Tom Lachance (b. 1998) is a Montreal based Canadian composer whose research is grounded in synesthesia, which is the perception of associations between different sensations. He notably uses visual or tactile input to generate musical structures and ideas. This exploration takes place in different forms using visual art and landscapes, or natural processes.
His works have been commissioned and performed by various ensembles, including the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, Paramirabo Ensemble, Nouvel Ensemble Moderne, Cobalt String Quartet, the TorQ Percussion Quartet, the Texas New Music Ensemble and Orchestre de l’Université de Montréal. They have been played in diverse venues and festivals across Canada, United States and Europe.
He has been part in multidisciplinary projects, including music for dance or video games. His work La parole des racines, in collaboration with choreographer Mateo Chauchat, has been performed and recorded in 2021. He was also the music director of the video game Helpless by the developer Bonne Journée Studio.
His music has been recognized by numerous grants from the Canada Council for the Arts, Conseil des Arts et des Lettres du Québec and LOJIQ. His academic work has been rewarded by the Schulich Scholarship at McGill University and by the Graduate Award at the University of Montreal.
He is currently pursuing a PhD of Music Composition with Denys Bouliane. He completed a Master’s at the University of Montreal in 2022, studying with Ana Sokolović. He is an alumnus of several workshops and mentoring program, including the Orford Music Academy, Winnipeg New Music Festival’s composers institute, the Texas New Music Festival, the Domaine Forget, the RBC Bridges program and the Fusion Film Scoring Workshop. His mentors were among others Jimmie LeBlanc, Laurie Radford, Fabian Panisello, Donnacha Dennehy and Missy Mazzoli.
