Paul Suchan

Region: Prairie

Professional Affiliations: SOCAN

Publishers: Eighth Note

YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/paulsuchan

Born in 1983 in Saskatoon, SK, Paul Suchan graduated with a B. Mus/B.Mus Ed (2007) from the University of Saskatchewan and M.Mus in Composition (2012) at the Université de Montréal where he studied with composer Alan Belkin. He is currently based in Saskatoon with his wife Naomi and daughter Evelyn.

Mr. Suchan’s compositions has been performed across Canada, the United States and Europe by leading university ensembles, symphony orchestras, community groups, choirs, small ensembles and soloists. Highlights include performances at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, and the performance of his opera The Beast in the Jungle in Montreal. His piece for band The Colors and Contrasts of Grief has received over 100 performances throughout North America and has been professionally recorded three times. Mr. Suchan has also been the winner of numerous composition awards, including winning the 2014 Canadian Band Association Composition Competition for his band piece Swiftriver Passage. His band music is published with Eighth Note and Alfred Music, and his choir music with Cypress Music. He is a member of SOCAN, and the Saskatoon Musicians Union. His publications include an article on the Wind Music of Stravinsky, featured in the Spring 2016 issue of Canadian Winds. He was also the featured composer of Canadian Winds in the Fall 2011 issue.

Mr. Suchan is a strong advocate for fellow composers and in 2011 he co-founded the Strata Festival of New Music, an annual 3 day festival dedicated to high quality performances of Saskatchewan and Prairie composers. The festival has been responsible for the creation of 38 new compositions, a majority of them from young and emerging composers. Recent guest composers have included Barbara Croall and Gordon Fitzell. Mr. Suchan remains an active performer, playing on the pipe organ weekly at St. Paul’s Cathedral in Saskatoon, and playing jazz piano with a number of local groups. He also enjoys playing soccer and exploring the world with his daughter Evelyn.

(Composer website)