Jocelyn Morlock, a renowned Canadian composer and music educator, passed away on March 28, 2023, at the age of 53. Her death was confirmed by the University of British Columbia’s School of Music, where she taught as a sessional instructor, and by the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, where she served as the composer-in-residence from 2014 to 2019. The cause of her death remains unknown, but her legacy lives on in her music and her impact on the classical music community.
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A Life Dedicated to Music
Morlock was born in Saint Boniface, Manitoba on December 14, 1969. She developed a passion for music at an early age, when her grandmother bought an upright piano for the family. She took piano lessons and applied to university programs in both music and science, not feeling confident that she would be accepted into a music program. However, she was admitted into the piano performance program at Brandon University, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Music in 1994. She then pursued a Master of Music and a Doctorate of Musical Arts at the University of British Columbia, where she studied composition with Stephen Chatman, Keith Hamel, and the late Russian-Canadian composer Nikolai Korndorf.
Morlock’s international career was launched in 1999, when her quartet Bird in the Tangled Sky was performed at the International Society for Contemporary Music’s World Music Days in Romania. She went on to win several awards and honors, including the Top 10 at the 2002 International Rostrum of Composers, the Winner of the 2004 Canadian Music Centre Prairie Region Emerging Composers competition, and the SOCAN Jan V. Matejcek New Classical Music Award in 2018. She also wrote commissioned works for various music competitions and organizations, such as the Eckhardt-Gramatté National Music Competition, the Montreal International Music Competition, and the National Arts Centre Orchestra.
A Unique and Expressive Musical Voice
Morlock’s music was characterized by a quirky and eccentric post-modernism, but also by a deep emotional sensitivity. Her musical language was typically tonal or modal, but expanded with extended techniques and coloristic effects. She drew inspiration from a wide range of sources, such as birds, insomnia, nature, fear, other people’s music and art, nocturnal wandering thoughts, lucid dreaming, death, and the liminal times and experiences before and after death.
One of her most acclaimed works was My Name is Amanda Todd, a symphonic piece that reflected on the life of Canadian Amanda Todd, who was a victim of cyberbullying and died by suicide in 2012. The piece premiered in 2016 as part of the multimedia symphonic work Life Reflected by the National Arts Centre Orchestra. It won the 2018 Juno Award for Classical Composition of the Year. Morlock said that she wanted to honor Todd’s courage and resilience in speaking out against bullying and harassment.
A Beloved Member of the Classical Music Community
Morlock was not only a talented composer, but also a generous teacher and a supportive colleague. She taught music composition at the University of British Columbia for many years, mentoring many young composers and musicians. She was also involved in various musical initiatives and events in Vancouver, such as Music on Main and ISCM World New Music Days. She was the longtime partner of Hard Rubber Orchestra director and trumpeter John Korsrud.
The classical music community mourns the loss of Morlock, who was described as a caring person and a positive force in the world. Many tributes have been posted online by her friends, colleagues, students, and fans. Her music will continue to inspire and touch many listeners for years to come.
