John Plant

I was born in Yonkers, New York in 1945. Always torn between literature and music, I studied both at Middlebury, and began a Ph.D. program as a Woodrow Wilson Fellow in comparative literature at Harvard. Realizing I had made a wrong turn in not pursuing music, I dropped out, dodged the draft and came to Canada in 1968, and continued studying composition at McGill. I owe an incalculable debt to all three of my composition teachers: George Todd at Middlebury, Bruce Mather and Charles Palmer at McGill. My music reflects my fascination with literature, languages and the human voice. After years of writing almost exclusively for voice, I have three consecutive instrumental works, including A deep clear breath of life and a Concerto for Orchestra. I taught composition and music history at Concordia University from 1993-2008, St. George's School (1976-2006), and The Priory School and Vanier College. I retired in 2008 to devote myself to composition. I now live in Nova Scotia.