West Vancouver, B.C.— The West Vancouver Memorial Library (WVML) is excited to announce Canadian clarinetist Dr. Liam Hockley as the 2025 Sound Artist in Residence. For the second year running, this inventive residency continues the Library’s decades-long tradition of serving as a creative hub and fostering a vibrant community centred around music, thanks to a generous bequest in support of music from the estate of Robert Leslie Welsh through the Library Foundation.
Dr. Hockley holds a Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of British Columbia, where his dissertation explored performer agency in complexist music. He is a dynamic performer of classical music and a passionate advocate for new and experimental work and has performed across three continents while remaining a committed educator with extensive experience in post-secondary, conservatory, and private settings.
“I’m excited to connect with the WVML community through sound!” shares Dr. Hockley. “I’ll be bringing in some approaches to contemporary and experimental music-making that I am passionate about and am interested to see where that leads to when it meets Library patrons’ perspectives and imaginations.”
Dr. Hockley will be working on a new improvisation project using clarinet, bass clarinet, and custom-built live electronic processing during his residency. “I’ve developed quite a bit of material for this project over a few performances and I’m looking forward to taking some time to finesse this.” When he isn’t working on his own music, he will be hosting lectures, soundwalks, soundscapes, open-studio sessions, and one-on-one mentoring.
Community members are invited to Meet the Sound Artist in Residence on Thursday, September 11 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. to learn about the lineup of projects, workshops, and performances he has curated for his residency. Then, on Monday, September 15 or Wednesday, September 17, patrons are welcomed to step outside and open their ears to the music of nature on a guided Soundwalk. “I think we’ve developed some programs that allow for meaningful exchange, and I’m excited to dive in,” shares Dr. Hockley, who has plans for even more future events that will be announced in the coming weeks.
Dr. Hockley, whose recorded work has received critical acclaim, frequently collaborates with composers, interdisciplinary artists, and sound artists. “I’m committed to foregrounding music by living composers and underrepresented voices,” states Dr. Hockley, “This openness to experimentation and collaboration gives each project its own distinct energy.”
“Libraries are spaces of discovery, access, and dialogue, all of which are values that resonate with my artistic practice,” says Dr. Hockley. “The WVML’s recording studio and public programming offer a unique opportunity to make experimental sound work accessible to people who might not otherwise encounter it, and to show that contemporary music can be a deeply engaging and communal experience.”
Learn more about Dr. Hockley’s residency at wvml.ca/soundartist.
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