About the Music

Flock of Seagulls Over a Fishing Boat for bass clarinet, violin, and percussion was written in 2023 for the composition program at the Lunenburg Academy of Music Performance in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. We thank the composer for sharing the following program note about the work:

This piece was written during my stay in Lunenburg. Lunenburg is a UNESCO-designated World Heritage Site at the coastal end of Canada in Nova Scotia that serves as a fishing town. Inspired by the beauty of the town and of the surrounding soothing ocean waves, the aim of this piece was to recreate the soundscape associated with being on board a fishing boat. The most prominent sounds are the sound of a boat bell ringing and of a boat horn signalling through the crashing waves. However, one could momentarily abstract the chaotic noise to enjoy fresh breezes along with the calm sizzling of wave foam. This quick meditation is soon interrupted by the squawking of seagulls flying above the boat as they are attracted by the caught fishes. The wind is also blowing violently against the mast, and one could almost hear the chatter of the fishermen working together. Finally, whereas the sound of the ocean can be chaotic, its unceasing waves can also bring a state of serenity and of relaxation.

Duration: 6 minutes. Extended-range instrument NOT required for bass clarinet part.

Score: 13 pages, spiral bound; parts: 5 pages each, spiral bound.

Hard Copy Edition

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About the Composer

A native of Montreal, Edwin H. Ng (b. 1994) is a Canadian composer, pianist, and data scientist. His musical research focuses on soundscape compositions and on integrating aspects of sound design such that the playfulness of contemporary musical dialogues can be fully appreciated. Edwin's music has been the result of numerous collaborations. He has worked with ensembles such as the London Sinfonietta, the Moscow Contemporary Music Ensemble, and the Vancouver Chamber Choir. His music has been performed and read in Austria, Canada, Russia, and the United Kingdom.

His set of choral pieces Haiku from Tashme granted him the Canadian national first prize in the choral category of the 2022 SOCAN Foundation Awards for Young Composers. He was also among the finalists in the 2022 ROSL Composition Award.

Edwin H. Ng is currently pursuing his Doctor of Music in Composition at the Université de Montréal with Jimmie LeBlanc and Ana Sokolović. He formerly completed his Master of Music in Composition at McGill University under the supervision of Sean Ferguson. Through festivals, he attended private lessons with world-renowned composers such as Yuri Kasparov, Dmitri Kourliandski, Philippe Leroux, Januibe Tejera, Deqing Wen, and Dinuk Wijeratne, as well as a masterclass with Oscar Bianchi.