Raum, Elizabeth (1945-)

Elizabeth Raum was born on January 13, 1945, in Berlin, New Hampshire and became a naturalized Canadian in 1985. A composer and oboist, she earned her BMus from the Eastman School of Music in 1966. Raum was principal oboist with the Atlantic Symphony Orchestra in Halifax, Nova Scotia prior to joining the Regina Symphony Orchestra in 1975. Her renewed interest in composition led her to study with Thomas Schudel at the University of Regina from 1980 to 1984. Here she received her MMus (Composition) with her opera The Garden of Alice. Considered one of Canada’s most “accessible” composers, she writes prolifically in diverse styles and for a wide variety of genres including ballet, chamber, orchestra, and vocal. Raum won the award for Best Musical Score for Sparkle (director, Jeff Beesley), at the Saskatchewan Film and Video Showcase ’98, profiling her 1993 work A Prairie Alphabet Musical Parade. Film collaborations have been broadcast nationally; her music has been heard in Europe, Russia, China, Japan, and throughout the Americas. The CBC and numerous groups within the province have commissioned Raum’s works, and she has also written many works for children. She is an associate of the Canadian Music Centre. In 2004, the Regina Symphony Orchestra presented the premiere of her concerto Persephone and Demeter —written for, and featuring her daughter, virtuoso violinist Erika Raum. That year, she was awarded an honorary doctorate by Mount Saint Vincent University in Halifax. Elizabeth Raum lives in Regina.

Fiona Stevenson

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