David Jaeger

Jaeger, David
Jaeger, David (Trent). Composer, producer, performer, b Green Bay, Wisc, 19 Nov 1947; B MUS (Wisconsin) 1970, M MUS (Toronto) 1972. Upon graduating from the University of Wisconsin at Madison, he received a Woodrow Wilson Fellowship and continued his studies at the University of Toronto 1970-2 with John Weinzweig and Gustav Ciamaga. He attended the Summer Electronic Music Institute in Dartmouth, NH, in the summer of 1972, working with Jon Appleton and Hubert Howe.

In the early 1970s Jaeger established a digital sound synthesis facility at the University of Toronto, one of the first in Canada. He joined the CBC in 1973 as a radio music producer for various series including 'Music of Today' and 'Music Makers International'. He is the creator and in 1991 remained the executive producer of 'Two New Hours,' CBC's national contemporary music program. His commitment to new music has made available to radio audiences a full spectrum of music from around the world, with a special emphasis on Canadian music and performers. Jaeger has encouraged a generation of composers and musicians, aiding in the birth of a number of ensembles and festivals dedicated to this repertoire.

Jaeger was a founding member of the Canadian Electronic Ensemble, a group which, when it was formed in 1971, was on the leading edge of live performance with electronic instruments. The ensemble has provided Jaeger with the main outlet for his compositional efforts and experiments. Most of his works include an electronic element, although a few have been written for traditional instruments (eg, Double Wind Quintet, 1975; Two Lyrics for Solo Marimba, 19??; Aria for cello and piano, 1987; and Sonata for viola and piano, 1988). Favour (1980) for electric viola has been recorded by Rivka Golani (1983, Centrediscs CMC-0883) and Shadowbox has been recorded by accordionist Joseph Petric (1988, Centrediscs CMC-CD-3288).

Jaeger is generally an experimenter, perhaps a natural outgrowth of his job with the CBC where he is exposed to such a wide range of current musical styles. He has drawn on traditional musical styles and idioms in some of his works such as Fancye (1973) for tracker organ and electronics (recorded on 4-ACM 37 CD), and Quanza Dueto (1976) for two guitars and tape, but has discarded tradition completely in others, eg, his purely electroacoustic works. He seems as comfortable in highly experimental music as he is in a piece which makes no apologies for its attractiveness. He is a member of the CLComp and an associate of the Canadian Music Centre.

See also Canadian Electronic Ensemble for cooperative compositions

Author Gary J. Hayes

Links to Other Sites
Canadian Music Centre
Search the extensive CMC website for Canadian composer biographies and interviews, music scores, online newsletters, audio clips, podcasts, and more. Check out "CentreStreams" to listen to online archived recordings featuring outstanding Canadian composers.

Canadian Electronic Ensemble
The website for the Canadian Electronic Ensemble, described as "the oldest continuous live-electronic group in the world." Features a history of this innovative ensemble, a discography, and many uncompressed high-quality audio files of selected performances.

Canadian Electronic Ensemble
A chronology of performances by the Canadian Electronic Ensemble. From the Concordia Archival Project, an archive of electroacoustic works from the 1960s–1990s held at Concordia University in Montréal. A PDF document.

Friends of Canadian Music Award
The website for the Friends of Canadian Music Award, a joint venture between the Canadian League of Composers and the Canadian Music Centre that honours those who have demonstrated an exceptional commitment to Canadian composers and their music.