Our Adjudicator
Dr. John Burge
Dr. John Burge, a Canadian composer and pianist, completed his Associate Diploma in Piano Performance from the Royal Conservatory of Music while still in high school in Calgary, Alberta, and holds degrees from the University of Toronto (BMus and MMus) and British Columbia (DMA). He has composed a large body of instrumental and vocal music in all genres including opera. Many of his orchestral works, such as Snowdrift, The Canadian Shield and Rocky Mountain Overture, have been performed by orchestras across Canada and internationally. His string orchestra work, Flanders Fields Reflections, as recorded by Sinfonia Toronto, received the 2009 Juno Award for the Best Canadian Classical Composition. Since 1987 he has been teaching at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, where he is a full professor and was the Director of the School of Music (now named the DAN School of Drama and Music). Since 2013, Red Leaf Pianoworks has been publishing his solo piano music, with a number of these piano pieces listed in conservatory syllabi and publications and used as test pieces for competitions. An active music festival adjudicator and clinician, John Burge enjoys working with musicians young and old, greatly enjoying the opportunity to share musical ideas and insights.
A passionate advocate for Canadian music, John Burge was an executive member of the Canadian League of Composers from 1993-2007 (holding the position of President from 1998-2006). Since 2009, he has been a board member of the SOCAN Foundation which supports the creation, performance and achievements of Canadian music. Closer to home in the Kingston area, has was a founder board member of Cantabile Choirs of Kingston and a past chair of the Music at Port Milford Summer School and Festival based in Prince Edward County. In 2014 he was inducted as a Fellow into the Royal Society of Canada for his contributions to composition and arts leadership in Canada.