Picture of Kelsea Hopkins (composer) sitting in front of a small body of water surrounded by mountains as a way of sharing her Canadian West Coast roots. The picture is taken during blue hour (right before sunset) and the colours from the sky reflect on the water.

photo by devera media

Biography

Kelsea Hopkins is a Canadian-Filipino composer, double bassist, and music teacher currently based in Toronto. Her work leverages sound-based symbolism to engage listeners on an instinctive level, drawing on multi-disciplinary approaches to music inspired by her biracial identity and lived experiences.

Hopkins has collaborated with a wide range of performers and ensembles, including the Capital Chamber Choir, the University of Ottawa Symphony Orchestra, and the Her Endangered Melody Project based at the Royal Northern College of Music. In 2023, she received a SOCAN Canadian Composer Award for her piece biographical sounds (2023) for mixed ensemble, a work that explores genre fluidity and storytelling. Her compositions have also been recognized by the University of Toronto, the University of Ottawa, the Icarus Quartet, and the Domaine Forget de Charlevoix.

Her portfolio features works for double bass, string orchestra, wind quintet, saxophone quartet, and mixed ensembles. As a performer, she is active as a double bassist and occasionally works in cover bands and mariachi groups.

Hopkins is currently pursuing a Master of Music degree in composition at the University of Toronto. Alongside her graduate studies, she teaches piano and electric bass at a local music school.

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