John Plant, composer

Premiere performance, Conservatoire de Montréal, February 16, 2020, with Marie Josée Simard, percussion, and Louise Bessette, piano.

No Man and the Cyclops.

Circe the Enchantress

À propos des Trois Échos/On the Three Echoes

This is the dress rehearsal for Thompson Street Opera's performance of I will fly like a bird. Please note that there are two wonderful casts, posted in separate links. Robert: Jonathan Wilson; Mother: Marissa Simons. Conductor: Alexandra Enyart. Stage director Ross Kyo Matsuda. Orchestra: Robert Alvarado Switala, Angelica D'Costa, violins; Kelsey Hanson, viola; John Rogler, cello; Lilia Olsen, clarinet; Cody Michael Bradley, piano.

Robert: Nathaniel Hill. Mother: Jennifer Barrett. Please see the link above for details of the orchestra and production team. What a blessing for a composer to have two such extraordinary casts for his opera!

This is a link to a performance of my 'A deep clear breath of life' at Middlebury College, with Jennifer Bill, saxophone, and myself at the piano.

Another fine performance of A deep clear breath of life by Michael Couper, alto saxophone, and ChoEun Lee, piano.

This is a film of the dress rehearsal of the opera I composed to J. A. Wainwright's libretto about the Robert Dziekanski tragedy. Details on the YouTube page.

This is a video of the Canadian premiere performance of Faustus: A SaxOpera in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, with Tristan de Borba, alto saxophone, and Dr. Mark Hopkins conducting.

Suzie LeBlanc singing my Sandpiper in Lunenburg, 2010, with Mark Simons, clarinet and Robert Kortgaard, piano.

This video, by Pink Dog Productions, is built around sustained fragments of my setting of Elizabeth Bishop's Sandpiper, once again with Suzie LeBlanc's magnificent singing.

The poet Patrick Woodcock reads his poem 'My snow', to the accompaniment of music from 'I will fly like a bird,' played by Hilary Brown, cello, with me at the piano, filmed in our house by John Versteege.

This version of three movements from my Faustus: A SaxOpera was commissioned by saxophonist William Chien for this performance at the World Saxophone Congress in Zagreb, July 2018, with pianist Kate Kang and guitarist Stefan Skrilecz. It is based on acts I, II and IV of the SaxOpera. Composed with the assistance of Arts Nova Scotia.

You can buy the score and sax part of my 'A deep clear breath of life' here - as well as a large selection of contemporary and classical saxophone repertoire.

Da Vinci Edition have published three of my works in beautiful editions: the Earthsea Sonata, my Piano Quintet and my String Quartet.

Three of my scores can be viewed online here. Very proud to be part of this splendid collection.

Here you will find access to scores and parts available for purchase or rental, as well as a biography and list of works. Go to the Composers Showcase and type in John Plant.

I will fly like a bird chosen as one of the 'Best Operas of the Decade' by Opera Canada.

The Thompson Street Opera production of 'I will fly like a bird' was awarded an Honorable Mention by Chicago Classical Review in its listing of the Best Performances of 2019. I am thrilled to be in such exalted company: HMs also went to Riccardo Muti's performance of Aida, the pianists Leif Ove Andsnes and Daniel Trifonov, and violinist Hilary Hahn!

Chicago Classical Review on the performance of 'I will fly like a bird' by Thompson Street Opera

Chicago Theatre Review on the Thompson Street Opera production of 'I will fly like a bird.'

'I am in need of music' - Settings of the poetry of Elizabeth Bishop, featuring soprano Suzie LeBlanc, works by Christos Hatzis, Alasdair Maclean, Emily Doolittle, and John Plant. Voted Best Classical CD at the 2014 East Coast Music Awards.

Works for flute (Derek Charke and percussion (Mark Adam), with works by Bauer, Charke, Genge, Hennessy, Naylor, O'Leary and Plant

Buy the CD from Amazon.ca

Buy the CD from Amazon.com (U.S.)

Buy the CD from Amazon.co.uk

The wonderful Chicago company who staged the U.S. premiere of 'I will fly like a bird.'

Coastal Voices, our local men's choir

One of the most stimulating, fascinating and inspiring composers' websites I've ever encountered.

My mother-in-law, Rita Fleury, was a distinguished lyric soprano who gave many recitals on Radio-Canada. A sampling of her recordings can be found here.

You have to sign in (it's free) to hear the recordings on the Canadian Music Centre site, but once you've done that you have access to a treasure trove of recordings of music by Canadian composers.

This is the Facebook page where the finalists of the 2020 call for scores are listed. It includes links to the websites of the winning composers, an excellent way to discover and explore new music!