After being introduced to the concept of synesthesia - a neurological condition where stimulation of one sense will automatically create a second one (e.g. hearing one particular sound may make one 'see' a certain colour), Ho was inspired to compose a work that would be so kinetically charged with timbral colours and textures that one would almost see, taste, or even feel them when heard in performance.
Shattering the Ethereal Resonance received the following award:
The Portland Chamber Music Festival's 2006 Composer's Competition Award (USA)
Vincent Ho is a Canadian who is widely recognised as one of the most exciting composers of his generation. He has made waves in the music world of North America despite being fairly early in his compositional career, receiving numerous prizes, accolades, and prominent commissions in a relatively short space of time. Ho’s music is rich and energetic - a unique integration of influences ranging from the visual arts, electroacoustic and natural soundscapes, traditional classical music forms, and the physical properties of the instruments and ensembles for which he writes. His music is sensual, sonorous and richly textured, and Ho gives considerable attention to the audience’s experience of his intricate sound-worlds.
