Dr. Quinn Jacobs is a Toronto-based composer, arts administrator, performer, and educator. His creative interests include sound, movement, reflection, transparency, and the natural world.
Quinn composes for ensembles and organizations of all varieties, and has recently worked with Esprit Orchestra (contemporary orchestra, Toronto), 90th Parallel Productions (film studio, Toronto), Bakarlari (new music collective, Montreal), NOW Ensemble (contemporary chamber ensemble, New York City), Thinkin' Big (big band, Boston), and the Jong Nederlands Blazers Ensemble (wind ensemble, Amsterdam). His works have been performed in Toronto, Montreal, Halifax, Boston, Chicago, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Finland, and elsewhere in North America and Europe.
In addition to his work as a composer, Quinn has been a key member of arts organizations in Toronto. He is the Founding Artistic Director of Din of Shadows, an experimental music theatre company dedicated to commissioning and producing interdisciplinary works by Canadian creators. Founded in 2017, the company has worked with 51 creators, performers, and technical personnel from across a number of artistic fields. He also sits on the Board of Directors of Angela Blumberg Dance, a charitable dance organization in Toronto. As well, in 2016 and 2017 he served as the Composer-in-Residence and Music Director for The Secret Shakespeare Series, a theatre company for which he scored five plays.
Quinn has been active throughout his career as a guitarist and bassist, performing in jazz, soul, rock, and pop groups in Toronto, Boston, and The Netherlands. He currently performs with Toronto-based groups Human Magic, an energetic disco/ ska band, and Supersonic Hearts Band, a wedding/ corporate group.
A devoted teacher, Quinn has been involved with music education in different contexts for eight years. He has served as a Teacher's Assistant at the University of Toronto (music theory and ear training), a Core Music Tutor at Berklee College of Music, a Course Developer's Assistant at Berklee Online, and as an individual guitar and bass instructor at small music academies and independently. He is also developing an educational music theory card game geared toward students at the beginner and intermediate levels, which he plans to publish in 2021.
Quinn holds a Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) in Composition from the University of Toronto, a Master of Music (MMus) in Composition from The Utrecht Conservatory, and a Bachelor of Music (BMus) in Jazz Composition and Guitar Performance from Berklee College of Music. He is represented by the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN), and has received funding from the Toronto Arts Council, the Ontario Arts Council, and the SOCAN Foundation.