Penderecki String Quartet, Laurier Faculty of Music Announce Major Commission for Milestone Anniversaries

Feb. 6, 2026

The 2025-26 season marks two major milestones in Canadian music: the 40th anniversary of the Penderecki String Quartet (PSQ) and the 50th anniversary of Wilfrid Laurier University’s Faculty of Music.

To mark the occasion, the PSQ and the Faculty of Music are commissioning a new work for soprano and string quartet by Canadian composer Jeffrey Ryan (BMus ’84). The piece will be written for the Penderecki String Quartet, Laurier’s quartet-in-residence, and soprano Leslie Fagan, voice professor in the Faculty of Music.

The PSQ has a long record of supporting Canadian composers and has worked with Ryan before. The quartet premiered Ryan’s String Quartet No. 3 (sonata distorta) in 2006, later performing it in Europe and recording it in 2008. The recording earned Ryan a Western Canadian Music Award nomination for Classical Composition of the Year. The new commission marks a return to this artistic partnership.

Ryan’s new work, This Exact Shade of Moon, is based on five poems by Montréal poet Yusuf Saadi, drawn from Saadi’s debut collection Pluviophile, which was shortlisted for the 2021 Griffin Poetry Prize.

Each poem references the moon, inspiring Ryan to create a five-movement song cycle linked by string quartet interludes that trace the phases of the lunar cycle. The structure offers both the soprano and the quartet distinct musical moments while reflecting the imagery in Saadi’s poetry.

The world premiere will take place March 15, 2026, as part of Laurier's Guest Artist Concert Series.

The commission celebrates not only two major anniversaries but also Laurier’s ongoing commitment to Canadian artistry and musical innovation.