Dr. Quinn Jacobs (he/him) is a Toronto-based composer, artistic director, game inventor, and educator.
Quinn has started TWO MAJOR PROJECTS. He is the Founding Artistic Director of Din of Shadows, a non-proscenium performing arts company dedicated to commissioning and producing interdisciplinary works by Canadian creators from the worlds of music, dance, and theatre. Founded in 2017, the company has worked with 92 artists and technical personnel toward 24 world premieres across seven events.
Quinn is the inventor of Noteplay, a series of four educational music theory card games. The games are teaching tools for 1-on-1, small group, and classroom settings, and can be played with students of all levels, ages 5 and up. The games have been in development since 2015, and are planned for publication in 2025. He also researches the intersection between play, games, and education in his role as graduate assistant at OISE’s Play Lab.
Quinn has WORKED IN THE ARTS for over 15 years.
As a music teacher, he has worked as a professor at the University of Toronto (Listening to Music), a teacher’s assistant at the University of Toronto (theory, musical skills), a tutor at Berklee College of Music (harmony, counterpoint), a composer mentor with the Esprit Orchestra, and an individual and group instructor at small academies and independently (guitar, piano, ensembles, theory, composition).
As a performer, he has played over 200 gigs on guitar and bass, dating back to 2006. He has recently performed and recorded with Human Magic (disco/ funk), Ver Novum (art rock), Supersonic Hearts Band (wedding), Drago Dit Dragon (shoegaze), Shotty Horroh (rap/ rock), and Thinkin’ Big (big band jazz).
As a leader, he has served on the board of Angela Blumberg Dance since 2019, he was the Music Director and Composer-in-Residence for The Secret Shakespeare Series from 2016 to 2017 (scored five plays during tenure), he was a Student Ambassador for three years at Berklee College of Music, and he was his high school’s graduating Valedictorian.
Quinn COMPOSES for ensembles and organizations of all varieties, and has recently worked with 90th Parallel Productions (film studio, Toronto), Bakarlari (new music collective, Montreal), Chamber Jazz Consort + Lars Danielsson (chamber jazz ensemble, Brussels), Edson Ensemble (chamber jazz ensemble, Amsterdam), Esprit Orchestra (contemporary orchestra, Toronto), the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra (orchestra, Hamilton), NOW Ensemble (contemporary chamber ensemble, New York City), and Thinkin’ Big (big band, Boston). Over 35 of his works have been performed publicly, at venues like The Music Gallery (Toronto), The House of Jazz (Montreal), Ryles Jazz Club (Boston), Ganz Hall (Chicago), Concertgebouw (Amsterdam), RASA (Utrecht), and Espacio Disparate (Buenos Aires); and festivals like Fresh Inc (Wisconsin), TUTTI (Ohio), Gaudeamus (Utrecht), Grachtenfestival (Amsterdam), The Nordic Saxophone Festival (Finland), Talis (Switzerland), and Tammefestival (Estonia).
Some other things to include at the BOTTOM OF A BIO:
Degrees like a Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) in Composition from the University of Toronto, a Master of Music (MMus) in Composition from The Utrecht Conservatory, a Bachelor of Music (BMus) in Jazz Composition and Guitar Performance from Berklee College of Music (dual major), and an expected (2027) Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Curriculum & Pedagogy from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE). Memberships to organizations like the Canadian Music Centre (Associate Composer), the Ontario Music Educators’ Association, the International Society for Music Education, and the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada. Funding from the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council, the Toronto Arts Council, and the SOCAN Foundation.
Interviews: text interview with the Canadian Music Centre (2022), video interview with Esprit Orchestra (2020), video interview with Ludwig Van (2019).
Academic Curriculum Vitae (PDF)