BIOGRAPHY

Photography © Richmond Lam

Marie-Claire Saindon (b. 1984) is a Franco-Ontarian composer based in Montréal. She began creating in high school, where she wrote and produced her first musical, Jeanne (Joan of Arc). She continued to participate in many collaborations, from choral pieces, to scoring short films and full documentaries, to accompanying dancers, to fiddling in a team of folk musicians on a historical steam train. She sang in the award-winning female vocal ensemble Concerto Della Donna, led by acclaimed choral director Iwan Edwards.

Ms. Saindon holds a BMus: Composition from the Schulich School of Music (McGill) and an MMus: Composition - Film and Multimedia music from Université de Montréal.

Winner of the SOCAN Young Composers' National Awards in the vocal category (2013), the Gregg Smith National Choral Composition Contest (2015), the Canadian Choral Composition Competition hosted by Chor Leoni (2018), the Ruth Watson Henderson Choral Composition Competition (2018), the inaugural Eastern Horizon Composition Competition (2018) and the Hong Kong Children’s Choir 50th Anniversary Composition Competition (2018), her choral works are published with Boosey & Hawkes, Cypress Choral Music, Hal Leonard Choral, earthsongs, and Alliance Music, Publishers.

Ms. Saindon currently scores films, composes choral commissions, and is composer-in-residence for the Montreal upper-voice ensemble Choeur Adleisia.

AWARDS

2018 - Hong Kong Children's Choir 50th Anniversary Children's Choral Composition  Selections - Senior category : "Turlutte à l'alouette" (score available soon)

2018 - Eastern Horizon Choral Writing Competition winner, hosted by Choirs For Change : "The Imaginary Garden"

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2018 - Ruth Watson Henderson Choral Composition Competition winner : "Light" 

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2018 - Canadian Music Center’s Barbara Pentland Award for an Outstanding Composition : "Mer calme"

2018 - C/4 Competition winner, hosted by Chor Leoni: "Mer calme"

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2015 - Gregg Smith National Choral Composition Contest Winner, hosted by Syracuse University's Setnor School of Music: "Day's Voices"

2013 - SOCAN Young Composer's Award: Godfrey Ridout - Vocal Category: "Øst for vinden"
 (score available soon)

2010 - Canadian Arts Council Travel Grant for the premiere of her piece "One Sea" in Reno,  Nevada

PRESS

Canadian Music Center - C/4 Competition submission review ("Mer calme")

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La Scena Musicale - Øst for vinden's creation

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Peace Arch News - Elektra Women's Choir's album "Fire Lowers" launch review including "Terre-Neuve" and "Turlutte acadienne montréalaise"

ConcertoNet.com - NYO Canada's tour including "Terre-Neuve"'s premiere