The CLC was saddened to learn of Norma Beecroft’s passing on Saturday, October 19, 2024. A longtime member of the League, Norma was one of Canada’s most groundbreaking 20th-century composers, blazing a trail in the world of electronics that set the stage for many of Canada’s most important compositional voices working today. In addition to her work as a composer, Norma was also a tremendous promoter of her colleagues, and of Canadian new music in general. In addition to co-founding New Music Concerts in 1971, through her work as a producer at the CBC she helped create documentaries on Jean Coulthard, Harry Freedman, Bruce Mather, Barbara Pentland, Harry Somers, Gilles Tremblay, and John Weinzweig, among others.
“We can’t think about contemporary music in Canada without thinking of Norma Beecroft. With her passing this week at 90, we’re reminded how, in these moments, an artist becomes the sum of every chapter they’ve written.
Norma was a true force in adventurous music. As NMC’s co-founder, she knew that detailed, artful compositions—lovingly crafted and meticulously performed—could unlock entirely new worlds for any audience.
Her innovative spirit continues to inspire, most especially in her pioneering work with electronic music, which she began exploring in the 1960s. There are captivating photos of her in her early 30s in the University of Toronto Electronic Music Studio surrounded by the seemingly magical equipment of the time, an exciting maze of buttons, knobs, and tangled wires. In 1967, this was cutting-edge technology—large machines that allowed composers to manipulate sound in ways never heard before, and a stark contrast to the sleek, digital tools we use today. Even now, we marvel at how Norma could create musical textures that feel both intimate and distant—familiar, alive, yet also otherworldly.
- Brian Current, Artistic Director, New Music Concerts
A Celebration of Life in Norma’s honour will take place on the morning of November 16, 2024 at Rosar Morrison Chapel, and her choir piece, The Living Flame of Love, will be featured on CBC’s Choral Concert the morning of November 3rd, 2024.
If you want to learn more about Norma’s incredible legacy, or listen to her incredible music, you can check out NMC’s tribute to Norma by clicking here, as well as her Composers Portrait on Centrediscs by clicking here.
