Composer/Writer/Musician/Educator/Sound Artist Holly Winter’s work has been described as striking, theatrical, and 'whimsical with an edge.' Her diverse background is evident in her work, which implements visual art, theatrics, poetry, and improvisation. Her creative process is driven by her fascinations with colour, metaphor and exploring how context informs our perception of meaning. She is most well known for her graphic and animated scores, which integrate colour and gesture and invites a sense of play.

Holly’s work has been presented across Canada, Europe, and the United States including at Blueridge Chamber Music Festival (Vancouver, BC), Sound Symposium (St. John’s, NL) The 21st Century Guitar Conference (Ottawa, ON), The Tuckamore Music Festival (St. John’s, NL), FestivELLE presented by The Allegra Chamber Orchestra (Vancouver, BC), and Fresh Squeezed Vocal Lab (New York, NY). Her work has been presented at two Muscan Conferences and her piece nothing to do with explosions won Alkali Collective’s 2023 call for scores contest. Her work has been featured on the YouTube Channel ScoreFollower and has been performed by many talented musicians including hornist Kate Warren, guitarist Ben Diamond, pianist Jennifer King and percussionist Beverley Johnston.

Holly holds a Master of Music degree from the University of British Columbia where she studied with Jocelyn Morlock, Keith Hamel, and Dorothy Chang. She also holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador where she studied composition with Andrew Staniland and clarinet with Christine Carter. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts from University of King’s College in Philosophy and Creative Writing. She has been the recipient of a myriad of scholarships and distinctions in her academic career. She has been selected to participate in many workshops for composers including HATCH (2020), Allegra Chamber Orchestra’s Composer Incubation Program (2021), The VSO Jean Coulthard Reading Series (2023) and Opera from Scratch (2022). 

Raised on the east coast, Holly now lives and works on the unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. Holly is a passionate educator and works as a musical mentor at the Sarah McLachlan School of Music. She is an avid hobby collector and loves learning new skills, even if her closet is running out of space for craft supplies.