wallace. Dr. Wallace encouraged him to begin by writing compositions without a tonal centre. At Western, Beckett was introduced to aleatoric music through the Polish school and that style became the basis of his Masters thesis – Restitutio, A Symphony in two movements.

When asked what he enjoys most about his creative projects, Beckett responds, “I once heard that you know have made it somewhere as a composer if, at any given moment, someone is listening to, rehearsing, or performing your music. It is satisfying to know that is happening.”

In addition to Wallace’s influence, Beckett is very grateful for the inspiration and mentorship of Richard Carroll, a former musicologist and choral master for many years. Beckett explains, “he is the one completely responsible for helping me make that transition from student to professional career. It was Mr. Carroll who encouraged me to explore choral repertoire, learn the pipe organ, and form my own ensemble.”

After graduation, Beckett felt there was no longer an outlet for his works to be performed. He says, “the solution, for me, was to create my own.” The ensemble that eventually became Arcady presented many musical genres and styles, most notably, their historical performances of early music using period instrumentation. Beckett adds, “In adhering to the practices of the Baroque, I learned to lead most of these performances on the keyboard – something that I continued to do later on with concerts of my own music and with the presentations of my operas.”

The Arcady ensemble offers 20 to 30 programs ranging from small ensemble to full choral-orchestral performances in Ontario each year. Arcady has released three CD recordings on the Crescendo label: A Baroque Messiah (1999), Welcome Yule! (2001), and Ruth (2007). Welcome Yule! Is a collection of original Christmas compositions and arrangements by Beckett. Beckett also arranged and conducted Ruby Productions’ CD entitled Peace on Earth (2000). In 2002, Phoenix Records released the CD ‘A Beckett Miscellany’ – a sampling of Beckett’s instrumental music performed by The Essex Winds and Arcady. Ron is a member of SOCAN and an associate of the Canadian Music Centre. He is an inductee in the McMaster Alumni Gallery.

Beckett solemnly comments on the disproportionate affects of COVID-19 on artists due to their losses of income from being unable to offer live performances to public audiences. He adds, “it is our goal to restore a sense of togetherness for our audiences and to offer continued income for performers. Arcady’s present concert season will consist of eight performances, two of which will be held outdoors. The 2021-22 concert series will be greatly influenced by their Music in the Gardens and A Woodland Walk models of this past summer. These events featured Arcady’s professional instrumentalists and singers along with emerging artists performing programs of new music by Ronald Beckett and the winners of the ensemble’s International Emerging Artist Composers competition.

When asked what tips he has for developing artists, Beckett says that developing artists should remember the words of Benjamin Britten who said “our job is to be useful.” He also comes armed with a longer list of valuable suggestions for composers:

1. Write for combinations of instruments that are prevalent, not obscure;

2. Be organized and be able to find a score and parts from two decades prior at a moment’s notice and be prepared to adapt it;

3. Write at a level that will make you an ally, not a foe of performers;

4. Know your audience;

5. Be a conductor. There is no better way to to achieve what you want from a performance;

6. Study the works of other composers;

7. Study orchestration.

For more information about Ronald Beckett and to view Arcady’s upcoming concert schedule, please visit www.arcady.ca.