“Initially, Jocelyn Morlock did not feel as if she could compose a piece of classical music about Amanda Todd.
Despite being an award-winning composer, Ms. Morlock was not sure that she could portray Amanda’s story in a positive way. The B.C. teen, who was a victim of cyberbullying, died by suicide in 2012.
“Jocelyn had a tremendous sense of justice,” said Mark McGregor, a close friend who was Ms. Morlock’s roommate when they both studied music at the University of British Columbia. “She was very much motivated by this idea of giving voice to people who didn’t necessarily have a voice. And, I think that was really an important thing for her when she was composing that piece.”
It’s safe to say that Ms. Morlock, who died suddenly March 27 in Vancouver at age 53, succeeded in her quest. My Name is Amanda Todd, went on to win a 2018 Juno award as the year’s top classical composition.
Commissioned by the National Arts Centre, My Name is Amanda Todd was performed by the NAC Orchestra across Canada in 2017, and throughout Europe in 2019, as part of the multimedia production Life Reflected. The piece continues to be performed by various groups, helping to spread awareness of cyberbullying and related issues, including the stigma inflicted upon its victims, exploitation, teen suicide and mental-health struggles…”
