Biography
Composer and cellist Jan Järvlepp creates pieces reflecting what he calls a European/American fusion. Rock music from his personal history has shaped his approach, as have Hispanic, flamenco, Arab, and Nordic folk traditions, which frequently lead him to score for unusual groupings of instruments.
Born January 3, 1953, in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, Järvlepp grew up with Finnish and Estonian parents who settled in the country after World War II. He held dual Finnish and Canadian citizenship, spoke Finnish at home throughout childhood, and began using English regularly only after starting kindergarten; he later acquired French as well. Although he received piano instruction early on, he soon abandoned it, then took up pop guitar at age 12 and cello at 14 while also exploring bass guitar and harmonica. Novel melodies and timbres on the guitar gradually revealed themselves to him as original composition. During his teenage years he followed rock and soul closely, seeing concerts by Jimi Hendrix, The Beach Boys, Wilson Pickett, and James Brown, yet he continued playing cello in the Ottawa Youth Orchestra.
He completed degrees in composition and cello at the University of Ottawa, McGill University in Montreal, and the University of California at San Diego, studying with Luis de Pablo, Alcides Lanza, Will Ogdon, and Roger Reynolds. His first orchestral effort, Ice, performed by the University of Ottawa Orchestra in 1976, met an inauspicious reception when one composition professor discarded the parts while another merely praised his penmanship.
After returning to Ottawa in 1981, Järvlepp distanced himself from prevailing academic styles, turned toward neo-tonal writing, and welcomed pop elements back into his music, an experience he says left permanent scars. For 38 years he earned his living as a cellist in the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra and also appeared with the Palm Court Orchestra, the Nepean Symphony Orchestra, and other local ensembles. Recognition arrived when the Ottawa Symphony presented Camerata Music in 1993 and, three years later, the Garbage Concerto, scored for metallic and glass objects salvaged from his own trash and subtitled “a concerto for recycled percussion.” The latter piece received numerous performances and was recorded in 2000 by the Singapore Symphony Orchestra under Lan Shui.
Although some Canadians have questioned his European/American fusion label, Järvlepp maintains that the pop ingredients derive from American rather than Canadian sources, adding that he holds no particular regard for country singer Hank Snow or teen pop star Paul Anka. Another successful score, In Memoriam for string orchestra or string quintet, was composed following his brother’s death from cancer. Järvlepp retired from the Ottawa Symphony in 2019 and has since concentrated exclusively on composition; more than 20 of his works had been recorded by 2024.
Born January 3, 1953, in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, Järvlepp grew up with Finnish and Estonian parents who settled in the country after World War II. He held dual Finnish and Canadian citizenship, spoke Finnish at home throughout childhood, and began using English regularly only after starting kindergarten; he later acquired French as well. Although he received piano instruction early on, he soon abandoned it, then took up pop guitar at age 12 and cello at 14 while also exploring bass guitar and harmonica. Novel melodies and timbres on the guitar gradually revealed themselves to him as original composition. During his teenage years he followed rock and soul closely, seeing concerts by Jimi Hendrix, The Beach Boys, Wilson Pickett, and James Brown, yet he continued playing cello in the Ottawa Youth Orchestra.
He completed degrees in composition and cello at the University of Ottawa, McGill University in Montreal, and the University of California at San Diego, studying with Luis de Pablo, Alcides Lanza, Will Ogdon, and Roger Reynolds. His first orchestral effort, Ice, performed by the University of Ottawa Orchestra in 1976, met an inauspicious reception when one composition professor discarded the parts while another merely praised his penmanship.
After returning to Ottawa in 1981, Järvlepp distanced himself from prevailing academic styles, turned toward neo-tonal writing, and welcomed pop elements back into his music, an experience he says left permanent scars. For 38 years he earned his living as a cellist in the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra and also appeared with the Palm Court Orchestra, the Nepean Symphony Orchestra, and other local ensembles. Recognition arrived when the Ottawa Symphony presented Camerata Music in 1993 and, three years later, the Garbage Concerto, scored for metallic and glass objects salvaged from his own trash and subtitled “a concerto for recycled percussion.” The latter piece received numerous performances and was recorded in 2000 by the Singapore Symphony Orchestra under Lan Shui.
Although some Canadians have questioned his European/American fusion label, Järvlepp maintains that the pop ingredients derive from American rather than Canadian sources, adding that he holds no particular regard for country singer Hank Snow or teen pop star Paul Anka. Another successful score, In Memoriam for string orchestra or string quintet, was composed following his brother’s death from cancer. Järvlepp retired from the Ottawa Symphony in 2019 and has since concentrated exclusively on composition; more than 20 of his works had been recorded by 2024.
Albums