CHRIS DONNELLY, PIANIST, COMPOSER AND IMPROVISER
Chris Donnelly is a Juno nominated pianist, composer and improviser from Toronto, Canada. He teaches at the University of Toronto and keeps a blog at www.chrisdonnellymusic.com.
1. What are we interrupting (i.e. what music-related activity are we taking you away from to write this)?
Two things: I’m practising Gershwin and putting a contemporary spin on some of his tunes. It’s kind of like reinventing the Superman franchise, but with less revenue. I’m also working on developing some music educational programs for kids. This includes jazz programs for kids and studies in interactive media.
2. What, if anything, are you most looking forward to as an audience member (not work-related) between now and September 7?
I have tickets to see Man of Steel in 3D IMAX tonight (Tuesday, June 18). We’ll see how Cavill stacks up against Reeve. I’m pretty excited about this.
3. How about work-related events/activities?
I’m happy to be returning to Music by the Sea in Bamfield, BC. This is a one-of-a-kind summer music festival that’s taking place from July 6 to 14. Bamfield is on Vancouver Island, right on the Pacific. Beautiful. I’ll also be returning to the National Music Camp of Canada at the end of August. I’ll be teaching piano classes, ensemble classes, and yes, spoon classes. Fun stuff.
4. What are you already preparing for musically beyond the summer? And (how) do your summer plans tie in with these longer term plans?
Myriad3 is my collective jazz trio with Dan Fortin on bass and Ernesto Cervini on drums. We have quite a bit of new repertoire up our sleeves and we’ll be touring Europe in September. This will be our first time performing outside of North America. We also hope to be in schools with some of our educational programs. Also exciting is our new video game project. It’s like a contemporary spin on silent movies. But that’s TOP SECRET, you already know too much.
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