Vincent Ho

Photo Credit: HarderLeePhotography

Blindfolded Cupid (2022)

PRIMAVERA IV the heart

from the composer

Whenever I view Sandro Botticelli’s painting Primavera, I always discover something new to appreciate: the celebration of spring, the references to Greek mythology, the meaning of each character’s movements and positions, and so much more. Spending time with it gives rise to many thoughts on what Botticelli was communicating through his iconic work. One question that came to mind: What does it currently mean to me now that we are living in a post-COVID world? One painting that answered that is Charline von Heyl’s Primavera 2020. Through von Heyl’s work, I saw her own re-interpretation of Botticelli’s work that highlighted our connection to the past but from a modern perspective. Her visual language spoke to me as a citizen of this age and drew me into the themes both paintings represented. More importantly, it enriched my appreciation of each character. The one that resonated with me the most was the blindfolded Cupid as depicted at the tops of both paintings. There is a mischievous quality to him that I identified with, which inspired me to create my own musical interpretation of his role. I imagined what it would be like for Cupid to be cast in this scene in this way – flying above everybody and trying to aim his arrow at his target, all while blindfolded and possibly stumbling around as a consequence. This gave rise to a lighthearted (and playful) musical portrait of Cupid. Written for solo cello, the music goes back and forth between the steady pulsations of repeated pizzicato chords (open C and G strings) and the frenetic musical gestures that depicts the Cupid’s struggle to find his way around. 

This work – commissioned as part of the Primavera Project – is dedicated to cellist Matt Haimovitz and painter Charline von Heyl.

bio

Vincent Ho is a multi-award winning composer of orchestral, chamber, vocal, and theatre music. His works have been described as “brilliant and compelling” by The New York Times and hailed for their profound expressiveness and textural beauty, leaving audiences talking about them with great enthusiasm. His many awards and recognitions have included three Juno Award nominations, Harvard University’s Fromm Music Commission, The Canada Council for the Arts’ “Robert Fleming Prize”, ASCAP’s “Morton Gould Young Composer Award”, four SOCAN Young Composers Awards, and CBC Radio’s Audience Choice Award (2009 Young Composers’ Competition).

During the period of 2007-2014, Dr. Ho has served as the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra’s composer-in-residence and had presented a number of large-scale works that have generated much excitement and critical praise. His Arctic Symphony has been described “as a beautiful work that evokes the Far North in a very special way” (John Corigliano), and “a mature and atmospheric work that firmly establishes Ho among North American composers of note” (Winnipeg Free Press). His percussion concerto, titled The Shaman, composed for Dame Evelyn Glennie was hailed as a triumph, receiving unanimous acclaim and declared by critics as “Spectacular” (The New York Classical Review), “A powerhouse work” (The Winnipeg Free Press), and “Rocking/mesmerizing…downright gorgeous” (The Pittsburgh Gazette). His second concerto for Glennie titled From Darkness To Light, Ho’s musical response to the cancer illness, was  lauded as “a lasting masterpiece of sensitivity and perception” (Winnipeg Free Press).  His cello concerto, City Suite, composed for Canadian cellist Shauna Rolston, has received similar praise with critics calling it “Thrilling” (Windsor Star) and “Overflowing with striking ideas…The most successful piece heard at this year’s Festival” (Classical Voice America).

Born in Ottawa, Ontario in 1975, Vincent Ho began his musical training through Canada’s Royal Conservatory of Music where he earned his Associate Diploma in Piano Performance. He gained his Bachelor of Music from the University of Calgary, his Master of Music from the University of Toronto, and his Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Southern California. His mentors have included Allan Bell, David Eagle, Christos Hatzis, Walter Buczynski, and Stephen Hartke. In 1997, he was awarded a scholarship to attend the Schola Cantorum Summer Composition Program in Paris, where he received further training in analysis, composition, counterpoint, and harmony, supervised by David Diamond, Philip Lasser, and Narcis Bonet.

In his free time, he enjoys running, reading, traveling, dancing, hiking, playing chess, and learning the keyboard works of Bach, Beethoven, Ravel, and Ligeti (among many others). He is also an enthusiast of old-time radio shows, photography, crime noir, Zen art, jazz, Jimi Hendrix, graphic novels, and Stanley Kubrick films.

Dr. Ho has taught at the University of Calgary and currently serves as Artistic Director to Land’s End Ensemble and New Music Advisor to the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra. His works are published and managed by Promethean Editions Ltd and Peters Edition.

vinceho.com