Born in New York, Ms. Ryvers obtained a degree in music at
Carleton University, where she studied composition with Deirdre Piper and Patrick Cardy, voice with Gloria Jean Nagy, and Djembe (an African hand drum) with
Yaya Diallo. Because of her interest in acoustics, sound, and technology, specifically their relevance and application to composition / electroacoustic composition, Alyssa apprenticed with Robert Allan, Head Sound Engineer at the
National Arts Centre.
Ms. Ryvers has written for a variety of solo instruments, chamber ensembles, orchestra, and, in collaboration with other artists, multimedia as well as film. Currently, Alyssa is working on a new piece for orchestra, musique concrète and female vocalist. Hologram, for orchestra, commissioned by the
American Festival of Microtonal Music, was premiered in Manhattan. Ms. Ryvers has had many performances of her work, a number of national and local broadcasts on
CBC Radio and
Radio Canada, as well as a variety of print, radio, and television interviews, and written reviews. In 2000, she received a grant from the Canada Council for the Arts, and was successful in obtaining a Grant-in-Aid from the Helen Creighton Folklore Society (Folk music/lore collection). In 1996, she received two CBC commissions, and in 1989 won in the composition category of the Alliance for Canadian New Music Projects competition for her chamber work Fall Transformation.
