Jocelyn Morlock (1969-2023) was a composer in Vancouver, Canada, the unceded territory of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil Waututh First Nations. Her music was inspired by birds, insomnia, nature, fear, other people’s music and art, nocturnal wandering thoughts, lucid dreaming, death, and the liminal times and experiences before and after death.
Jocelyn worked with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra as their first female Composer in Residence (2014-2019), after completing her term (2012-2014) as inaugural Composer-in-Residence for Music on Main, co-host of ISCM World New Music Days 2017.
She had an unusually successful 2018, winning a JUNO for Classical Composition of the Year (for My Name is Amanda Todd – part of the National Arts Centre Orchestra’s multi-media work, Life Reflected); the Western Canadian Music Award for Classical Composer of the Year; the Jan V. Matejcek New Classical Music Award (SOCAN); and the Barbara Pentland Award for Outstanding Contributions to Canadian Music (Canadian Music Centre). Other accolades include the Mayor’s Arts Award for Music in Vancouver (2016), a 2011 JUNO® nomination for Classical Composition of the Year, Top 10 at the 2002 International Rostrum of Composers (Lacrimosa), performances at three ISCM World New Music Days, six nominations and two wins at the Western Canadian Music Awards, and winner of the 2003 CMC Prairie Region Emerging Composers competition.
During her two years of residency at Music on Main, Jocelyn launched The Composer Essay Project, led a salon on musical form, programmed a Carte blanche concert featuring Nikolai Korndorf’s Quartet, and premiered six new works for Music on Main.
