Acclaimed Manitoba composer, Peter Meechan, has been sharing his love of music and creating music for different incentives, however the most recent collaboration with the Manitoba Band Association and the CancerCare Manitoba Fourdation is a one-of-a-kind initiative that invites bands from across the province, of all ages and levels of abilities to join in on a dynamic fundraiser, 'Wave of Light'.
Meechan hails from the UK, moving to first Saskatchewan 12 years ago, and then moving to Winnipeg where he and his wife have lived for the past 8 years.
"I work full-time as a composer, and I think it's the best job in the world. I wouldn't change it for anything," says Meechan.
"Music has this amazing power where you can find joy, hope, healing, love, compassion, empathy, and beauty all at once. I'm not sure there's anything else in the world where you can find all those things simultaneously. That's my drive when writing music and working with other musicians."
"This led to a collaborative effort with my friend, Ryan Anthony, who was a trumpet player in the Canadian Brass Chamber ensemble and principal trumpet in the Dallas Symphony Orchestra," shares Meechan. "He was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a rare form of cancer, and given a very short time to live. Instead of accepting this terminal diagnosis, he began experimental treatments and founded a charity called Cancer Blows. He brought together famous trumpet players for concerts and recordings, raising millions of dollars for cancer research."
"We became close friends, and I wrote a piece for him called "Song of Hope," which was played at every concert he did. Sadly, he passed away after eight years, which was incredible given his original prognosis of just a few months."
Meechan started working with other musicians on this piece, including the Louis Riel School Division in Winnipeg, which hosted an honor band event featuring students from various schools as a fundraiser for CancerCare Manitoba, featuring "Song of Hope."
Everyone who needed to be in the room was there and that's when discussions began between Meechan and Brent Johnson, Executive Director of the Manitoba Band Association, as well as CancerCare Manitoba Foundation members.
"I wanted to create a new piece of music that everyone in the province could be involved with, a place for healing, celebration, hope, and compassion. Everyone's experience with cancer is different, and I believe everyone can be a musician, whether they realize it or not. The Manitoba Band Association has outreach all around the province, so writing it for band was a good idea to reach many people."
"I also thought it should include singing or vocal parts so the audience could join in and find their place within the piece. It needed to be playable by beginners and professionals alike, and I came up with a few different ideas on how to achieve that," he adds.
About the Music - Wave of Light
Drawing personal inspiration from the battles against cancer of loved ones and friends, Meechan's specially crafted piece will be a place to go for all those who have been touched by cancer to express and share emotions. What makes this event even more special is that the piece will be created to be accessible and teachable for bands at all levels—from beginner to advanced. Bands of all ages and skill levels are invited to participate, making it an inclusive experience for musicians throughout Manitoba.
Wave of Light will be composed as a flexible arrangement with multiple levels of parts, from easy to more challenging, and will include expanded instrumentation including non-traditional wind band instruments so that nearly any configuration of musicians can perform it, from piano accompaniment to wind band, to symphony orchestra and nearly anything in between. Additionally, voice parts will encourage collaboration with singers, choirs, and with the audience.
The initiative of the Wave of Light was launched during the Manitoba Band Association's Family of Festivals where hundreds of concert and jazz bands and thousands of students and their instructors participated in over the past number of weeks in Winnipeg. The music will be ready for distribution in September 2025 so the series of concerts can be performed across the province in May of 2026.
ABOUT PETER MEECHAN, COMPOSER
The music of award-winning Canadian British composer Peter Meechan (b. 1980, Nuneaton, UK) is extensively performed throughout the world. His music has been commissioned, recorded, broadcast and performed by some of the world’s leading symphony orchestras, wind ensembles, brass bands, conductors and soloists, including: “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, BBC Concert Orchestra, Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra brass, The Dallas Winds, Bramwell Tovey, Jens Lindemann, Ryan Anthony, David Childs, Patrick Sheridan, Linda Merrick, and many more.
His work Perpetua won the 2021 Sousa-ABA-Ostwald Composition Contest, and Meechan has also been a finalist in the National Band Association William D. Revelli Memorial Composition Contest (Waves Towards the Pebbled Shore).
Please listen to Peter Meechan below!
In October 2020, Meechan was awarded the CBA (Canadian Band Association) ‘Canadian Composers’ Award’ – only the 9th recipient since the award’s inception in 1991, and in 2022 he was elected to the membership of the prestigious American Bandmasters Association.
To read and learn more about Peter and his works, please visit his website.