I am a composer of concert music, an orchestral arranger, usually reimagining diverse styles of popular music for orchestras, in particular, l’Orchestre symphonique de Montréal. I have also composed extensively for music theatre and occasionally for film and television. As a pianist, I am as happy playing with orchestras as I am performing free improvisations. I’m a sporadic conductor, usually for recordings.
PRESS EXCERPTS
“ A whirling maestrom” — Le Devoir
“ … extremely sharp dissonances followed by a dazzling expansion of timbres” — La Presse
“This evocative fantasy of 14 minutes, rich in notes, could be classed as musical pointillism, maybe magic realism.” — Ludwig van Montréal
“ruthlessly difficult treble writing” — The Gazette
“An opulent palette” — L’express
“A tour de force and a stroke of genius” — La Presse
“The discoveries, the discoveries, the discoveries, beauty all the time…the sensation of experiencing something both extremely rare and extraordinary was felt throughout la Maison Symphonique.” — Le Devoir
“We witnessed an unwinding of soundscapes where the musicians became actors…A profound sensitivity with enormous feeling was transmitted…It was pure rapture.” — Québecinfomusique
“We have, therefore, searing moments with dizzying, powerful runs, to passages astonishingly stripped bare…parts of which redfined the limits of the orchestra.” — Cent Papiers
“Blair Thomson’s work is breathtaking. From the most calm and reposed moments…the musical journeys were equal to the greatness of the poetic oeuvres.” — Sort-tu?”
“The most fascinating was the work by Thomson. Full of color, mostly subtle pastels …ethereal sounds…atmospheric, but ever-changing tonality—and atonality—Thomson used 21st century rhythmic and harmonic language—with soft edges—and a lot of imagination.” — Times Argus
“Breathtaking. The listener is in a constant awakening with this cloak of grand luxury.” — The Gazette
“ A whirling maestrom” — Le Devoir
“ … extremely sharp dissonances followed by a dazzling expansion of timbres” — La Presse
“This evocative fantasy of 14 minutes, rich in notes, could be classed as musical pointillism, maybe magic realism.” — Ludwig van Montréal
“ruthlessly difficult treble writing” — The Gazette
“An opulent palette” — L’express
“A tour de force and a stroke of genius” — La Presse
“The discoveries, the discoveries, the discoveries, beauty all the time…the sensation of experiencing something both extremely rare and extraordinary was felt throughout la Maison Symphonique.” — Le Devoir
“We witnessed an unwinding of soundscapes where the musicians became actors…A profound sensitivity with enormous feeling was transmitted…It was pure rapture.” — Québecinfomusique
“We have, therefore, searing moments with dizzying, powerful runs, to passages astonishingly stripped bare…parts of which redfined the limits of the orchestra.” — Cent Papiers
“Blair Thomson’s work is breathtaking. From the most calm and reposed moments…the musical journeys were equal to the greatness of the poetic oeuvres.” — Sort-tu?”
“The most fascinating was the work by Thomson. Full of color, mostly subtle pastels …ethereal sounds…atmospheric, but ever-changing tonality—and atonality—Thomson used 21st century rhythmic and harmonic language—with soft edges—and a lot of imagination.” — Times Argus
“Breathtaking. The listener is in a constant awakening with this cloak of grand luxury.” — The Gazette
