Neoclassical Suite, CVI

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

Juan Pablo Fernández Ramos

(traditional classical)

“I was born in Madrid in 1971, sometime ago. Even though, I still have fun on every round of this never ending carousel. Unfortunately, there is an end and until then I want to say to the one waiting for me afterwards : “wait” . I say it with words, with music, playing the violin, running, playing with kids, doing outreach, digging in the mine of science (with my CMS colleagues at CERN), loving as much as I can … What happens when you reflect all the light that comes to you from others? What would you become? Still a lot to learn, still a lot to share, still a lot to write, still a lot to love. I love writing music about existing stories or those that I or my colleagues imagine (from short stories to epics through the inquisition). I am a scientist working at CERN. I compose music in my spare time and my father (retired professional) taught me the basics. I play the violin and for me music is a language that we can all speak, it’s just the fact that we learned (my imitation) to use words, but we could have also learned to use music to communicate. The point is that since this language is not determined with such precision, one can write things to people and people don’t necessarily feel hurt by the music… hopefully it’s the other way around… and they get goosebumps … good for the box in which we are stored (not necessarily prisoners)… in the end it’s all about how to survive yourself (worries, fears, prejudices, etc) and in my case music helps a lot.” (Juan Pablo Fernández Ramos)

Martin Rott

(neoclassical, solo piano)

“Born in Ohio, USA, parents both classical violinists, Martin grew up in Germany, receiving drum lessons from age 6, whilst developing self-taught piano, guitar and bass skills playing in school and church bands. Leaving home at age 16 to join his first rock band he went on to earn a professional music education in- cluding studies at Berklee, Boston, USA, the Conservartory Enschede, NL, a diploma as a Jazz-Musician and a BA in music production from the University of Music Mannheim, where he wrote and produced his first LP for indie-pop duo „anstatt Blumen“. After teaching drums, playing in and producing several bands from all genres he worked as a resident producer for Austrias largest commercial studio in Vienna until game score giant dynamedion welcomed him to their team in 2014. Since then he composed for hundreds of tv-show episodes and movies for all major german tv-networks and award winning feature films.
In his own Berlin based studio, having his grand piano placed seamlessly next to the production desk, Martin works on finding a unique sound for every theme he writes. Emerging from this work now Martin is releasing solo material with his very own artistic vision of beats and soundscapes, making room for ideas based on pictures wich haven’t been captured on film yet.” (Martin Rott)

Paul Cardall

(neoclassical, cinematic)

“Steinway & Sons endorsed him as one of the world’s finest pianists. Dove Award-winning musician, composer, and producer, His music is frequently categorized as Classical, Christian and New Age. With 11 No. 1 Billboard albums, 30 million monthly listeners and 3 million subscribed fans on social media. Paul s music has been streamed on platforms worldwide 3 billion times, which makes him one of the most listened to artists of our time.

Paul was born with essentially half a heart and before his first day was finished, surgeons had cut into his infant body to save his life. He would spend virtually all of his life in and out of hospitals and recovering from surgeries. He received a heart transplant in 2009. Living with congenital heart disease has helped Paul understand the trauma imposed, particularly on a young person and their families. Paul has made it his life’s mission to create and share piano music that is healing both physically and emotionally.

Two of the many projects Paul’s involved with include partnering with the The Ryan Seacrest Foundation to donate keyboards to children’s hospitals nationwide. Paul and his wife, Kristina, who is from Cleveland, Ohio and a former Wall-street Analyst, established scholarships for students affected by medical bills associated with congenital heart disease because he believes in getting an education regardless of terminal diagnosis. Paul served as an executive board member of the Saving tiny Hearts Society, which seeds grass roots money for federal grant research in the field of congenital heart disease. In 2011, Utah State Board of Regents awarded Paul Cardall with an honorary doctorate.

Paul has collaborated with Grammy winning artists CeCe Winans and Rachel Yamagata. He released a soundtrack album with a handful of artists for the The Broken Miracle, the No. 1 best-selling Amazon novel by J.D. Netto inspired by Paul’s life living with only half a heart. Collaborations include songs and performances with David Archuleta, Tyler Glenn (Neon Trees), Ty Herndon, Thompson Square, Matt Hammitt and many others.

In 1999, Paul founded Stone Angel Music, a record label, whose catalogue consists of Billboard charting albums by cellist Steven Sharp Nelson, guitarist Ryan Tilby, pianist Jason Lyle Black and David Tolk, Ryan Stewart, and various artist projects with a handful of former American Idol contests like Ashley Hess, Jordon Moyes, and Kenzie Hall. In 2018, Anthem Entertainment Group, one of today’s most powerful publishers, acquired Paul’s catalogue along with the albums he produced for Stone Angel Music, in one of the biggest instrumental acquisitions of the music industry’s history. Anthem also owns music made popular by Tim McGraw, Justin Timberlake, Beyonce, Keith Urban, Jason Aldean, the Canadian trio Rush, and countless others.

American Songwriter Magazine invited Cardall is also the host of a successful podcast, All Heart with Paul Cardall, and a YouTube series All Heart Adventures, featuring Cardall in various “bucket list” scenarios–living his life to the fullest, with gratitude and appreciation.” (Paul Cardall)

Infinitum Ex Machina

(experimental, crossover classical, operatic epic music)

(neoclassical, cinematic)

“Swiss composer, multi-instrumentalist, and producer, Liam Phan got his start in the music world through his soundtrack projects and piano compositions.

His creative approach resonates with styles he has been influenced by since childhood, such as classical, neoclassical, jazz, and electronic. Always open to a wide range of sounds allowed by analog and digital instruments, Liam explores harmonies and rhythms in the service of films and commercials. What If in 2020 became his first film project, followed by Paloma in 2021. These films have a very personal and intimate feel to them and teach him the power of minimalism in music. He started playing the piano at the age of 7 after being moved by the film August Rush. He first began with classical repertoires such as Chopin, Beethoven and Rachmaninoff, and deviated from this path once he reached college. He composed his first soundtracks at the age of 14, using advertisements as raw material. Jazz and the art of improvisation were taught to him shortly afterwards at school by Moncef Genoud, a renowned pianist and composer. He also discovered the beauty of stringed instruments during courses at the Geneva Conservatory for his high school diploma. In parallel to his film projects, Liam continued his studies in economics and management at the University of Geneva and graduated in 2022. As his music was until then only heard in a small circle, he decided to produce his albums and release them on all platforms.” (Liam Phan)

Thomas Eder

(acoustic, solo guitar, crossover classical, instrumental)

“guitarplayer & songwriter – based in Austria, Europe on tour with Seer first solo album: The Space in Between 
second album “ten&two” coming 2023.“ (Thomas Eder)

The Music

Christos Doukakis