City, province/state, country:
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
What is your first memory related to the magic of music?
I know I connect very deeply with the emotions of music. When I look back, the power of music hit me hardest as a child in church. It was mystical, dark chants and hymns that affected me. I am as affected by the spiritual aspect of music now, more so than ever before.
What were your first steps in making magic through music?
The first time I felt I could manipulate music for myself was when I was learning to play the cello and I could harness the emotions of the music under my fingertips and bring the music alive by performing it with my heart and soul open. This was a very powerful feeling for a shy, awkward teenager who struggled with self confidence, back then and now. To feel this awesome talent blossom and yet I was always in awe that I could do this, that I could play so well. It took many years for me to own this talent…it was really with disbelief that I was doing it with my own two hands – something magical.
Why did you choose to be a composer?
I never thought I could create or compose. In my student days at the University of Toronto and at the Curtis Institute of Music, I was fixated on being the best cellist possible and interpreting great works. I didn’t hear any music of my own. Two things happened…I gave everything away at a traumatic time in my life, and I began reading the spiritual books of Dr. Wayne Dyer. I felt I had to create something out of nothing…and the music came. It was like a dormant, hidden gift that I had inside; I followed and listened carefully to what it was telling me.
What have the last 10 years of your career been like?
It has catapulted from the real into the surreal. I used to be a symphony musician playing other composers’ music, and now I create my own music and I try to capture the magic that is within me. Having sat on stage for over 25 years playing some of the most incredible masterpieces, I now search for a way to create my own world of music and magic. At the same time that the music that I produce is bursting forth and I have so much to tell through my music, the music business has been tough and something I am struggling with. I am trying to write for film, release my own CDs, and create a market for my unique style of music. This is easier said than done. I seem to run out of energy for the business side of things and this needs to improve.
Any advice for someone starting out in your field?
I have three bits of advice:
- We are all destined to find our unique talent and the fire within that will drive us to create and never give up. So never give up…life and music is a trial and error. Keep trying, keep experimenting, keep driving your vision to new heights, keep making mini-challenges so that you continue to grow into your future voice.
- The process is everything. Your process will be unique to you and no one can replicate your process. Don’t judge it, be open to the idea that anything can happen, let your mind go and just be the process. This is where the real is transformed into magic…it must be protected at all costs. Trust your process.
- I seem to get discouraged, not so much with the music, but with the business and trying to make ends meet…even now. When you feel low, write it, play it, cry, sleep, take some time to recharge, call a friend, do whatever you need for your soul to feel better and then continue…full speed ahead.
What could be improved in your country with regard to the business and culture of music?
So much. So so much. Respecting and valuing new music, helping struggling composers to gain exposure in the country and in the world. I feel so isolated and not heard. Just listen would be a first step. Take the time to listen.
Current / next creative project that you’re excited about…tell us more!
My next CD album will be about how the Angels have guided me…I have four Archangels that have either forced me to grow or have helped shield me and give me inspiration. It sounds crazy, but the Archangels Michael, Gabriel, Muriel and Raffaele have all been a part of my life. I will describe my story through music. The Unbearable Light of Angels and The Unbearable Dark of Angels…this is my next personal project.
Is there a new creative direction / kind of project you would like to explore in the future?
Oh yes…through WWMU I have worked with Julian Garcia Reig, and we concocted the most wonderful musical theatre show in our heads and even recorded demo arias for it! The Lady of the Moon exists in our dreams and she will one day drop into this world from the moon, into the sculptor’s studio, to inspire him to create his greatest masterpiece that will usher in a new era. This is a huge project that sits on my periphery and I dream of it culminating!
Favorite project you’ve worked on.
Creating arias for the great Canadian soprano Donna Brown to sing with 12 cellos in a half hour work called ‘Between Worlds’. And I can’t forget Rage Angel…music I write with my musical partner Craig McConnell. It’s superb and blows away all my expectations of what my music can sound like…it’s my cellos and electronics and we scored one feature film together and hopefully more soon!
Favorite artist.
Ángel Muriel. He is my dear friend and one of the greatest living master painters who has inspired me and we created ‘Art in Diving Harmony’ together. He is my twin creative spirit who lives in Spain and one day we will get together to make a presentation of our music and paintings that speak the same language. It is a mystical partnership that has spanned eternity and now is joined together again.
Favorite instrument.
The mind and the heart…then the cello.
Favorite local food from your country?
I’m partial to sweet things, so although Poutine is very Canadian, Beaver Tails (delicious deep fried flat dough shaped like a beaver’s tail and dipped in cinnamon/sugar topped with lemon juice) is a guilty favourite!
