The 21st-Century Canadian Snare Drum might seem like a fairly limited category. It’s also the name of the upcoming release by Toronto percussionist Ryan Scott, and after having a listen, limitation is definitely not the idea that comes to mind.

The album is available on February 13, 2026, on the Montréal-based Collection QB, the label created by Quatuor Bozzini, and distributed by DAME.

Scott is a marimba and multi-percussionist, and currently the Artistic Director of Continuum Contemporary Music. He’s performed extensively at contemporary music festivals in North America, Europe, Japan, China, Indonesia, South Africa, the UK and The Netherlands. He’s a frequent guest performer with ensembles such as Esprit Orchestra, the National Arts Centre Orchestra, and The Austin Symphony, among others.

Ryan studied at the University of Toronto, where he earned a Bachelor’s, Master’s and PhD degrees in percussion. Today, he teaches at the Faculty of Music, University of Toronto, and at the National Youth Orchestra of Canada.

We caught up with Scott to talk about his two-disc CD, featuring commissioned works by 14 Canadian composers.

Ryan Scott: The Interview

The release features new music by Nicole Lizée, Anna Höstman, Bekah Simms, Michael Oesterle, Andrew Staniland, Emilie Cecilia LeBel, Amy Brandon, Monica Pearce and others.

The humble snare drum is where many percussionists’ journeys begin, and it’s in common use around the world. The album showcases the wide breadth of possibilities for the instrument, as it showcases the work of Canadian composers.

“First of all, I chose the snare drum because it’s really the mother instrument of percussionists,” Scott begins. He points out that capability on the snare drum is key to percussion techniques overall.

That’s why it’s typically used for drummer’s auditions. “They start with snare drum, because you can tell right away if they have the skills necessary for the job,” he says. “It’s a tradition that goes back hundreds of years.”

The Music

He chose a group of 14 celebrated Canadian composers for a reason — to come up with a diverse range of music.

“This is not a CD of a bunch of percussion composers writing for the drum,” he says. “Each piece is so unique. It’s really 14 different voices.”

He gave each free rein to come up with their own ideas. “When I commissioned all the composers, I didn’t specify to them any limitations whatsoever.”

As a result, their approaches vary widely. About half use electronic enhancement or elements, while the rest don’t. “I met with most of them and worked with them on the material before the pieces were created.”

The compositions were premiered live in 2023. The commissions actually resulted in 15 pieces originally. As he notes, the only percussion composer he’d approached, Russell Hartenberger, broke the rules, i.e. that it be a work for solo snare drum. “He wrote for four percussion and ensemble,” Scott says. “That became its own CD, and is being played all over the place.”

Andrew Staniland’s composition was written for Ryan as a gift as he was completing his doctorate. “It’s been performed all over the place,” he notes.

Part of the impetus for the album is to add to the global repertoire for solo drum. “We don’t have a lot of repertoire that is transportable,” he notes of percussionists in general. Music for solo snare drum is one of the more significant exceptions.

“It’s incredibly appealing to percussionists,” he says. As a percussionist, it’s an opportunity to savour. Typically, performance means either hauling or accessing a daunting series of instruments that can be heavy, bulky, and awkward to carry. “I call it a lifestyle.”

The Composers

How did he come to choose these 14 composers?

“I’m also the artistic director at Continuum,” Scott explains. He’s a very active member of the contemporary music community both in Toronto and beyond, and he’s maintained great relationships with composers and others after working in the industry for 30 years. He was looking for a diverse range of music, and found it in this group. “These composers would be a very interesting mix,” he thought. “[It’s] Canadian repertoire that will have a global impact.”

The music speaks for itself. “It’s not like one piece is necessarily better than another.”

As he points out, some composers looked to explore percussion techniques, while others adopted a more conceptual approach. “It’s just a really interesting exploration of what’s possible with the instrument.”

Nicole Lizée, for example, uses what’s called a gravity blast roll in her piece The Far Night.fm. It’s a technique used by heavy metal drummers. “Just to get that technique down, it took me seven or eight months,” he says.

The album’s impact should spread well beyond the percussion community per se. He says that the live performance was sold out, and audience comments afterwards were revealing. “Often times, a lot of the comments came from some of the more introspective pieces,” he says.

Naturally, assembling a body of 14 original commissioned pieces was no small feat. It began with the funding, which came from a Canada Council grant of a type that was new at the time. “I was awarded that in December 2020 right in the heart of the pandemic.”

He gave the individual composers flexible deadlines, and says most of the works were completed within two years. “I think the last work came in a couple of months before [the September 2023 live premiere].”

The recording project came immediately after. “Three days later I went into the studio with Paul Talbott,” he says. Talbott, a recording engineer, is the spouse of composer Emilie Cecilia LeBel. “We recorded it over two days.

Final Thoughts

“I’m really grateful to the Canada Council for the Arts,” Scott says. “It was a dream to do this project. I dreamt about it for years,” he adds. “I was really delighted that it happened at all.”

Additional support from the Ontario Arts Council supported the recording. “I broke even,” he laughs.

“Ultimately, a lot of gratitude,” he adds. “My gratitude is to the composers. No one said no.” He says they all approached it with excitement. “It’s beyond my imagination.”

It was a challenge to keep up with 14 different approaches to the instrument. “They really kicked my ass,” he says. “They’re all really genuine works. As the art goes, it is genuine and unique, and it is a meaningful contribution to the repertoire.”

He’s looking forward to the album’s release.

“I’m glad that five year so on, it’s finally off my desk, and on to something else.”