BIOGRAPHY

Erik Kreem is a Toronto-based composer and performer eager to share his dynamic artistic voice. His music has been described as “fresh” and “inventive,” whose “elements emerge with surprise” (Estonian Life). Initially establishing his musical perspective as a solo pianist and broadening his artistic horizons as a cellist, vocalist, and accompanist, Erik has rapidly expanded his compositional oeuvre beyond the piano to encompass chamber, vocal, and large ensemble works. Erik’s music has been performed by the Kindred Spirits Orchestra, with whom he was composer-in-residence for 2020; the Cathedral Bluffs Symphony Orchestra, with whom he was apprentice conductor in 2019-20; Continuum Contemporary Music; Concreamus Chamber Choir; and numerous solo and chamber performers. He is a composer-in-residence with the Mississauga Summer Chorale for 2022.

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Erik’s accolades as a composer include first place and special-award wins at music festivals including Toronto’s Kiwanis Festival and Markham’s International Music Festival and Competition. He is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in music composition at the University of Toronto, studying under Professor Norbert Palej, where he has been a recipient of the Elizabeth Burton Scholarship, the Arnold Walter Memorial Award, and the Fay Hethrington Scholarship.

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When away from the practice room and the concert hall, Erik can be found on the tennis court, at a chess board, or with his nose deep in a mathematics paper.