About Chamber Orchestra without Borders
Chamber Orchestra Without Borders Inc. (COWB) is a young and developing arts organization operating in the City of Winnipeg. It was founded in 2006 to preside over the activities of the ensemble Chamber Orchestra MUSAIC which was founded by Artistic Director Larry Strachan in 2005. The mandate of COWB is akin to the ensemble, which is to present works for chamber orchestra by composers who are of colour, particularly those whose cultural communities have traditionally been marginalized or underrepresented in classical music. We aim to bring together accomplished instrumentalists from a variety of cultural backgrounds as well as audience members who reflect the ethnic diversity of the city of Winnipeg. Our mission is to identify and overcome barriers to the participation in orchestral music activities by Aboriginal persons, visible minority communities, immigrant communities and other ethnocultural groups who have traditionally not been well-represented in orchestral members and audiences and on administrative boards.
Meet our Artistic Director – Larry Strachan
A Caribbean-Canadian of Grenadian heritage, Larry Strachan was born and raised in Winnipeg. He earned a bachelor’s degree in music from the University of Manitoba where he majored in piano and played viola in the university orchestra. He then went on to complete a Master’s degree in Orchestral Conducting from Shenandoah Conservatory in Winchester, Virginia under the tutelage of Juilliard alum Ray Fowler. He has studied privately with Bramwell Tovey, Earl Stafford and Roy Goodman and was an active participant in masterclasses led by Nurhan Arman, Frieder Bernius, John Morris Russell and Dwight Oltman, whose Smoky Mountain International Conducting Institute and Competition in North Carolina awarded Larry 2nd Prize in May 2017.
Mr. Strachan has conducted performances with the Prince George Symphony Orchestra, Vancouver Philharmonic Orchestra and Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Orchestra. In 2006-2007 he acted as the Principal Guest Conductor for the Nova Scotia Youth Orchestra.
Larry Strachan’s activities in Winnipeg include directing the premiere performances of William Pura’s Snaefellsnes for the Groundswell contemporary music series concert ‘Ether/Aura: The Sounds of Iceland’ and Jerry Semchyshyn’s multimedia song cycle Tapwe Keesakeetawak Aski (How They Loved The Land) in 2014. In September 2020, he made his debut with the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra (MCO) in its concert ‘Warp/Weave (Reimagined)’, a double bill featuring 2018 Canadian Folk Musician Award winner Raine Hamilton and the indie band Slow Spirit.
Mr Strachan is an associate composer of the Canadian Music Centre. His choral work Tantum Ergo Sacramentum which was chosen to be included in a Manitoba Choral Association publication and was subsequently performed by the Manitoba Honour Choir under the direction of Prof. Henry Engbrecht. In 2019, Larry received the Frances Seaton Award for Composition from the Manitoba Choral Association for his St. Cecilia Anthem which was premiered in 2020 by the Konetkis Choir under Michelle Chyzyk’s direction.
Mr. Strachan has also been active as a piano performer and teacher, masterclass clinician, festival adjudicator, and lecturer.
He has written a couple of works for Chamber Orchestra MUSAIC projects, including Lament for the Souls of Sauteurs for string orchestra. In March 2022, this work was performed by the MCO with Julian Pellicano conducting. This led to a commission by the MCO which resulted in the work J’Ouvert Morning for string orchestra. It received its premiere in May 2023 under the direction of Music Director Anne Manson.
Holly Harris’ Free Press review of J’Ouvert Morning described the performance as:
“The feel-good, effervescent nine-minute piece bursts with ideas, including infectious calypso rhythms contrasted with quieter, more meditative moments of reflection.
She concluded with: “The work was a joyous addition to a springtime program”.
