Beverly Lewis

A native of New Brunswick, Beverly Lewis obtained Bachelor degrees in both Music and Education from Mount Allison University in 1981. Her Undergraduate major was piano, which she studied with Dr. Janet Hammock. In 1990, she began studying composition with Dr. Alexander (Sasha) Rapoport in Toronto. Since then she has won several awards in the Amadeus Carol Competition as well as a City of Toronto Arts Council composer’s grant. Bev has had several choral works published by Warner Chappell Music and Oceanna Music Publications.

She has had compositions premiered by both the Amadeus Choir of Toronto (The Pie Carol and This Endris Night), the North Toronto Women's Chamber Choir (En Nocte Media, Venite) and Kammermusik Toronto (Prayer to St. Peter). Her arrangement of the Venezuelan folk song, Niño Lindo, was premiered by the Annex Singers of Toronto in 2001.  A piece which she was commissioned to compose in collaboration with Erik Oland, namely, Prayer of Joseph Chiwatenhwa, was used as the official theme song for Ania 2002, a Jesuit Event in connection with World Youth Days. The piece was also performed in Downsview Park, Toronto at the Mass which was celebrated by Pope John Paul II in July 2002.

Choirs which have performed Bev’s work include the Chamber Choir Berchtesgaden (Germany), the Oriana Singers of Toronto, and the Windham Voices of Scotts Valley, California as well as by numerous church choirs. Her choral piece, The Pie Carol, has been recorded by both the Amadeus Choir of Toronto on its CD: Ring-A the News! and by the Mount Allison Chamber Choir on its CD: Christmas at Mount Allison Chapel.

Recent commissions/premieres have included He Sits, Spinning (Joseph Salvalaggio, oboe, Memphis Chamber Music Society, Memphis in January 2004) as well as Tamaracks (Janet Hammock, piano, Mount Allison University, Sackville, N.B. in February 2004).

From 1999 to 2002, Bev was the accompanist for the North Toronto Women's Chamber Choir and from 2001 to 2002, she played continuo with the Davenport Chamber Orchestra. Since 1999, she has been a founding member of the oboe/piano duo, Entr'Acte Ensemble with oboist Donald Boere. She currently resides in Toronto, where she teaches piano at the University Settlement Music and Arts School, is Director of Music at Bathurst United Church and is a freelance composer/arranger, accompanist and chamber musician.

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