“When the acclaimed young composer Kevin Lau began work on A Drop of Light, the piece that will make its world premiere in Ottawa on Sunday, he sought out his muse for an entire summer, in crowded coffee shops and the great outdoors.
Lau, a Torontonian, had only his assignment in hand — a commission to create a 25-minute piece for the Canadian group called the Octagon Ensemble.
“This was a dream project,” Lau says, mindful of the piece’s “luxurious” duration and the all-star octet that would bring it to life.
“It is quite a privilege to write for eight musicians of such extraordinary calibre, and to be given the opportunity to paint on such a large canvas,” Lau says….”
