1. I only own one Tragically Hip album – Up to Here, released in 1989. It was the Hip’s debut album. I was in high school working part-time at a music store in Ottawa. CHEZ 106 radio was pumping out the rock through the speakers at the store. Downie’s voice was infectious, the band was […]
This week, I’m guest blogging for the Canadian Music Centre. It’s the second in a series of blogs where I explore compositions by my colleagues that are on social justice themes or impactful contemporary events. The composition that caught my ear this month is Iman Habibi’s, Colour of Freedom. A beautiful choral work inspired by […]
I’ve had the flute on my mind recently. 2 of my 4 new albums have tracks that feature the flute. Many of my compositions include the flute. The flute has always resonated with me because of it’s lyrical and sweet quality. So since I’ve been thinking a lot about the flute lately, it only seems […]
I don’t blush too often. So I guess that’s why I’m hyper-aware that it happened twice this past week… The first time was Tuesday when I read the latest edition of WholeNote Magazine and came across an in-depth review of my 4 new albums. Mr. Da Gama’s review contained such beautiful prose. I had never […]
Usually when I write my blog posts, I very rarely struggle to find the right words to express what I’m feeling. But on this occasion, it’s different. In a nutshell, I’m overwhelmed! I’m overwhelmed by all the kind words and sharing of emotions on how the new music from the 4 new albums has made […]
Album Release Week culminates today with the premiere of Love in 6 Stages! This was such a fun album to write and make because it was the only vocal album of the 4 (Me to We, The Current Agenda, You Haven’t Been), it’s also the only “pop” oriented of the 4 and it’s also the […]
Album 3 of 4 for Release Week (here’s #1 & #2) is a solo piano album called, You Haven’t Been. Of the 4, it’s the most personal since all the pieces are inspired by my long-term battle with depression and anxiety. All 13 pieces on this album were written over the last 4 or 5 […]
Album Release Week takes a major turn today with the unveiling of The Current Agenda. While yesterday was all about sharing the themes of love and togetherness, today is all about using the power of music to bring awareness to some of the major injustices in our world. The 6 compositions that make-up The Current […]
Album Release Week kicks off today with Me to We, an album of three of my chamber compositions in the neo-romantic vain. It’s sort of a rarity to release an album so short in duration in the classical world (under 30 minutes) but it always felt right to compile only these 3 pieces into one […]
Starting this Monday, Sept 18, I’ll be doing something a little “different” in the world of music…I’ll be releasing 4 new albums of my compositions on 4 consecutive days! The stars seemed to align for me to get all these projects off the ground at the same time. But more than fate, everything culminating to […]
This week, I’m guest blogging for the Canadian Music Centre. It’s the first in a series of blogs where I explore compositions by my colleagues that are on social justice themes or impactful contemporary events. As we now recognize the 16th Anniversary of 9/11, it’s only fitting to consider Melissa Hui’s poignant work, And blue […]
As many of you might know, I’m a huge sports fan – always have been for as long as I can remember. In fact, one of my earliest memories in life is watching a hockey game between the Buffalo Sabres and Vancouver Canucks at a family friend’s home when I was just 3 years old. […]
Dear Hater, There’s been a lot of talk about you lately. You feel courageous to speak out, to share your thoughts, to have your voice heard. You want your white skin to be respected and revered. You want things to be the way they used to, you want “America to be great again”. There’s no […]
This crazy musical odyssey of releasing 4 different albums of music all at once has been 2 years in the making. In my world, 24 months is a long time for these types of projects to be lingering. And while I’ll admit that working on the 4 albums was a very fulfilling experience (especially because […]
“Some may say that I couldn’t sing, but no one can say that I didn’t sing.” – Florence Foster Jenkins This is my 2nd blog post in a row where watching a film has prompted me to think about life. Last week, it was A Man Called Ove and this week it’s Florence Foster Jenkins. […]
