Anita Sleeman

Anita Sleeman (née Andrés) (December 12, 1930 – October 18, 2011) was a Canadian contemporary classical music composer. She was also a conductor, arranger, educator, and performer.

Biography

Life

Born Anita Andrés December 12, 1930, in

Metropolitan Vancouver.^[3]

Throughout her life she played the French horn in a variety of stage and concert bands and performed as a keyboardist in jazz ensembles.

Career

At age 19 Sleeman composed a march that was played at her community college's commencement

Delta Youth Orchestra,^[5]^[6] and was involved in the establishment of the music program at the Capilano College in North Vancouver

as a member of its music faculty. She returned to California to complete her doctorate (1982) at the

Luigi Nono, and Charles Wuorinen. She also attended the Dick Grove School of Jazz.^[7]

For 17 years she served as

musical director and conductor of West Vancouver

's Ambleside Orchestra, retiring in 2010.

Her compositions have been premiered in London, England and Fiuggi, Italy as well as in Ottawa, Windsor and Vancouver; commissions include

Stravinsky, Koechlin, Lígeti, and Bartók. Her diversity of style has also been enhanced by her Spanish and Russian background and her love of jazz. She admired the work of Frank Zappa, to whose memory she dedicated selected performances of her work.^[7]

List of additional performances

February 1997: The Galiano Trio (flute, clarinet, bassoon) presented a concert of Sleeman's works, as part of the Little Chamber Series That Could season. This performance featured her Legend of the Lions and was enhanced by dance, and projected scene design by her daughter Cynthia Sleeman.

September 1997: Sleeman was selected to represent Canada at the Donna in Musica festival in Fiuggi, Italy.

September 1999: Picasso Gallery II was chosen for performance at the International Association of Women in Music Festival in London, England.

January 2002: Cantigas (commissioned by ACWC) was premiered in Ottawa by the Quatuor Arthur- Leblanc at the Then, Now and Beyond series sponsored jointly by Association of Canadian Women Composers and the Ottawa Chamber Music Society. The performance piece was repeated August 6, 2002, at the Ottawa Chamber Music Festival, again performed by the Quatuor Arthur-Leblanc, in the presence of Her Excellency the Governor-General Adrienne Clarkson.
July 2006: a new piece commissioned for the CBC, Rhapsody on Themes by Dohnányi, was premiered in Ottawa, Ontario, at the Ottawa Chamber Music Festival, and performed again in 2007.

Death

Sleeman died early in the morning of October 18, 2011, at her home in North Vancouver, British Columbia. A memorial service for her was held on November 26, 2011, at St. Christopher's Anglican Church, West Vancouver.^[1]^[2]

Critical reception

Critic Ken Winters of The Globe and Mail praised Sleeman's work Cantigas as "remarkable", continuing, "It's as resourceful as Bartók in exploiting string techniques and sound potentials, and just as vigorous musically."^[8]

References

Citations

^ ^a ^b "Sleeman, Anita (Andrés)". ISSN 0319-0714
. Retrieved 20 January 2012.

^ ^a ^b "Obituary » Dr. Anita (Andres) SLEEMAN". ISSN 0839-3311
. Retrieved 20 January 2012.

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Ware, Evan. "Anita Sleeman". The Encyclopedia of Music in Canada.
The Historica Dominion Institute. Archived from the original
on October 19, 2012. Retrieved 25 January 2012.

^ ^a ^b "Anita Sleeman Biography". Canadian Music Centre. Archived from the original on 2012-09-24. Retrieved 25 January 2012.

^ ^a ^b Kerr, Jessica (11 November 2011). "Sleeman remembered for her dedication to music". The Delta Optimist. Delta, British Columbia:
OCLC 8436396
. Retrieved 16 January 2012.

^ "Delta Symphony Society » History of the Delta Symphony Society". Delta Symphony Society. Archived from the original on 2011-12-07. Retrieved 25 January 2012.

^ ^a ^b Baker, Bob (24 October 2011). "Anita Sleeman (1930-2011)" (PDF). Canadian Music Centre. Retrieved 25 January 2012.^{[permanent dead link]}

^ Winters, Ken (30 November 2002). "Son and Quatuor a delightful surprise". ISSN 0319-0714
.

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Anita_Sleeman&oldid=1215496600"

[globeandmail.com_29_October_2011-1] "Sleeman, Anita (Andrés)". ISSN 0319-0714
. Retrieved 20 January 2012.

[province.com-2] "Obituary » Dr. Anita (Andres) SLEEMAN". ISSN 0839-3311
. Retrieved 20 January 2012.

[canadianencyclopedia.com-3] Ware, Evan. "Anita Sleeman". The Encyclopedia of Music in Canada.
The Historica Dominion Institute. Archived from the original
on October 19, 2012. Retrieved 25 January 2012.

[musiccentre.ca_Biography-4] "Anita Sleeman Biography". Canadian Music Centre. Archived from the original on 2012-09-24. Retrieved 25 January 2012.

[delta-optimist.com-5] Kerr, Jessica (11 November 2011). "Sleeman remembered for her dedication to music". The Delta Optimist. Delta, British Columbia:
OCLC 8436396
. Retrieved 16 January 2012.

[dyo.bc.ca-6] "Delta Symphony Society » History of the Delta Symphony Society". Delta Symphony Society. Archived from the original on 2011-12-07. Retrieved 25 January 2012.

[musiccentre.ca_Press_Release-7] Baker, Bob (24 October 2011). "Anita Sleeman (1930-2011)" (PDF). Canadian Music Centre. Retrieved 25 January 2012.^{[permanent dead link]}

[globeandmail.com_30_November_2002-8] Winters, Ken (30 November 2002). "Son and Quatuor a delightful surprise". ISSN 0319-0714
.

[3]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[1]

[2]

[8]