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Sid
Robinovitch

A native of Manitoba, Sid Robinovitch received his Doctorate in Communications from the University of Illinois and taught social sciences at York University in Toronto. Since 1977 he has devoted himself to musical composition, having studied at Indiana University and at the Royal Conservatory of Toronto with Samuel Dolin. He presently lives in Winnipeg, Canada, where he works as a composer and teacher.

Having written for a wide variety of musical media, Robinovitch has received commissions from performers such as the Elmer Iseler Singers, the Canadian Piano Trio and the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. His works have been frequently broadcast on CBC radio, including original pieces based on folk-tales from around the world and arrangements of Judeo-Spanish folk songs. In 1990 his Sons of Jacob for violin and piano was nominated for a Juno award as best classical composition, and in 1991 his Adieu Babylon was the commissioned work at the Eckhardt-Gramatté National Music Competition.

While many of Robinovitch’s works are rooted in traditional or folk material, they often have a distinctly contemporary flavour as well. Dreaming Lolita , for example, is a dramatic retelling in poetic form of the famous Nabokov novel, and in Psalms of Experience the choral textures are infused with elements of Balinese music and rhythmic chanting.

In addition to his concert works, Robinovitch has written music for film, radio and TV, where he is probably best known for his theme for CBC-TV’s satirical comedy series, “The Newsroom.”