Michelle Lorimer
Michelle Lorimer is a composer for visual media and concert stage.
She has worked as assistant composer to Bruce Fowler, composing cues for an episode of CBC's The Nature of Things ("Bug Sex, It's Complicated") streaming on CBC GEM & nominated for a CSA in 2024. She composed the music for the feature length documentary Words Left Unspoken, by Josiane Blanc and Rayne Zukerman, (nominated for best documentary at the 2025 CSA's & screened at the ReelWorld Film Festival + streaming on CBC GEM). Michelle has also collaborated with Josiane Blanc on her short film Loud & Here, part of Hot Docs 2023 Citizen Minutes Series 2 (CBC Gem & Crave). Most recently, Michelle scored the music for Toronto filmmaker Chrisann Hessing's Crossing the Divide, (Hot Docs Citizen Minutes 3 series). She's also worked with Toronto filmmaker Geordie Sabbagh, scoring his feature length documentary, When I Go Outside, on Kurdish-Syrian visual artist Bistyek. Michelle composed the music for the short animated film Rocketship Mai, as part of the Women in Animation ACE 4 team, and the film will screen at the Siggraph Animation Festival in Los Angeles, and at the Annecy International Film Festival with ACE Canada, in the summer of 2026.
In addition to composing for screen, Michelle enjoys composing for live performance. Commuting, her piece for violin & flute was commissioned by The Sonority Sisters (a duo comprised of TSO principal flutist Kelly Zimba Lukić and associate concertmaster Clare Semes), as part of a relay piece featuring six Toronto composers, funded by the New World Symphony. Her pieces for larger and smaller ensemble have been premiered by the Peterborough Concert Band, under the direction of Saman Shahi; the Allegra Chamber Orchestra, under the direction of Janna Sailor; Duo Holz (percussionist Mike Murphy and violinist Aysel Taghi-Zada); the Charis Collective (cellist Alexandra Fol & violist Emily Hiemstra); the NU Quintet in New York City and the Boston based Gaia String Quartet. Her pieces for solo cello & a cappella choir have also been workshopped at the American String Teachers National Conference (ASTA) and read by the Pax Christi Chorale & the VIVA Singers Toronto choir. In November 2024, a movement from her Suite for Grief was read by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, as part of their annual Explore the Score program for emerging composers. Michelle was awarded a Johanna Metcalf protegé prize, nominated by 2025 Metcalf Performing Arts Prize winner, Canadian composer Kevin Wilks Lau.
The best of both worlds is when she can bring live recording into her media scoring. As part of the Alliance for Women Film Composer's Live Recording Initiative, she composed & recorded a piece for string orchestra with the FAMES orchestra in Macedonia, under the mentorship of American film composer Ariel Marx (Candy, A Small Light, Sanctuary). In addition, she's enjoyed mentorship through the SCGC mentorship program and participation in SOCAN's Lab for Emerging Screen Composers.
Michelle studied Music Composition at Humber College, where she was awarded the Dean's Award for Music Composition. Her teachers include noted bassist and recording engineer Justin Gray, composer Kevin Wilks Lau & orchestrator/composer Rebecca Pellett. She holds an ARCT in piano performance and has enjoyed performing with local ensembles, including the Ontario Pops Orchestra. Before switching careers to follow her passion for composing music, she worked as a music director and as an English and French teacher for the York Region School Board.
She lives in the Etobicoke neighbourhood of Toronto with her husband, two kids, and two cats. In her spare time, she likes to sing with friends at L'Arche Daybreak & teach music to young people & her children.
