Why Music Was a Better Life Choice Than Baking or The Way of Mountains and Desert, part 2
One of my favorite writers has said that her own work arises from “the compost heap” of everything she has read and experienced. I love that image for my music work, too. Many Indigenous musicians live in at least two musical worlds. We continue to practice some form of music that is considered “traditional” by our People. But we are also into the same things everyone else is. Tanya Tagaq, for a well-known example, is adept at blending traditional Inuit throat singing with ex
How I Morphed My Little Native American Flute Song Morphed Into a Big Piece for Concert Pianist
To make my latest project, “The Way of Mountains and Desert”, I needed an invitation from a friend, some memories of time spent in special places, a few lines from some great living Indigenous poets, some 400 year old English keyboard music and a very deep breath. The invitation came early this year when Paul Barnes asked me to compose a large scale (17-20 minute) solo piano piece for him to perform during the 2022-23 concert season. Much of my own music is a music of place (
