Canada native Gary Schmidt decided at an early age that he would be a pianist when he grew up. Mostly self-taught as a child, he eventually studied at both Tyndale College and the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. “A Classical Meditation, “ a collection of fifteen pieces composed for solo piano and interpreted here […]
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Moods, Impressions & Souvenirs: About the Music, Part 2
This is the second in a series of blog posts about the stories that inspired the music in my April release Moods, Impressions & Souvenirs. Last time I talked about my visiting Prague, Czech Republic; today I will talk about the experiences that shaped two other travel-related pieces and one more. The last stop on […]
IMPRESSIONS by Shoshana Michel
Shoshana Michel’s fifth album, “Impressions,” features thirteen original solo piano compositions and is arguably Shoshana’s most intimate collection to date. Recorded and engineered by Joe Bongiorno, the piano sound is exquisite; the beautiful cover art, reminiscent of a Van Gogh painting, is also quite striking. And without exception, every performance is flawless. The opening track, […]
DAWN CONTEMPLATION by Lisa Swerdlow
One morning last winter, composer and pianist Lisa Swerdlow woke before dawn. Without knowing why, experienced a sense of foreboding and found herself reflecting on her life and contemplating all that she hoped yet to accomplish. She climbed out of bed and headed to the barn to feed her horses, as was her habit, just […]
BLUE BUTTERFLY by Darla Bower
Darla Bower is a composer, pianist, and vocalist who was singing on stage when she was four and taking piano lessons by age six. She attended the Judy Jones School of Music and graduated from the University of North Texas. She has served as an elementary school music teacher and enjoys teaching and performing all […]
PIANO2 by Doug Hammer
“Piano2” (actually “Piano Squared”) is Doug Hammer’s thirteenth release and arguably his most unique to date, as every performance on the album is a duet performed by Doug Hammer and…himself! Inspired by the free-wheeling improvisations that have become a tradition at the end of his solo piano concerts with other artists, Doug decided to try […]
TIME PRESENT, TIME PAST by Greg Starr
Pianist and composer Greg Starr has enjoyed an illustrious career in music, working with such clients as Wisconsin Public Television, Milwaukee Children’s Theater, the Library Of Congress, and Hal Leonard Corporation and such artists as Milli Vanilli, Steve Allen, The Rakes, and Fred Rogers. Starr’s first release since the2012 album “A Singular Point of Grace,” […]
Moods, Impressions & Souvenirs: About the Music, Part 1
As promised, here is the first of a series of blog posts sharing the experiences that inspired the music in my brand-new album, Moods, Impressions & Souvenirs. As I mentioned in my post last week, this album pays homage to the late nineteenth century Czech composer Zdeněk Fibich. In addition to symphonies, chamber music, and […]
It’s release day!
It’s a crazy time to be releasing a new album, for sure, but after much consideration I decided to proceed as planned. Music is a great source of comfort to me right now, and I sincerely hope that this collection will be the same for others. Click HERE to purchase the CD; available also for […]
A Few Words of Encouragement
Like everyone else in the world, I have been blindsided by the appearance of COVID-19 and its onslaught against humanity. After the first cases were reported in the U.S., I tried to keep up with my regular routine as much as possible; for example, I continued teaching piano lessons in my home studio for a […]