Biography

Born in Evanston, Illinois, USA in 1999, Gustav was drawn to music at an early age listening to mix CDs made for him by his father that featured bands like Wilco and They Might Be Giants. When first considering becoming a musician as a child, he dreamt of being a rock star. With this dream in mind, Gustav started playing the drums when he was ten years old. In middle school, he learned to play symphonic percussion in the band program which he continued through high school. Gustav’s involvement with his high school wind ensemble catalysed his interest in formal music composition.

After some lessons and guidance from composer Diogo Carvalho, Gustav decided to pursue a university degree in composition. He earned his Bachelor’s of Music from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) from 2017-2021 under the tutelage of composers Kenneth Frazelle, Lawrence Dillon, and Michael Rothkopf. During his studies at UNCSA, he had many fortunate opportunities to have his works performed and recorded by professional new music ensembles, including Picturesque Nr. 1 (2019) by the Akropolis Reed Quintet, String Quartet Nr. 1 (2019-20) by the Verona String Quartet, and Genji Monogatari, “Yomogiu” (2020) by yMusic. He also had the pleasure of attending masterclasses led by Jennifer Higdon, Vijay Iyer, and Sarah Kirkland Snider.

After completing his Bachelor’s degree, Gustav moved to Vancouver, British Columbia to attend the University of British Columbia (UBC) to work towards a Master’s degree which he completed in 2023. He studied with professors Dorothy Chang, Jocelyn Morlock, Jennifer Butler, and Keith Hamel. At UBC, Gustav enjoyed performances of his pieces by the Contemporary Players Ensemble (playing little dances [2021] and Floriography [2022]) and the UBC Chamber Choir (performing Sleep is supposed to be…[2022]). In March of 2023, his song cycle Four Songs on Early Poems of Emily Dickinson (2022) was featured as part of the Sonic Boom Festival hosted by Vancouver Pro Musica and mentor composer Jennifer Butler, performed by soprano Dory Hayley & pianist Michael Park. Teatime Sketches (2023) for solo piano was played at UBC as part of a collaboration between the composition and piano departments. Vancouver-based new music group Standing Wave Ensemble premiered his work Picturesque Nr. 2, “Canadian Rockies” as part of their annual Compocon workshop for emerging Canadian composers. In August of 2023, Gustav travelled to St. John’s, Newfoundland to attend the Tuckamore Music Festival where he studied with guest composers Bekah Simms and Randolph Peters, and saw the premiere of Bouquet from the Butchart Gardens (2023) for piano trio. He received the great fortune of having his work selected again for performance in the 2024 iteration of the Sonic Boom Festival, working with Saxophilia Saxophone Quartet and mentor composer Rita Ueda, where Frankenthaler Rhapsody (2023) was premiered. In April 2024, Gustav’s piece Subterranean Serenade (2024) for piano & organ was premiered at the Soundstreams RBC Bridges Emerging Composers Showcase in Toronto, Ontario, where he had the pleasure of meeting and working with guest composers Paul Grabowsky and André Ristic.

Gustav’s music is always very melodically and rhythmically driven, and is inspired by many things such as poetry, the environment, and past composers whom he admires like Igor Stravinsky and Olivier Messiaen. He is quite fond of the 20th century modernists, and their musical style informs much of his own musical vocabulary. Gustav is deeply concerned with issues surrounding climate change and other environmental threats, and encourages his listeners to take action when hearing the music. Many of his works are based on an ecocentric model, where the environment/nature is at the heart of the work rather than human emotion.

Traditional music from Japan is also an influence on Gustav, specifically music from noh and kabuki theatre, as well as folk songs and small ensemble music. While fully aware of issues surrounding misappropriation of musical styles when incorporating elements of non-Western music into the Western tradition, Gustav aims to negotiate these issues through careful research, collaboration with Japanese scholars/artists, and understanding of the source tradition.

When not composing, Gustav enjoys watching & playing ice hockey, playing guitar, reading, and taking in the scenery of Greater Vancouver.