Ronald Beckett

[1][2] Beckett grew up in Simcoe, Ontario, and received his early piano training from Raymond Daniels who also encouraged him with his composing career which began at the age of eleven.

[3][4] His original compositions and arrangements formed the basis of annual Christmas Eve home concerts held for neighbours and friends.

[8][10][11] In 1998, Beckett transformed his existing ensemble into the present day Arcady Ensemble – an internationally-acclaimed collective of 150 singers, instrumentalists, and dancers based in Ontario, Canada dedicated to the mentorship of emerging artists and the performance of new music by Ronald Beckett as well as Arcady's emerging artist and affiliated composers.

is a collection of Ronald Beckett’s original holiday season compositions and arrangements which are frequently heard in Arcady’s annually staged concerts entitled There’s a Song in the Air.

[8] Beckett is known for his contributions to historically informed concerts and most recently the directing of numerous Handel's Messiah productions performed by Arcady Ensemble each year.

[4] On June 23, 2017, Ruth was performed in Brantford, Ontario following a two-week intensive summer program for international emerging artists.