JACK BEHRENS

1935 - 2024

1935–2024 Composer, Music Educator, and Writer Jack Behrens, a celebrated composer, music educator, and writer, passed away peacefully on December 9, 2024. Born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, on March 25, 1935, Dr. Behrens was an influential figure in the Canadian and American music community whose work bridged the spheres of classical composition and academic music education. Dr. Behrens' music, known for its blend of atonality, aleatoric, and improvisational techniques, was performed widely throughout North America, with numerous pieces featured on CBC Radio and U.S. radio stations. His compositions, including the work The Sound of Milo, which won first prize in the New Orleans Symphony contest in 1970, and his choral piece How Beautiful is the Night, awarded the Francis Boott Prize at Harvard University, earned him recognition as one of Canada's preeminent composers of the 20th century. A proud member of the Canadian League of Composers and an associate of the Canadian Music Centre, Behrens was dedicated to his craft and to fostering new generations of musicians. His early university positions included faculty and department head positions at the University of Saskatchewan, Simon Fraser University, and California State University. At Western University in Ontario, he was Chair of the Music Theory and Composition Department and later, Dean of the Music Faculty. Following his retirement, Jack continued to contribute to Canadian music as Director of Academic Studies at Toronto's Glenn Gould School. A graduate of the Juilliard School (BM '58, MM '59), Dr. Behrens earned his doctorate at Harvard and later honed his craft under the guidance of masters such as Darius Milhaud, Stefan Wolpe, and John Cage. In 1963, Jack married Sonja Peterson, a Canadian pianist and fellow musician to whom he was devoted for nearly 50 years. She predeceased him in 2012. He is survived by his sister, Carole Jennings. A private memorial service will be held on Tuesday, December 17th, in Lancaster. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Parkinson's Foundation, The Demuth Museum in Lancaster, The Don Wright School of Music at Western University in London, Ontario.