Dr. Ryan Trew is a composer, percussionist, and music theory pedagogue. As a composer, Ryan’s works have been performed by renowned Canadian ensembles including the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the Prince George Symphony Orchestra, the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, the National Arts Centre Orchestra, and the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra. worked extensively with Maestro Evan Mitchell who is one of the most innovative and sought after conductors in Canada.  In 2013, Ryan received his Doctorate of Music at the University of British Columbia. Ryan has studied with several eminent Canadian composers including Christos Hatzis, Peter Hatch, Glenn Buhr, and Stephen Chatman.

Living in a modern tonal world, Ryan’s compositions focus on rhythmic, harmonic and timbral relationships, while incorporating popular styles and classical idioms in unique and unfamiliar contexts. His music has been described as “sumptuous, remarkable and constantly surprising.” Audiences across the country have consistently found his works to be deeply compelling.

Ryan was a winner of the Vancouver Symphony Olympic Commissioning Project in 2010, and was asked to compose a piece in celebration of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. The resulting commission of “Starlike” was premiered by Bramwell Tovey with the VSO and, hailed as a triumph, has since been performed over forty times by orchestras across the country. His first set of orchestral songs entitled “Come Closer” was premiered to great acclaim in Toronto in 2018 and again in 2022 by Rachel Krehm and the Canzona Chamber Players.

Ryan is currently composing an 85-minute chamber opera and has been invited to participate in several development workshops including: The Banff Centre, Opera McGill Beta Lab and Pacific Opera Victoria. This work is scheduled to premiere in 2024.

As an active educator, Ryan has instructed all levels of music theory in both larger classroom contexts in a university setting and in private classes and lessons within the community. In addition, Ryan has several composition students whose works have been performed publicly by both the Vancouver Symphony and Victoria Symphony.