Composer's Vonn Vanier Debut Album, "Dawn"

Released with Montclair Records, the 18-year-old's first album includes original works for orchestra, chamber ensembles, and solo piano

Composer and pianist Vonn Vanier released his first album, Dawn, with Montclair Records. The album features original works for orchestra, chamber ensembles, and solo piano.

“I think I would call it an introduction,” says Vanier. “It’s not a final thesis or anything like that, but it’s a good way to start.” 

The opening track, “Rhapsody in C Minor,” is performed by the Skywalker Symphony Orchestra and conducted by Daria Novo. Vanier describes it as a “mini piano concerto,” written when he was 15.

Another piece, “Lost at Home,” takes inspiration from All Quiet on the Western Front, Erich Maria Remarque’s novel about World War I.

“I was struck by the idea of a kid, not much older than me, pulled away from everything familiar and sent into this chaos,” says Vanier. “There’s no triumph in the music, it’s mostly about confusion and loss. I tried to mimic that sense of tension and release, Shostakovich could hold onto an idea until it breaks — then let the whole thing collapse. That taught me a lot.”

The album also includes “OPCI,” a solo piano work performed by Estonian pianist Brenda Vahur. Written during the pandemic, it marked a shift in Vanier’s writing toward more atonal and minimalist material.

“It’s probably the weirdest piece on the album,” he adds. “But I think it still fits—it’s just looking at the same questions from a different angle.”

The other works on Dawn were written for various chamber ensembles – “Witching Hour” and “Jagged,” both performed by Quartet San Francisco; “Shimmer,” for piano quintet, in which pianist Brenda Vahur joins Quartet San Francisco; and “Bloom,” for wind quintet, performed by Quinteto Latino.

To listen to the album, click here.

Vanier’s musical background began in the Grace Cathedral Choir of Men and Boys in San Francisco, where he started singing at age eight. During that time, he composed a hymn for choir and organ, which was performed at Grace Cathedral when he was in eighth grade.

When the COVID-19 pandemic brought everything to a standstill, Vanier turned to independent study.

“I didn’t have lessons or deadlines, which at first felt like a problem. But then I realized I could spend hours analyzing scores, reading orchestration books, and just listening. That became my routine.” says Vanier. Many of the works on Dawn came out of this period.

In the summer of 2022, Vanier was invited to participate in the composition program of the Boston University Tanglewood Institute (B.U.T.I.), to which he returned in the following two summers. His mentors  – Drs. Martin Amlin (Chair of Composition, B.U. School of Music), Len Tetta, and Justin Casinghino.