Assistant Professor, Music Industry & Technology
School of Fine Art and Music
Email:
amanswel@uoguelph.ca
Office:
MCKN 211
Aaron Manswell
Aaron Manswell is a dynamic composer, producer and conductor whose work transcends boundaries, weaving together classical, R&B, hip-hop and gospel into richly textured sonic narratives. Born and raised in Toronto, his compositions have been celebrated for emotional depth and contemporary resonance, earning performances and recordings by prestigious ensembles such as the San Francisco Symphony, the Nathaniel Dett Chorale, and Choral Arts Initiative—whose 2024 album Tapestry of Becoming (featuring his acclaimed piece “Stick with Love”) soared to No. 1 on Billboard’s Traditional Classical Albums chart.
In February 2023, he was featured in the Canadian Opera Company’s Showcase Series, presenting Off-Spring Live—a concert highlighting his genre-fluid compositions. His creative leadership extends to his appointment as Composer-in-Residence of the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir for the 2024/2025 season, where he continued to shape the future of choral music.
Beyond the concert hall, Manswell is a sought-after music producer and keyboardist, collaborating with multi-platinum selling Canadian artists DVSN and Juno award-winning singer/songwriters Nemahsis, Dylan Sinclair, Savannah Ré, and Ryan Ofei to name a few. Recently, he was tapped by multi-platinum American Alternative R&B artist Mariah the Scientist to orchestrate and conduct the strings for her live performance of “Burning Blue” on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and also provided orchestration on the outro of her new album Hearts Sold Separately (“No More Entertainers”). His versatility also shines in film scoring, where he crafts evocative original music. A dedicated educator, he previously served as Wind Band Conductor at Crawford Adventist Academy, guiding student ensembles to top festival honours and live recordings.
Named to Oakwood University “40 Under 40 of 2025” Alumni list
Winner of 2024 Cantabile Choirs of Kingston BIPOC Song Competition Commission
Winner of the 2022 Grand Philharmonic Choir Composition Competition
Runner up for the 2023 ACDA Brock Prize for Student Composers
Led the 2017-18 Crawford Adventist Academy Concert Winds to win 1st place in the Canadian Composers category for Secondary School Bands at the adjudicated Toronto Kiwanis Music Festival 2018.
Led the 2015-16 Crawford Adventist Academy Concert Winds to the receive the Gold Award (top standard) at the adjudicated Oshawa-Whitby Kiwanis Music Festival 2016 in the category of Secondary School Senior Bands
Bachelor of Music in Composition & Recording Arts, Oakwood University (2013)
Master of Music in Composition, University of Memphis (2020)
Doctor of Music Arts in Composition, University of Toronto (ABD)
Toronto Mendelssohn Choir - "Music with Purpose: Composer-in-Residence Aaron Manswell on His Latest Composition" by Yasaman Nouri
Ludwig Van Toronto - SCRUTINY: "Composer Aaron Manswell's Work Shines in Toronto Mendelssohn Choir Season Opener" by Hye Won Cecelia Lee
Ludwig Van Toronto - THE SCOOP: "Sistema Toronto Students Create a Hip-Hop Single and Learn About the Power of Music" by Anya Wassenberg
Grand Philharmonic Choir - "Composer Aaron Manswell wins GPC Composition Competition" by Grand Philharmonic Choir