Marie-Claire Saindon is a Franco-Ontarian composer based in Montréal. She began her creative journey in high school, where she wrote and produced her first musical, Jeanne (Joan of Arc). Bitten by the creative bug, she began to participate in many collaborations, from choral pieces, to scoring short films and full documentaries, to accompanying dancers, to fiddling in a team of folk musician on a historical steam train. She sang in the award-winning female vocal ensemble Concerto Della Donna, led by acclaimed choral director Iwan Edwards.
She has been the winner of the SOCAN Young Composers' National Awards in the Vocal category as well as the Canadian Choral Composition Competition hosted by Chor Leoni (2018) among many other awards. Ms. Saindon currently scores films, composes choral commissions, and is composer-in-residence for the Montreal female vocal ensemble Adleisia.
Selected Works
Le train d'hiver - SSA, a capella"A musical picture of a steam train slicing through a calm winter landscape, composed on elegant French lyrics. The voices, along with body percussion, simulate the sound of the train while portraying contrasting images: movement and peacefulness, heat and cold, weight and lightness."
Mer Calme - TTBB, a capella.Based on the poem by Joseph Autran, this beautiful and haunting work is about the cry of a desperate heart that yearns for the same peaceful rest of a calm sea under a starry night. With lots of close harmony and rich chords, this piece would be amazing for an accomplished Male ensemble.
As a professional composer, Saindon is also the composer-in-residence for Adleisia, a woman's chamber choir in Montreal. She also runs creative choral/vocal composition workshops for youth and adults, and enjoys teaching & performing the Irish fiddle.