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Elizabeth Raum |
 Biography |
Elizabeth Raum is active both as an oboist and as a composer. She earned her Bachelor of Music in oboe performance from the Eastman School of Music in 1966 and her Master of Music in composition from the University of Regina in 1985. She played principal oboe in the Atlantic Symphony Orchestra in Halifax, Nova Scotia, for 7 years before coming to Regina in 1975. She now plays principal oboe in the Regina Symphony Orchestra.
An extremely prolific composer, her works include 3 operas, over 50 chamber pieces, 15 vocal works, choral works including an oratorio, several ballets, concerti and major orchestral works. Pieces by Elizabeth Raum have won many prestigious awards, have been heard throughout North America,Europe, South America, China, Japan, and Russia, and have been broadcast extensively on the CBC. She enjoys a reputation of being one of Canada's most "accessible" composers, writing for varied mediums and in remarkably diverse styles.
Raum has written for some of the worlds finest artists including Canadian soprano, Tracy Dahl; Swedish trombone virtuoso, Christian Lindberg; American tuba icon, Roger Bobo; Canadian tubist, John Griffiths; New York Philharmonic principal hornist, Phil Meyers; former bass trombonist of the Boston Symphony, Gordon Hallberg; former principal trombonist of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Ken Shifrin; and her daughter, Canadian violinist, Erika Raum.
She has also written for film and video, and has won awards for the scores to the documentaries, Saskatchewan River; Like Mother, Like Daughter; and the feature length film, Sparkle. She produced Canada's first classical video with originally written music entitled, Evolution: A ThemeWith Variations, which was premiered at a gala event at the CBC in 1986. Other film collaborations include Prelude to Parting, The Green Man Ballet, and Symphony of Youth, all broadcast on national television.
Raum’s commercial releases include, among others, the Regina Symphony Orchestra recording of her Prairie Alphabet Musical Parade, inspired by the popular children's book, A Prairie Alphabet and her CD of tuba concertos, The Legend of Heimdall, recorded by the Orchestra of the Capella of St. Petersburg, Russia,with John Griffiths, soloist, and conducted by Richard Raum.
Ms. Raum has been featured in articles in the New Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians, the New Grove’s Dictionary of Opera, the New Grove's Dictionary of Women Composers, Opera Canada, the Encyclopedia of Music in Canada, the Tuba Journal, Music Scene, and Prairie Sounds. She has served on juries for the Canada Council, the Saskatchewan Arts Board, the Manitoba Arts Council, the Ontario Arts Council, the CBC, and the Canadian Music Centre. Ms. Raum's music is published by Editions Bim (Switzerland), Virgo, (Great Britain), Warwick, (Great Britain), Southern (U.S.), Alry (U.S.), and the Tuba/Euphonium Press (U.S.) She is also in demand as a speaker on composition and has given lectures at conferences for SOCAN, Orchestras Canada, the Scotia Festival of Music, the Saskatchewan Federation of Music Teachers, the Saskatchewan Music Festival Association and the Alliance for Canadian New Music Projects.
2002
