Dr. Oskar Morawetz,
C.M., O.Ont., Mus.Doc.  (1917 - 2007)

Composer and Professor of Music

Oskar Morawetz was one of Canada's leading composers of contemporary music. In a career that spanned more than 50 years, he composed over 100 orchestral and chamber works which have been performed on five continents, and by prominent artists such as Zubin Mehta, Seiji Ozawa, Glenn Gould, Yo-Yo Ma, Maureen Forrester and Ben Heppner.

His compositions have been commissioned by internationally acclaimed artists such as Mstislav Rostropovich, the Orford String Quartet, Jeanne Baxtresser, Dorothy Maynor, James Campbell, Julian Milkis and Angela Hewitt. They have been recorded by the leading labels and have been broadcast numerous times on CBC, and many American networks.

Morawetz' compositions have garnered him many awards, including two Junos for Best Classical Composition. He has been bestowed the Order of Ontario, the Order of Canada, and the Golden Jubilee Medal, among many other distinctions.

"Morawetz is a master of orchestration"
The New Yorker

"Morawetz is one of our best composers"
The Ottawa Journal

"an unusually effective piece of writing"
The Washington Post

"Morawetz' piece ... won the composer a standing ovation"
The Boston Globe