http://www.johngordonarmstrong.com

Born in Toronto, John Armstrong studied composition at the University of Toronto and the University of Michigan where he received his Doctorate in 1983. His teachers included George Wilson, Pulitzer Prize winners Leslie Bassett and William Bolcom, as well as the celebrated pedagogue Nadia
Boulanger. John won prizes in both the William St. Clair Lowe and Sir Ernest MacMillan competitions sponsored by the Composer's, Author's and Publisher's Association of Canada (now SOCAN). He has been
commissioned and performed by musicians such as William Beauvais, Ray Sealey, Louis Trépanier, Alan Torok, Norbert Kraft, The Canadian Guitar Quartet, The Continuum Consort, The Victoria Guitar Trio, The Alliance for Canadian New Music Project and The Guitar Society of Toronto. He has
received multiple grants and commissions from the Laidlaw Foundation, the Canada Council, the Ontario Arts Council, Alberta Culture, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and the City of Ottawa. Performed and broadcast throughout Canada, his music has also been played in Belgium,
France, Great Britain, Korea, Norway, Vietnam and the United States. His music has been published by Alberta Keys Music Publishing (Calgary), New Art Music Editions (Winnipeg), Oceanna (Bobcaygeon), Cypress (Vancouver) and the Canadian Music Centre (Toronto). Although primarily a composer of concert music, he has also written for film, dance and theatre; he is well known in Ottawa for his 12 collaborations with Odyssey Theatre. Having taught at a number of universities in Canada and the United States, John Armstrong is currently an Adjunct Professor of Composition and Theory at the University of Ottawa.

"Improvision" was the name of a performance ensemble at the University of Michigan where I did my graduate studies in composition. That group, which gave me my first exposure to non-jazz improvisation disbanded soon after, but my interest in improvisation remained. ImproVisions is an open-ended set of pieces, each of which uses improvisation in some way.
Although the five current pieces are presented in a useful order, it is not my intent that they necessarily be performed as a suite. Any number of the pieces my be performed in any order. It is also my intent to continue adding to this collection. Like many historical composers, I find that
writing solo music for my own instrument is the most direct and most satisfying creative act, my opportunity to have full control over the artistic expression. The solo guitar is the instrument that best allows me to discover new ideas, ideas which are often worked out fully through many subsequent pieces for other ensembles. Guitarists will not find these pieces very difficult technically. The challenge is, within the given
parameters, to make musical choices that will express the vision of the composer and the performer.


This channel is NOT monetized. These score videos are meant as a study tool and to promote new music. All scores and recordings are the property of the composers and performers and permission has been given to use them on this channel. Please support your artists!