Together, with so many across Canada, the Canadian League of Composers mourns the loss of composer Jocelyn Morlock. Jocelyn is one of Canada’s most significant and most loved composers. She was a dear friend and a truly essential part of musical culture in Canada, especially here on the west coast. It is impossible to imagine our community without her.
There has been an outpouring of love and loss from all corners of the country, from musicians of all kinds, listeners, students, colleagues, and friends. Hundreds of beautiful tributes to Jocelyn have filled social media in the past week. Words of shock, grief, heartbreak, and devastation. Our community is grieving.
Jocelyn sat on the CLC council with me from 2013-2015, and then on the CLC’s advisory committee for the 2017 ISCM World Music Days in Vancouver. When I was reading through our emails from that time, her clever humour jumped out at me, but also her commitment to this work. Jocelyn threw herself into every pursuit with integrity and passion. There was no middle ground.
Past CLC president Brian Harman writes, “Jocelyn contributed a very positive, creative attitude to the CLC council. She questioned established norms in a philosophical way, ensuring we were doing things for the right reasons. Her lighthearted, quirky approach ensured that we didn’t take things too seriously. She was an immense pleasure to work with.”
For many of us who work as composers, performers, and presenters of Canadian music, this community is like a family. I believe that was especially true for Jocelyn. By creating meaningful connections with so many people, by existing in the world with unwavering authenticity, and by doing it all with such humility and grace, Jocelyn was a true role model. She was an inspiration for all composers—from emerging to established—and was a leading light to other female composers trying to find our way in this profession.
Longtime friend and fellow CLC councillor Ian Crutchley writes, “Even intermittent visits with Jocelyn over decades made it feel like she was someone we needed to have in the world.”
I know that the concert halls will be filled with her music in the coming years: music that is at times exquisitely transcendent, at other times idiosyncratic, fun, and joyful, but always completely “Morlock.” My hope is that another part of Jocelyn’s legacy is to guide us toward a stronger and more connected community. Let’s build better supports, let’s celebrate each other’s successes and be there for each other when things go astray, and let’s talk more openly about our struggles. Let’s remember that we aren’t competing with each other, but instead we are building something wonderful together. And it takes all of us.
— Jennifer Butler , CLC president 2011-2014
