New Music for the Soul
In an often harsh world where we have need of peace and beauty, John Laing creates music which combines heartfelt melody with expressive harmony to exalt the soul. His compositions have been warmly received by concert audiences in many Canadian cities, and are well represented on several acclaimed CD recordings. You can enjoy listening to a representative collection of his works on this website through which you can also order scores and recordings of his music. John has composed many works – choral, vocal, and instrumental – during this past decade. His commissions include invitations to write an anthem for the Annual Convention of The Royal Canadian College of Organists, to compose the suite “A Paean of Honour” for the for the Canadian Men’s Chorus, and from musician Marvin Munshaw to write a major organ work Fantasia: And I Saw a New Heaven which has already been performed in several Canadian cities. Currently there is a special opportunity for choirs and conductors available through this website. The complete score – in seven separate movements – of “A Paean of Honour” in its new version for mixed choir can be found here for download and performance. It is a work which honours the centenary of the Great War, with a text selected from the finest Canadian war poems. One other work which has enjoyed several recent and successful performances in several Canadian cities is also available for download and performance. That is the choral suite “A Noel Tapestry” – in fourteen movements – which sets exquisite and little-known poems from the mediaeval and Renaissance periods for choir, soloists, organ, flute, harp and percussion. Currently John is writing a new work for solo voice and string quartet, which will receive its premiere performance at the HPO Festival of New Music during Spring 2016.