Spectrum Early Expressions Concert

If you live in the Toronto area, you need to head down to the Annex Theatre to check out this concert! It will feature two of my favourite pianists performing new works by yours truly as well as David Braid, Caitlin Smith, & Ben Dietschi. I also had the pleasure of mentoring Spectrum New Voice Composer in Residence – Nick Lavkulik, who composed a new work for this concert. The theme is Early Expressions: Contemporary musical interpretations of human arts.

Thursday April 17, 2014
Early Expressions featuring David Braid, Florian Hoefner,
and the Ton Beau String Quartet
730 Bathurst St, Toronto, ON
The Annex Theatre
8pm / pre concert chat 7:30pm
Buy Tickets Here!

[slideshow_deploy id=’1884′]

New Voices Composer Residency 2014

Spectrum Music is pleased to announce the inaugural year of our New Voices Composer Residency. Developed in partnership with the Humber Community Music School, and facilitated by Spectrum Artistic Advisor, Daniel Jamieson, this initiative allows a promising young composer the opportunity to develop and present a new work at an upcoming Spectrum concert through a guided mentorship process.

Six outstanding candidates from the Humber Community Music program took part in an all day workshop with NYC-based composer Daniel Jamieson. During this intensive workshop participants received individual instruction from Jamieson, along with collaborative peer feedback. One outstanding candidate from this group was selected as the 2013-’14 Spectrum Music Young Composer in Residence.

Guitarist Nick Lavkulik has been selected as the 2014 Spectrum New Voices Composer. In the next two months Nick will complete a work for piano quintet under the tutelage of Daniel Jamieson, to premiere at Early Expressions on April 17th, 2014. Lavkulik will workshop the piece hands-on with the Ton Beau String Quartet and NYC-based pianist Florian Hoefner.

Spectrum is pleased to welcome Nick, as the first participant in what we hope will become an annual program. Our goal is to support and connect with the next generation of contemporary Jazz composers in this collaborative education initiative.

The Spectrum Young Composer Residency is made possible with the support of Catherine Mitro, Director of the Humber Community Music School, and Daniel Jamieson, Artistic Advisor for Spectrum Music in 2013-’14.

Video: Coltrane Ballads Featuring Mike Ruby

It’s finally here! The video of the September 2013 performance of the Coltrane Ballads Project in Toronto featuring Mike Ruby, John Riley, Arlia de Ruiter, Victor Cheng, and myself is up on YouTube! Both the Danjam & Sneak Peek Orchestras played their butts off. I am very proud of this performance and I am pleased to be able to share it with all of you. Enjoy!

Program (click to jump):
00:36 – Say It (Over & Over Again)
08:04 – It’s Easy to Remember
13:06 – You Don’t Know What Love Is
23:02 – Nancy (With The Laughing Face)
28:50 – What’s New
32:24 – I Wish I Knew
39:02 – All Or Nothing At All
49:15 – Too Young To Go Steady
57:03 – What’s New (encore)

Danjam Orchestra & Sneak Peek Orchestra Present:
COLTRANE BALLADS
Monday September 30th, 2013
Al Green Theatre, Toronto

Mike Ruby: tenor sax
John Riley: drums
Arlia de Ruiter: violin
Victor Cheng: piano
Daniel Jamieson: conductor / arranger

Continue reading “Video: Coltrane Ballads Featuring Mike Ruby”