As part of our spotlight on new music at the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Sunday Night at the TSO sat down with Liam Ritz—our RBC Affiliate Composer for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 seasons. A rising voice in Canadian music recently named one of CBC’s “30 hot Canadian classical musicians under 30,” Liam has a talent for weaving memory, movement, and personal identity into his vibrant, emotionally layered work. In this interview, Liam shares the inspirations behind his first TSO Commission, Dance Scenes from the Living Room, his soft spot for bassoon solos, and what it’s like to grow up listening to an orchestra you now get to write for.
Sunday Night at the TSO: You’re the TSO’s RBC Affiliate Composer. What does this role involve?
Liam Ritz: It’s a two-year position where I get to write new music for the orchestra—one piece this season, and another next season. But I also get to peek behind the curtain at how an orchestra actually works: artistic planning, programming choices, commissioning, working with guest composers—it’s all part of it.
I also help support education and outreach work around new music. That includes our Explore the Score Orchestral Composition Reading & Career-Development Session , where four early-career composers have their music read by the orchestra and get feedback from musicians and guest artists. And I mentor three composers through our NextGen Composers project, which culminates in performances of their work later this season.
SNATSO: What’s your musical background? How did you get started?
LR: My mom is a musician, and she had all of us kids start music lessons early. I began on violin when I was about 7 and played through university. But early on I got really interested in writing music, and my mom was super encouraging. She gave me a little notebook and showed me how to write things down. I also had amazing teachers in middle and high school who encouraged me to write pieces for school ensembles and helped me hear them performed.
That experience of writing something and then hearing other people play it—that’s when I really caught the bug. By the time I was studying music at the University of Toronto, I was totally hooked on composition.
SNATSO: Your first TSO Commission is about to première. Tell us about Dance Scenes from the Living Room.
LR: At its core, the piece is about the freedom and confidence of dancing like no one’s watching. I was thinking of that uninhibited joy you feel as a kid, dancing in your living room—before you start feeling self-conscious about it.
There’s also a layer that reflects on queer identity and gender expression — looking at societal expectations of what kind of music should a young boy be dancing to? For me, I grew up loving the music of movie-musicals like West Side Story, Hello Dolly, and The Wizard of Oz, so I chose to weave in references to Old Hollywood pastiche and camp aesthetics. But really, it’s about joy, movement, and the freedom to be yourself.
SNATSO: What does it mean to have the TSO perform your music?
LR: It’s kind of a dream come true. I grew up in the GTA, and this is the orchestra I’ve listened to most of my life. I’ve seen so many amazing composers come through here and always thought, “Wouldn’t it be great to one day write a piece for them?” So, yeah—it’s a bit of a pinch-me moment.
SNATSO: How would you describe your compositional voice?
LR: That’s a hard one! People sometimes point out things they hear in my music that I wouldn’t notice myself. But I think one throughline is this focus on memory and place—things that feel familiar but are reinterpreted in some way.
I often draw from other genres—classical, pop, jazz—but not always in obvious ways. It’s more about creating a fabric of sound that feels layered and referential. When you can write in any style, you have to set some boundaries. So each piece becomes a kind of exploration based on what I’m drawn to at that moment.
SNATSO: What’s the importance of the TSO’s role in raising the profile of new music in Canada?
LR: We’re really fortunate in Toronto. Being one of the larger orchestras in Canada, the TSO has the resources to invest in developing new talent—whether that’s emerging composers or established Canadian voices. It’s not just about supporting one generation; it’s a multi-tiered approach that makes space for new voices while continuing to engage composers we’ve loved for years.
SNATSO: Favourite instrument in the orchestra?
LR: Bassoon! I played it in high school—not well—but I’ve got a soft spot for it. I strongly believe every great orchestral work needs a little bassoon solo.
SNATSO: Favourite Toronto neighbourhood?
LR: I’ve lived just outside the Junction, in the Wallace Emerson area, for about a decade now. During the pandemic, I really fell in love with it even more. It’s super walkable, with great local restaurants, coffee shops, and parks—it just feels like home.
SNATSO: What’s next on your composing calendar?
LR: I just finished the TSO piece, so I’m taking a short break to let the creative batteries recharge. But next up is a piece for two shōs and an accordion commissioned by the Toronto-based shshcc ensemble, exploring glacial drift. It’s a fun combo—the shō is a traditional Japanese reed instrument, and the accordion is reed-based, too, so there’s a lot of sonic overlap to explore. I am also working on a short piece for solo oboe, commissioned by Toronto-based oboist Ari Cohen Mann. After those, I’ll start thinking about next season’s piece for the TSO!
Listen to the full interview on The New Classical 96.3 FM.
The RBC Affiliate Composer is generously supported by RBC Emerging Artists.