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 […]
I decided to take one of those online personality tests for the first time. So, why not do it in real time on camera!? Am I an introvert or an extrovert? Observant or intuitive? A thinker or a feeler? Check out the video for the reveal!
I’m really happy to announce that I will be spending a 3-week residency this summer at the Dorland Mountain Arts Colony in the beautiful Temecula Valley, California! I’m over the moon happy since this will be the first time I have ever attended an artist’s residence. As a Canadian musician, it is sort of a […]
I’ve been fighting the “winter blues” lately. Then again, I tend to have to fight the “winter blues” at many random points of any given year. So ya, it’s probably just the usual depression. So my lovely and supportive wife thought we needed to change things up and have a change of atmosphere. How to […]
Lisa and I are considering selling our Toronto condo and replacing it with a smaller space. We presently live in a 2-bedroom that’s over 700 sq. feet. One of the 2 bedrooms is our office. It’s a nice place…we enjoy it. But the idea of getting rid of more stuff and buying a one bedroom […]
As a composer, one of the steps in the creative process that I often find mentally difficult to grapple with is coming up with a title for a new work. Sometimes it can be so annoying that I often wish I could just call something “Untitled”. But it’s never gotten that bad that I’ve had […]
Dear Alden, The news of your passing has saddened me deeply. Even though you finally succumbed to your battle with cancer, somehow I thought you would live forever. How would I not think that since every time I saw you, you were filled with such spirit and joy to live? You should have lived forever. […]
I recently attended the opening night of the Royal Conservatory’s 21C New Music Festival. It was a great evening of music by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and featured compositions by the likes of Terry Riley (who was present) and several amazing and dynamic Canadian composers. Before the concert began, RCM’s Executive Director of Performing Arts, […]
Follow-up to last week’s post…week 2 of the intense fast/cleanse is complete and since I’m physically able to type this post, I guess I survived:)! After a week 1 that featured just water and plain soup broth, week 2 felt like such a delight since I was able to eat one different green vegetable per […]
I spent a 7-day transition from 2018 to 2019 executing an intense fast/cleanse. The one and only time I had fasted was 20 years ago but I did not last a full week. This time I did, living off of water and soup broth. To say that this was an incredibly demanding physical and mental […]
As I write this, I’m sitting at my kitchen table looking at the Christmas tree that my wife and I lovingly decorate every year and a nice little red poinsettia that a friend brought over to our condo earlier this week. Yes, it’s official…I’m in the Christmas spirit! Whoever decided that Christmas should take place […]
