I’m back home in Toronto after a 3-week artist residency at the Dorland Mountain Arts Colony in southern California. It was nice to have a change of scenery though my daily routine stayed pretty much the same, which satisfied my obsessive-compulsive A-type personality:)! It was an extremely productive 3-weeks composing-wise. The main objective of the […]
I’m completing what will be my longest stay in the United States, a 3-week wonderful experience at the Dorland Mountain Arts Colony in Southern California where I have been composing new music. I’ve also had the opportunity to meet many wonderful people. Having great interactions is not unprecedented or surprising. In my previous trips to […]
I really like the David Suzuki Foundation’s list of 10 ways we can all help fight climate change. I highly encourage you to read and share it. I find it to be a great resource and benchmark to assess where I’m at in controlling my own carbon footprint. Here are some things that stood out […]
I feel very grateful to be in Temecula, California attending an artist residency at the Dorland Mountain Arts Colony. The plan was to compose a follow-up to my hour-long piano composition for the dark, Earth Hour. So far, a week into my 3 weeks here, I’ve been composing something else. It’s also an hour-long piece, […]
For the past few weeks, I’ve been very fortunate to sit in on rehearsals for the new musical, Spend Your Kids’ Inheritance. I’ve composed the music for this show. It’s been a part of my life for the past five years. I’m so happy to see it hit an important moment with its world premiere […]
This week I received the news that my former piano teacher, Boyanna Toyich, passed away. When I saw the news flash over my screen, I was stunned and suddenly filled with an immense amount of grief. When I was a student at the University of Toronto, Faculty of Music from 1993-97, she was a key […]
The city and country I call home have become entranced by a game where you put a ball through a basket. And I too have been caught up in the frenzy of the Raptors becoming NBA Champions. On the surface, that doesn’t make much sense…why would a composer of modern art music care about sports? […]
From May 13 to June 4, Lisa and I were so fortunate to have a dream trip to Europe. It’s not like it was our first trip to Europe…we’ve been a bunch of times over the years. But this trip seemed extra special in that we had a chance to visit with people we admire […]
Yet another video posted on my Twitter feed this morning of plastic and garbage floating en masse in a pristine waterway. Despite the good intent of many to spread the word, research shows that the problem of plastic being dumped in our lakes, rivers and oceans is getting worse. Many community groups have taken up […]
I’m so excited this week! I’ve been working on the music for this musical project for 5 years now. But this is the first week when I can really talk about it coming to life since we’re about 2 months away from unleashing Spend Your Kids’ Inheritance onto the world, or at least at the […]
I am so grateful to be in an incredibly loving marriage with my soulmate. But ironically, I have no interest in wearing my wedding ring. At least that’s the way it’s been for the past couple of years. Yes, my ring finger has been “al fresco” for a while now. My 22nd wedding anniversary comes […]
Very excited to share that Lisa and I will be in Europe this May! It’s been quite a while since we crossed “the pond” and we’re really looking forward to the sights, sounds, and experiences that await us. Here are the highlights of what we have to look forward to… The European premiere of my […]
My 45th birthday took place on Friday. Lot’s of thoughts have compiled in my mind over all these years. Here’s some of them… 1. Love is the most important thing. 2. As much as a human being would like to think they can lead a solitary life, they can’t. 3. The Toronto Maple Leafs will […]
I’m happy to announce that I have been awarded a major grant from the Canada Council for the Arts to record a new album of my compositions! The album will be called ‘Project Dovetail’. The plan is to release it in the fall of 2020. All the compositions on this album are inspired by works […]
What do I hear in my head? I hear melody. I hear rhythmic patterns. I hear the sonority of particular instruments. I hear the unique combinations of sonority between different instruments. I hear voices. Sometimes they speak. Sometimes they sing. I sometimes hear my own voice in my head. It often encourages me. But it […]
