CAMERON, Allison

Allison Cameron is a Canadian composer, performer and improvising musician known for her distinctive work in contemporary and experimental music. Born in Edmonton, Alberta, in 1963, she grew up in North Vancouver and later became active in Toronto’s new music scene.

Her music has been performed in Europe and North America, and she has written mainly for chamber ensembles, often exploring unusual instrumental combinations, delicate textures, extended techniques and open forms. Cameron’s compositional language is closely connected with curiosity, playfulness and sonic experimentation, moving between notated composition, improvisation and collaborative performance.
She has been associated with ensembles and projects such as Arcana, the Drystone Orchestra, the Allison Cameron Band and c_RL, and her music has been performed by groups including Bang on a Can All-Stars. Her recordings include Raw Sangudo, Ornaments, A Gossamer Bit and Somatic Refrain.
Alongside her work as a composer, Cameron is also an active improviser, performing with electronic keyboards, ukulele, banjo, piano, radios, cassette tapes, small amplifiers, toys and found objects. Her work places her among the important Canadian women composers whose music expands the boundaries between contemporary classical composition, experimental sound and free improvisation.