Camilo Aybar

Clarinetist

My musical journey began in September 2017 in my middle school band, and I started lessons shortly thereafter with Dr. Jack Edwards at the Victoria Conservatory of Music (VCM) as a beginner. My early success, winning an RCM Grade 5 Clarinet Gold Medal in October 2019, led me to further instruction with Patricia Kostek, who made major refinements to my technique and artistry. Driven by this achievement, I joined the Greater Victoria Youth Orchestra, became principal clarinetist for my second season, and joined the VCM’s Collegium, an intensive chamber music program.
Performing in duos to quintets, I found immense fulfilment from making music with other passionate young musicians, and was able to transform previous feelings of being an outsider everywhere else into a chance to form genuine social connections through a shared passion for music. Following a successful performance of Crusell’s Clarinet Concerto No. 2 in F Minor in a masterclass with James Campbell, I was invited to perform Mozart’s Clarinet Quintet with the Emily Carr String Quartet in April 2023, and won three auditions to perform the Crusell with three Vancouver Island orchestras, culminating in first-place wins at the British Columbia and Canada West Performing Arts Festivals in Summer 2023.
Under Ms. Kostek’s guidance, I dedicated the following Autumn to expanding my musical horizons with mentorship from Eric Abramovitz, Todd Cope, and Jean-François Normand. I am excitedly continuing my studies at The Glenn Gould School of Music under the acclaimed mentorship of Joaquin Valdepeñas, where I am being immersed in an intensive and close-knit musical community with other young talented musicians pursuing the art at its highest level.

Composer

I first began my venture into the vast world of music composition when a short melody randomly popped up in my head in November 2017 and interminably played in my thoughts. I wished to hear this melody audible in reality, so I downloaded MuseScore. I had a basic understanding of music theory at that time as I had just joined the beginner band playing the clarinet at my middle school. After a few minutes of playing around with the notation software, I had managed to create an exact replica of what I heard in my mind. I named the 9-second composition “Rolling Hoops” (Op. 0) as the melody mostly came up in my head when rolling hula hoops around in physical education for some reason. At that time, I realized that I had discovered something to do in my life that has meaning, as opposed to living the humdrum life of wasting time watching YouTube videos of people playing video games. However, YouTube to me was not all bad as it later played a prime role in helping me learn music composition through scrolling score and music theory/analysis videos.
Music composition has enabled me to express the emotions I previously could not comfortably voice through dialogue, as I am not the most social individual. It helped me get through the pain of a global pandemic, the passing of my grandmother, the many verbal conflicts which boomed throughout my household—and of course, unrequited love. Emotions of joy and excitement have also been displayed in my music, as I find the process of sharing/performing my compositions to be exceptionally enjoyable, thrilling, and satisfying. I have seen commissions for various ensembles around Victoria, BC, and look forward to future opportunities to share my musical ideas with the world.
My Symphony No. 1 in D Minor, “Pandemic,” (Op. 14) has gained both local and international attention, with excerpts performed by U.S. orchestras and a forthcoming documentary, "The Sound of a Pandemic," chronicling its creation. My Clarinet Sonata in C Minor, “Youth,” (Op. 10) depicting a journey through adolescence, received the platinum standard at FCMF Nationals, and including it in my BC Performing Arts Festival Provincial Excellence performance in June 2024 also won me first place. I am excitedly working away at a plethora of new pieces, from my three symphonies, to three concerti, three operas, and a string quartet.

Victoria Conservatory Student Spotlight (2020)

"This is Me" Video Project (2022)

The Sound of a Pandemic (2024)

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