A young Victoria musician and his premier orchestral symphony are the subjects of a new documentary, The Sound of a Pandemic.
Vancouver Island’s Joseph Boutilier directs the film, which follows the creation of Camilo Aybar’s symphony, rooted in his experience of the COVID-19 pandemic. Aybar was still in high school when he began the project. After premiering it on YouTube, he caught the attention of music professionals and was invited to perform his work in Hillsboro, Ore.
“Camilo Aybar is one of those incredible Vancouver Island characters whose story – and work – deserves more attention,” Boutilier said. “It’s always a win-win when you find a compelling story about a unique artist whose work informs the style and soundtrack of the film itself.”
The symphony, titled Pandemic, “takes listeners through five stages of the crisis, from ‘Outbreak’ to ‘Vaccine.’”
Aybar, who was born and raised in Victoria, is a classically trained clarinetist who has performed with multiple orchestras across Vancouver Island. He is an ambitious talent who wrote his first composition just two weeks after picking up the clarinet. Aybar says music has helped him express his emotions, from light to dark.
“As the days turned into weeks, and the weeks turned into months, the reality was cemented that this pandemic is going to leave a serious mark on human history,” Aybar says in the opening minutes of the film.
“Since I had so much time during the lockdown, I decided to start my first symphony, making each movement a different stage of the pandemic.”
The symphony, which came early in Aybar’s musical career, emerged during the closure of the Victoria Conservatory of Music (VCM) due to lockdowns. Without access to lessons, master classes and chamber groups, Aybar turned to composing as a way to navigate the crisis
“He was so remarkably good for someone just starting out,” said Dr. Jack Edwards, Aybar’s former clarinet instructor at the VCM, recalling the earliest versions of Pandemic.
Aybar is now enrolled at the Royal Conservatory’s prestigious Glenn Gould School of Music in Toronto, where he is working on his second symphony.
The film is Boutilier’s third documentary, following Penny Girl and Growing Hope. The project was funded by Telus Storyhive, with support from the National Film Institute, Cinevic, the VCM and the Greater Victoria Youth Orchestra.
The Sound of a Pandemic is available on Telus Optik TV channel 9, Stream+ and the Storyhive YouTube channel now.
