Jérôme Blais

Composition, Theory, Orchestration 

BMus (McGill), MMus, DMus (Universite de Montreal)

E-mail: Jerome.Blais@dal.ca
Phone: 494-3037
Office: Room 510, Dalhousie Arts Centre

Biography: Dr. Jérôme Blais was born in 1965. After studying Music Theory at McGill University, he pursued and obtained in 1995 a Master's degree in Compositional Techniques at the University of Montreal where in 2004 he completed his doctoral studies with Michel Longtin and Reno De Stefano. His research dealt with the integration of improvisation into the compositional process.

Jérôme Blais' works have been performed by several professional ensembles, among which are Norman Adams (Halifax), Array Music (Toronto), Bozzini Strong Quartet (Montreal), Bradyworks (Mtl), Continuum (Tor), Simon Docking (Hfx), Ensemble contemporain de Montreal, Wallace Halladay (Tor), Corey Hamm (Vancouver), Janice Jackson (Hfx), Hank Knox (Mtl), Montion Ensemble (Fredericton), Musica Nova (Lennoxville), Barbara Pritchard (Hfx), Quasar Saxophone Quartet (Mtl) Jeff Reilly (Hfx), Rosa Ensemble (Amsterdam), Ziya Tabassian (Mtl), Toca Loca (Tor) and Upstream Music Association (Hfx).  He also performs as a pianist and improviser, notably with saxophonist Jean-Marc Bouchard.

Dr. Blais is also an active music researcher.  In 2008, he contributed a chapter on Canadian composer John Rea in the book Compositional Crossroads: Music, McGill, Montreal (McGill-Queens University Press), and he regularly presents the results of his research in conferences such as the Canadian University Music Society (CUMS) annual congress.  His research and compositional activities have received funding from such agencies as the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, the Fonds pour la formation de chercheurs et l'aide à la recherche (FCAR, now FQRSC), the Conseil des arts et des letters du Québec (Quebec’s Arts Council), and the Canada Council.

In addition to his composition and improvising activities, Dr. Blais taught harmony, composition and orchestration at the University of Montreal’s Faculty of Music and at the University of Sherbrooke’s School of Music from 1998 to 2004. Since the fall of 2004, he is Professor of Composition and Music Theory at Dalhousie University in Halifax.

Click here to view Dr. Blais' web page at the Canadian Music Centre.