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

Note: All Bio/about sections provided/written by the artists.

The Players

Bernie Rosa

(neoclassical, solo piano)

“Bernie Rosa is an award-winning pianist and composer with a vibrant imagination and ardent work ethic, based in New York City.

Bernie’s music is enamored with patterns that he develops at the piano. This unique perspective breathes fresh energy into the classical genre. Much like his personality, his music is vibrant, bold and iridescent. He continues to find animating soundscapes amid the intersecting currents of the old and new.

In pursuit of his passion for music, Bernie attended some of the most prestigious music conservatories in the world, including the Tchaikovsky Conservatory and Manhattan School of Music.” (Bernie Rosa)

Julian Loida

(neoclassical)

“Called “one of the Boston music scene’s most valuable players” by The Art Fuse, Julian Loida is a percussionist, composer, and producer. Loida is currently preparing to release his second solo album of original compositions in May 2023 and preparing to tour in the US, Caribbean, and Europe as a solo artist. A graduate of New England Conservatory, Loida is a classically trained percussionist with a deep interest in folk rhythms of the world, particularly Afro-Cuban music.

Loida’s vibraphone and solo piano compositions are best described as neo-Classical and may be considered similar to Nils Frahm, Olafar Arnulds, Oliver Patrice Weder with a stronger percussionist perspective. Loida’s music has been used for film, ads, and dance. Loida’s thirst to participate in and experience this range of sounds is partly a product of Loida’s synesthesia. Music is a full- body experience for him, with sounds often invoking involuntary sensations of color, texture, or even taste.

Loida has toured internationally as a featured artist at Korrö, Sweden’s largest folk music festival, and played some of the most prestigious music festivals in the U.S. such as Spoleto, New World Festival, the Exit Zero jazz festival, Caramoor American Roots Festival, and Round Top Music Festival. He has performed with groups such as Parsonsfield, Alarm Will Sound, Castle of Our Skins, the Callithumpian Consort, Alkinoos Ioannidis, Veronica Robles, Fabiola Mendez, the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra, The New Bedford Symphony, and MassOpera.” (Julian Loida)

Daniël Tomàs

(neoclassical, cinematic, ethereal pop)

“The Dutch pianist and producer Daniël Tomàs (van der Duim) has been one with the piano from an early age on, since his grandmothers piano was situated in the living room from the moment he was born. It was this playful discovery that triggered him to further study jazz/pop piano at the ArtEZ Conservatory, focusing on improvisation. Throughout studying Daniël kept a specific passion for intimate, neo-classical piano pieces and in his master studies he decided to further deepen this sound by combining it with improvisation and electronics, with the help of the acclaimed pianist Jeroen van Vliet.

After studying Daniël mainly worked as musician, composer and producer for multiple pop, jazz and theater projects, like his jazz-trio: Doppler Trio or his productions for singer ELIËN. But the corona pandemic in 2020 forced him to stop performing and allowed him to focus on one of his biggest dreams: recording a successful solo piano record.

For four months in a row he started every morning with recorded improvisations, followed by writing down and organizing ideas on his childhood piano.” (Daniël Tomàs)

Jacques Bailhé

(neoclassical, jazz fusion)

“What happens when you mix years touring on bass with Big Lost, stir in producing hundreds of tracks for film and commercials including with Dolly Parton for her theme park, a drum solo behind a fire-breathing stripper in a roller rink in Bangkok, sitar lessons in India and Nepal, and chanting prayers as a Buddhist monk in Thailand?

I guess my style is reckless abandon. I like to explore ideas through instrumental music, often for narrative or other dance. My album and scenario Shiva in flagrante tells the tale of a Harley-Davidson riding Shiva falling in love with the goddess Parvati and the birth of their child in the final track titled “The Facts of Creation.” That story had to be told in Jazz.
My Latest releases are The Maker for Jazz orchestra and The Peano Propositions for solo piano.

I’m a multi-instrumentalist: sitar, guitar, drums, piano & keyboards and things that make interesting sounds. Why so many composers seem to abandon melody is hard for me to understand. Isn’t it probably the most powerful aspect of music? I don’t think much in chords. I seem to work from independent melodic lines in the tradition of counterpoint, although I hasten to add I’ve never studied formally except for a Harmonic Analysis class in a UCLA Extension course. Among my musical inspirations are early works by Weather Report and Miles Davis, Brian Blade and the Fellowship Band, ethnic artists like Ravi Shankar and Zap Mama, and others like Hendrix, The Beatles, and producers and engineers like George Martin and Geoff Emerick. Their Beatles albums are, well, what can you say? The sound of the tracks is just plain amazing. Engineering is the yin of the yang. I can’t sight read, but studying scores, especially by Vivaldi, Bach, Beethoven, Berg, John Adams, Gil Evans, and Miles has been a revelation. They make it all look so simple.

