Possessed of an uncommonly eclectic palette, composer Liam Ross Gibson is emerging as a forward-looking voice in the Canadian music scene. Recent performance highlights include collaborations with Ensemble Éclat, Continuum Contemporary Music, Quatuor Bozzini, and the world premiere of Monstera Deliciosa by the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra at the 2020 Winnipeg New Music Festival. As part of the interdisciplinary collective THIRTYMINUTES, Gibson has had recent works showcased in galleries in Berlin and London. His piece Passacaglia was performed in cities across Canada by bassist/composer Dave Riedstra as part of his Topography solo bass tour.
Gibson's music draws heavily on traditions of electronic music outside of the classical sphere, as well as incorporating elements of jazz and rock. His compositional practice is concerned with manipulating and altering the listener’s perception of the flow of time, while attempting to create a sense of unity or sustain. The affective qualities of sounds are of great importance to Gibson’s music, and his pieces take great pains to carve out surprising and highly specific emotional spaces.
He has participated in numerous workshops and reading sessions with Schola Heidelberg, Quasar Quatuor de saxophones, the Victoria Symphony, Talea Ensemble, and others. Also active as a performer on both piano and electronics, Gibson has made appearances at SALT New Music Festival, Oak Bay New Music Festival (Victoria BC), the Winnipeg New Music Festival, and Cluster New Music + Integrated Arts Festival (Winnipeg MB).
In addition to his life as a classically trained composer, Gibson is active as a pianist/keyboardist and has toured and recorded extensively in Western Canada playing a variety of genres including rock, electronic, metal, and indie. As a member of groups such as Top Men (live-band techno), Bridal Party (indie pop), and The Body Politic (progressive metal), he has performed at festivals including Arts Wells, Campbell Bay Music Fest, Rock of the Woods, Cultivate Festival, Diversity Festival, Backyard Fest, and Atmosphere Gathering, among others.
Raised on Vancouver island, he received a MMus in composition from the University of Manitoba, studying under Gordon Fitzell and Örjan Sandred; a BMus in composition and theory from the University of Victoria – composition studies with Christopher Butterfield, Dániel Péter Biró, and John Celona, piano with Eva Solar-Kinderman; and a diploma in jazz piano from Vancouver Island University.
