Neoclassical Suite, LIX

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

The Players

Jordi Forniés

(neoclassical, epic music)

Jordi Forniés is a Spanish musician, composer, and visual artist based in Singapore. His works are characterised by a continuum between tender overarching refrains and defined sequences with increasing momentum. Always contemplative and expansive in nature, his compositions draw on neoclassical and ambient electronic music. Forniés composes for piano, strings, and small ensembles, working with studio recordings alongside electronic elements.

A classically trained pianist since childhood, educated at Conservatorio Profesional de Música de Vila-seca in Spain, Forniés returned to music study in 2017 gaining an MFA in Music Composition and Orchestration at Chichester University in the UK. He is a member of the Composers Society of Singapore.

He has often worked in collaboration with others including Bouvaque with photographer and filmmaker Han Sungpil for which Forniés’ created a piano and string quartet score. He has composed for films including Caroline Fink’s epic documentary about the receding of the largest glacier in Switzerland, Aletsch: Of Ice and Men, 2016, and made music for documentaries and video installations with Gitta Gsell. He also worked on Yan Wang Preston’s major project Mother River, which was exhibited at the Venice Biennale in 2015.

Marina Geller

(neoclassical, solo piano)

Dr. Marina Geller (N. 1963) is Israeli composer, musicologist and teacher of theoretical musical disciplines. She works in different classical genres of the chamber and symphonic music.

In 2012, she won the Prime Minister prize for composers for the works “Arioso”, “Ironical Bagatelles” and “Epitaph” for strings. Also, she received two ACUM Prize for her concert symphonic works “A Cello Offering” (2012) and “Gyre of Time” (2015). Her symphonic work “The Armed Man” was commissioned by the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra and was performed in 2013.

The works of Marina Geller are performed by the best musicians in Israel and abroad, are often broadcast on the radio program “The Voice of Music”.

The Aquaerials

(modern classical, solo piano)

The Aquaerials is the recording moniker of Mark Swanson, a composer and pianist in Grand Rapids, Michigan whose music blends elements of Neo-Classical, Ambient, Post-rock, and Downtempo Dream Pop, with a strong emphasis on melody, atmosphere and texture.

Melany Thompson

(neoclassical, solo piano)

Melany Thompson is a pianist and composer from Sydney, Australia. Classically trained as a child from the age of 4, Melany had the honour of performing at the famous Sydney Opera House at the age of 12 and started writing her own music soon after. Melany has returned to her passion later in life, recording her debut album ‘Memories of Home’ in 2019. Described as ‘hauntingly beautiful’, her music is moody, evocative and serene.

Magnus John Anderson

(crossover classical, cinematic)

Stockholm-Berlin-based Magnus John Andersson has been active in the music industry since the 1990s. He has collaborated with several successful artists including Clay Aiken, Super Junior and Rola. Now he is emerging from the studio as an artist in his own right with a debut neoclassical piano album.

Helen Keeling-Marston

(neoclassical, cinematic)

Hi, I’m Helen, a neoclassical/cinematic composer from the UK. I’ve been writing music for a few years now; composing being a real passion of mine. I’m delighted that my local BBC radio station has given a few of my tracks a spin, and I’ve also written music for a large, local tourist attraction. In addition, I’m very happy to have been featured on BBC Sounds’ Classical Focus, All Day Chill Mix and All Night Unwind programmes, and BBC Sounds, BBC Radio 4 and BBC Music Introducing’s uber relaxing Sleeping Forecasts. All of my tracks are ready for license, so please contact me at hkmmusic@yahoo.com for sync-related enquiries. In recent months, I’ve been curating my own neoclassical Spotify playlists, which has introduced me to a range of new artists and music, which has been fab. “Leap and the net will appear” – Julia Cameron.

Julia Thomsen

(neoclassical, cinematic)

Julia Thomsen is a neo-classical composer who takes inspiration from nature and everything around her. Julia’s music has been used in art exhibitions, documentaries and films, most notably ‘Looking Out For George’ (2002) which was shortlisted for the Jury’s Prize at the Raindance Film Festival 2003 . In February 2020 Julia was signed up by international Sync agency, Deli Music.