Dr. Stephen Chatman, C.M., D.M.A
Dr. Stephen Chatman, C.M., D.M.A. was a Professor and Head of Composition at the University of British Columbia School of Music. After an impressive 45-year teaching career, during which he has mentored scores of students who have gone on to great careers, Prof. Chatman retired in 2021.
He has received many composition awards, including 2005, 2006, 2010, and 2020 Western Canadian Music Awards “Classical Composition of the Year”, 2010 and 2012 SOCAN Jan V. Matejcek New Classical Music Award, three BMI Awards (New York), multiple JUNO nominations, Dorothy Somerset Award, the Charles Ives Scholarship from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and is the only Canadian ever short-listed for the BBC Masterprize (London). He was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada in 2012.
Chatman is one of Canada’s most prominent, versatile, and frequently performed composers. From grand orchestral works, to classic piano gems for learners, to imaginative choral songs that sell 20,000 copies of sheet music a year, his music is beloved by ensembles, choirs and fledgling pianists across North America — praised as “bright, expressive, eminently accessible fare that’s easy on the ear and good for the soul” by the American Record Guide.
Several volumes of his works have been recorded on Centrediscs. More than 150 of his musical works, published by Highgate Press (ECSPublishing), Oxford University Press, Boosey & Hawkes, Cypress, E. B. Marks (Hal Leonard), earthsongs, Frederick Harris, Dorn, Berandol, and T. Presser have sold 500,000 printed copies; many of his choral works have entered the standard repertory. Numerous volumes of Chatman’s elementary through intermediate level piano music are published in the Stephen Chatman Library series, Frederick Harris Music Co., and many piano pieces are included in the syllabus of Canada’s Royal Conservatory of Music.
