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

The Players

Marina Geller

(neoclassical)

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”.

Gianluca Piacenza

(neoclassical, solo piano)

Gianluca Piacenza is an italian composer, pianist and sound designer.

After 2 year of private piano lessons when he was 6 years old, he began studying music at his hometown conservatory graduating with full marks in Classical Piano and Composition.

Today he works as music producer at Red Couch Studio, an inspirational space in which analog and digital equipment, acoustic and electronic instruments are equally important to develop a unique sonic signature. Alongside his academic path he attended piano courses and masterclasses with Sergio Fiorentino, Bruno Canino, Michele Marvulli, Alexander Lonquich, François-Joël Thiollier and Konstantin Scherbakov, constantly growing as classical pianist and expanding an already large repertoire ranging from Bach and Scarlatti to Cage, Ligeti, Pärt and many other contemporary composers.

Winner and finalist in national and international competitions, he appears in concerts both as soloist and as chamber music partner. Influenced by both the great tradition of classical music and the electronica/ambient scene, in 2014 began working on his first album “Dream”, an emotional and cinematic work in which he experiments with acoustic piano and live electronics interaction.

His sonic world could be described as a blend of acoustic textures, recorded and processed live in many different ways, and electronic soundscapes, created manipulating natural sounds and programming synthesizers and samplers.

Eamonn Watt

(neoclassical, cinematic)

My name is Eamonn Watt, aka The Virtual Conductor and I’m the one and only composer for Virtually Conducted Productions! I’m 25 years old and I live in the Shetland Islands, the most northern isles of the UK. I have received a First Class Applied Music Degree from the University of the Highlands and Islands in August 2016 . Along with composition, I am a drummer and percussionist of many genres. I’ve performed in rock bands, heavy metal bands, funk bands and traditional Scottish music sessions.

I started making compositions during my last years in high school in 2010 and became fully realised in 2012 during my first year in college where I created my debut virtual classical album, Bonhoga. I successfully launched this album at the Bonhoga Gallery where it received high amounts of acclaim from music fans ranging from classical music lovers to heavy metal enthusiasts.

I use Bandcamp as my main hub for showing these musical works as it does take me a while to compile together a completed album of musical works and I like showing what completed songs I have so far. I post work-in-progresses of compositions and even some non-classical music as well. https://thevirtualconductor.bandcamp.com

Jonathan Roberts

(neoclassical, cinematic)

Originating from the Peak District and based in the North West, Jonathan Roberts is a composer and pianist who writes a combination of beautiful, yet haunting, piano melodies and cinematic soundscapes.

With a background in classical and popular music, Jonathan creates refined orchestral scores with modern synth sounds and thematic melodies.

Cabin Fever Orchestra

(neoclassical, orchestral)

Cabin Fever Orchestra is an ongoing project spearheaded by Graeme Cornies, an award winning composer best known for his film and television work with Voodoo Highway Music and Post.

Over the past 15 years, Graeme has been lucky enough to work on more than 40 television shows, and has contributed to more than 1000 episodes of television. His work covers the gamut too. He has scored documentary features on BBC and National Geographic, contributed to Triple AAA games and, along with his writing partners, has become one of the world’s most heard composers – best known for their work on hit TV shows like Paw Patrol, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood and the Total Drama franchise. The last five years have brought multiple awards from both SOCAN and BMI – recognising his musical reach both domestically and internationally. Many of Voodoo Highway’s shows have received Emmys, and in 2020, Graeme and his writing partners took home their second Canadian Screen Award.

As a project, Cabin Fever Orchestra, while often considered “classical” in instrumentation, is anything but. While there is some crossover, Graeme has mainly drawn inspiration from the musical vocabulary of the generation of film and tv composers he has been a part of. Cabin Fever Orchestra isn’t trying to preserve the tradition of classical music whatsoever – but rather, it is a project that has an eye toward breathing new life into music with a similar instrumentation.

Oliver Waterman

(crossover classical, tango, acoustic)

Oliver Waterman is a 21st century guitarist/composer. He’s performed for weddings, art openings, political events, in bands and on several albums. Waterman is always composing and performing to share the voice and soul of the guitar.

REW<<

(modern classical)

REW<< is the solo moniker of Ryan E. Weber. He originally hails from the snowy western shores of Lake Michigan, but these days can occasionally be found roaming subterranean tunnels under the American Capital. REW<< has itself been the vehicle for a number of styles and sounds, with visions experimental and ambitious. His first full length, Departeures, recorded in a series of hotel rooms and train cars across much of Africa and Asia, offered a subtropical and reflective slice of dream pop, while 2015’s Olive Skinned, Silver Tongued Sirens Sing Swan Songs pushed into neo-classical territory. Still, the latter employed pop sensibilities to counter the classical vibe, making for a record that blurred the distinction between avant garde experimentalism and accessible pop. Newer works demonstrate another direction for REW<<‘s sound, with Weber shedding the pop aspects in favour of a pure neo-classical aesthetic. Centring the piano as the driving force and dropping much of the dressing in favour of stark emotion.

The Music

Christos Doukakis