My grandfather, George Bailhé was an award winning pianist and arranger, working for Cecil B. Demille in the 1930’s. Published a piano study book that’s used in India. Comes in a fancy leather bound volume too. My great uncle Gaston Bailhé was a fine violinist whose score collection is held at Indiana University. My father sang on the radio and appeared in the movie College Days, also in the 30’s. My grandmother, Lisa Nichols Bailhé, was an opera singer.

Traversing the world of filmmaking and composition, I graduated magna cum laude from Art Center College of Design with a BFA in Film Production and acquired deep experience in a wide array of music, composing and producing with some of Los Angeles’s finest composers, studio players, and engineers for film and advertising, including a number of years producing tracks for Dolly Parton for her theme park advertising. I’d say I’m self-taught except I learned so much working with those people and in my early days, talking music after gigs in bars, but also from engineers at Paramount, Capitol, Sony, RCA Hollywood, Jimmy Hite at Margarita Mix, and the legendary Buzz Knudsen at Todd-AO on a feature documentary Pacific High produced by Roy Disney. (Jacques Bailhé)

Kiki Cubb

(modern classical, solo piano)

“I was born in France where I started studying the piano at the age of nine. I continued my studies through my teens. I then moved to the USA where I compose on a 100 years old Steinway. I am inspired by composers such as Rachmaninoff, Hans Zimmer, Ludovico Einaudi, Yiruma, John Williams and John Barry.
I recorded and released my first composition in 2019, my first EP in 2021 and my first orchestrated piece in 2022. My music has been described as romantic, highly emotional and cinematic. I live now in Maine.” (Kiki Cubb)

Geoff Westley

(neoclassical, solo piano)

“From his early success, conducting the West End’s Jesus Christ Superstar and as Musical Director for the Bee Gees, Geoff has honed his craft as a pianist and arranger with collaborations ranging from the Carpenters, Peter Gabriel, Sting, Andrew Lloyd-Webber, James Taylor, Hans Zimmer, to Henry Mancini, Eros Ramazzotti, Andrea Bocelli and many more.

Geoff has also enjoyed considerable success in Italy as Arranger/Producer, with album sales in excess of 20 million with artists such as Lucio Battisti, Claudio Baglioni, Laura Pausini, Renato Zero etc.

He was also Musical Director of the Sanremo Song Festival for 2 years in 2018/19.

Celebrated for his extensive orchestral work, collaborations include:

LSO, RPO, Philharmonia, LCO, Opera Orchestras of Parma & Catania, Roma Sinfonietta, Brno Philharmonic, Budapest Symphony Orchestra …. as well as many marvellous London session orchestras.

Having spent decades creating hit albums for famous artists, he finally decided it was time to do it for himself

Renowned as a worldwide creative classical producer and now solo pianist, this multilingual artist delivers an emotive performance, encapsulating his individuality as clearly demonstrated with his CD, “DOES WHAT IT SAYS ON THE TIN”.” (Geoff Westley)

Dylan John Sparke

(neoclassical, new age)

“Music can move in ways so undeniably persuasive and unquestionably powerful. To me, the vibration of sound is magic in one of its purest forms. It can share light in its very essence and its effect is unconditional… Unconditionally whole. Unconditionally connected.

With music, you have purposeful hope… and hope is all that matters. Hope can move mountains more effortlessly than the effort of a thousand machines. Hope inspires peace, which in turn inspires love, and love inspires change…

My name is Dylan John Sparkes. I’m 23 years old, a lightworker, pianist, composer and entrepreneur from Wales, UK.

My creations here are a reflection and translation of the journey we embark on as spiritual beings ~ Flowing, growing and learning to be. Breaking free from the limitations and restraints conditioned upon us and moving to a destination of unconditional love and being.

I hope my gentle creations offer you a safe place where you can visualize, feel and experience yourself in an empowered way.
I hope that through listening, you can feel inspired and energised to creatively pursue your life journey with the utmost purpose.

My wish for you, is to see how beautiful you are. How perfect and necessary your existence is. You have the power within you to create so much change and the world needs to experience your essence in its unique and individual form.

Don’t doubt yourself. I believe in your capacity to create wonderful things! (Dylan John Sparke)

The Music

Christos Doukakis