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Neoclassical Suite is a column that will present 7 recent, distinctive tracks of the neoclassical-modern classical-contemporary -and beyond!- music field. 

The Players

Goetz Oestlind

(neoclassical, solo piano)

Götz Östlind (*1977) studied piano under Conrad Hansen’s alumni Gisela Stumme and Prof. Lev Natochenny. He completed his studies of Applied Cultural Studies with a Master’s degree (M.A.) and earned his Ph.D. with a dissertation on “Counterpoint in Film Music”. Götz Östlind’s compositions are inspired by the Romantic era, his works arouse desire and create drama, and they touch deep down inside:

“For me and for the power of music, it is the greatest gift of all when my songs capture the listener’s heart.”

In the fast-moving ages we live in, we are continuously distracted by the outer dominance of our professional and private life – from our essence, our personal wishes and talents. In 2013, Götz Östlind gained sustainable access to his inherent gift of composition.

As if looking out of a new window, the compositions convey the overwhelming power of music, the intense energy of sounds in a most vivid manner and can almost be experienced visually. The works talk about true and touching emotions: about the emotion of passion, about bright and dark emotions, about the sensitivity and veracity of the soul.

In 2009, he and David Harrington formed “David & Götz” (www.davidandgoetz.com). The piano duo performs its brilliant show, at two Concert Grands, in German theatres, city and concert halls. They go on concert tours abroad, with recent highlights among others in Moscow, Tokyo and Dubai.

Lou Rogai

(neoclassical, chamber music)

Lou Rogai is an artist and composer. He has fronted the group Lewis & Clarke since 2003, producing a signature sound of lush, long-form songwriting. Through the process of creating orchestral arrangements for his songs, he became immersed in the instrumental aspect of story-telling. His first string quartet, “Implications in D Major” was released in June of 2018 and featured on WNYC’s New Sounds. It is the first in a five-movement sequence of music for chamber orchestra. He is currently at work writing, collaborating, producing, and completing a new Lewis & Clarke LP. He lives and works in Pennsylvania, USA, near a river between two mountains.

Logan Nelson

(neoclassical, soundtrack)

Los Angeles composer Logan Nelson scores compositions that blur the line between live instrumentalists and electronic textures, evoking engrossing atmospheres unique to each project.

Lavender Echoes, set for release January 31st 2020, originally began as a diversion from working in film and television music. Having been inspired by the solo albums and artistic endeavors of notable film composers like Jóhann Jóhannsson and Rob Simonsen, Nelson set out to find his own voice as a composer and individual artist, with out the limitations of other mediums.

Using the same philosophy of collaboration garnered through working on film music Nelson set out to work with musicians and artists that he admired. Lavender Echoeswas recorded in Los Angeles with a string quartet forming the backbone of the EP. Musicians from the Calder Quartet, like Benjamin Jacobson, made up the string section. Electroacoustic harpist Lara Somogyi (Nils Frahm, Hans Zimmer) and violinist Shawn Williams also highlight the proceedings, whose contributions are electronically manipulated by Nelson as the basis for the compositions contained on the new work. Get a sense of Nelson’s debut with “Lost In Translation,” the first single streaming now on Soundcloud and Spotify.

Jacco Wynia

(neoclassical, contemporary)

Jacco Wynia – Composer/Pianist – born April 17th, 1989, the Netherlands. Jacco wants to share the powerful effect he perceives in his music, wishing that more people can find joy, hope and peace through it. After doing a range of big performances, Jacco found out that for him playing in an intimate setting was the most touching experience. He realized this when playing a lay-down-concert for elderly people in later stages of dementia. The response was so intense and the atmosphere was one of connecting with each other in both tears and laughter, being freed by the power of music. This inspired to go more and more for an intimate sound and to create settings to connect with the listeners. This way of making music a personal communication medium is how Jacco wishes to continue and grow. So that more people experience the sheer joy of the music, and this connection with the listener will inspire the music in return. Inspiration comes from friendships, nature, challenges, love.

Fraser A Campbell

(neoclassical, instrumental)

Originally from Perth, Scotland, Composer and Saxophonist Fraser Campbell has been based in Brooklyn, NY for the past 9 years. A graduate of Berklee College of Music (BM) and William Paterson University (MM), he has written original music and performed with Glowalker, Can you hear us next door?, Secret Architecture (co-leader), Whirligig (leader), Morricone Youth and Feshiebridge Orchestra. His music has been performed at BAM, Le Poisson Rouge, Place des Arts (Montreal – as part of Festival Quartiers Danses), MassMOCA and New York Live Arts among others.

He has written arrangements for Nona, Rilan and the Bombadiers, Robert Charlebois, Terence Nance, Danielle Brooks, Machinegum, Delphi Strings, Drowners and Office Romance as well as being the composer in residence for the Diorama: Poetry/Shape/Sound poetry salon. He scored Jenny Catherall’s short documentary ‘Big Party On The Otherside’.

Fraser is a writer with Frenchkiss/Downtown Publishing and has written cues for various tv shows, branded content and libraries including The Guardian, Amazon, Samsung, Vice, Viceland, MTV, E! among others. He also performs with Paradigm Refrain, Alter View, Orphan Planet and various other groups around NYC. He is also an in demand educator, teaching woodwinds, piano, music theory and ear training around NYC.

Piano House

(neoclassical, instrumental, piano)

We are Piano House. We create to help curate your life. Thank you to our community for listening and supporting our passion. We hope to be apart of yours.

John Corlis

(neoclassical)

John has spent most of his life performing. Growing up in Colorado, he began his musical career as the accompanist to school choirs, singers, and instrumentalists. Then he moved to California to study music composition at CSUN, began scoring films and then joined several different bands based out of L.A. Because of his film-scoring background, he likes to stay open to experience and play with different genres and styles. After a country stint with Cheap Rodeo, an indie-based rock group Jo Nash and a solo adventure as John Marshall, he had his experience in musical detours, he decided to come home to his roots: piano. As a classically trained pianist that doesn’t mind having a rebellious streak and coloring outside of the lines, he finds music a playful (and yet often times predictable) way to express himself and help others feel drawn to the unremarkable thing that moves us all, connection.

The Music

Christos Doukakis