About

“…it is in the subtleties of development and intuition that make Webb stand out.” (I Care If You Listen, 2018)

Originally from South Africa, Steven Webb (b.1989) is a Tkarón:to (Toronto) based composer and sound designer, living as a settler on the traditional territory of the Huron-Wendat and Petun First Nations, the Seneca, and the Mississauga’s of the Credit. Webb creates new music and video art from an eclectic mix of influences including retro science-fiction, horror, 1990s computer software and video game culture, obsolete consumer gear, and the orchestral cinematic tradition.

His current compositional work is concerned with examining the contemporary human experience, with the disorientation, confusion, and dread that arises from living in a world dealing with a climate crisis, growing conflict and marginalization towards minority groups, and the increasing isolation of the individual in spite of our hyper-connectivity. Viewed through the personal lens of his battle with mental illness and his own queerness, Webb creates art primarily by investing in community-based music making, aligning his musical output and practices to create closer communities through public performances, sound installations and musical recordings. 

Webb’s artistic output ranges from works for orchestra, to choirs, to glitch electronica scores for video games, with his compositions and arrangements having been performed by: The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, The Scarborough Philharmonic Orchestra, The Thin Edge Music Collective, Pro Coro Canada, The Hamilton Children’s Choir, Exultate Chamber Singers, and Prairie Voices, among many others.

As a film composer, Webb’s credits include: ‘Chopin’s Heart’ for The National Screen Institute, ‘Period Piece’, winner of the best Canadian Short Film at the Toronto After Dark Film Festival, and ‘Scheduled Violence’ for MTS On Demand.  As a producer and audio engineer, Webb has worked with bands including: The Lytics, Vikings, and Moses Mayes, and has done audio work for Harper Collins, Strata Studios and Astron 6 Video International. A recent graduate from the Doctorate of Musical Arts program at the University of Toronto, he currently works as a full-time composer, sound designer and collaborative pianist.

Webb is a member of the Society of Composers, Authors, and Music Publishers, (SOCAN), as well as the Screen Composers Guild of Canada, and is an Associate Composer at the Canadian Music Centre.