About the composer

                    André Ristic

                    

'I was interested in communications at a young age,' says Ristic of the photograph shown here of the composer as a young boy.

                    Esprit conducted by Alex Pauk performs André Ristic's piece Sublimation as part of its Weekend New Wave Composers Festival in April, 2004.

                    André Ristic studied piano and harpsichord as well as composition between 1992 and 1997 in the Quebec, Montreal Conservatoires, and also studied music in Paris and New York. He is completing a degree in mathematics at the Université du Québec à Montréal this year.

                    He has received numerous awards and prizes, including the Jules-Léger Prize for Canadian Chamber music (2000), and the Composer of the year "Opus" award in Quebec (2001). Other awards and accolades include: The Bourse McAbbie (fonds Wilfrid-Pelletier) in 1995; the Prix John-Newark (Prix d'Europe 1997); special mention in the Orchestra Symphonique de Trois-Rivières competition (1997); and the 2001 2nd prize, People's choice award, CBC young composers competition, for Après une lecture de Piskounov; as well as the 1st prize awarded by the SOCAN foundation competition in 2001 for Après une lecture de Piskounov. In 1998, he joined the Quebec-based Trio Fibonacci as pianist.

                    Ristic is pursuing an active career as a musician, and has been doing research in the field of musical analysis, trying to combine elements of signal theory to musical analysis. His compositions are characterized by an interaction between different parameters found in reality, converted musically to criticize its limitations. He also plays the accordion in a folkloric band, and has accompanied popular singers, and composed pop music.