George Tremblay

Who was George Tremblay?

George Amédée Tremblay was a Canadian composer who was active in the United States. Although his works display a broad range of stylistic influences, he is particularly associated with the twelve-tone technique. His compositional output includes three string quartets, three sonatas, and three symphonies, one of which was recorded by the Hamburger Symphoniker.

Born in Ottawa, Tremblay was the son of composer and organist Amédée Tremblay. He began his initial musical training at a young age with his father. In 1920 his family moved to Salt Lake City, Utah, when his father was appointed organist at the Cathedral of the Madeleine. They moved again in 1925, when Amédée become the organist at St. Vincent de Paul Church in Los Angeles. Soon after, Tremblay became a pupil of Arnold Schoenberg in that city. In 1965 he founded the School for the Discovery and Advancement of New Serial Techniques.