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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

Matt Stewart-Evans

(neoclassical)

Matt Stewart-Evans is a self-taught pianist and composer based in London. He has a string of EP releases on modern classical imprint 1631 Recordings. His 2017 solo piano EP, ‘Wander’, has amassed over 10 million streams to date. Matt has additionally performed live alongside cleading modern classical artists including Michael Price and Peter Gregson.

Kepa Lehtinen

(neoclassical, contemporary)

Well-known Finland-based film and TV composer Kepa Lehtinen is proud to announce the release of his new album, Helsinki In November, that features original contemporary classical music written for piano, contrabass, and theremin. The theremin is an almost-century-old electronic instrument that’s played by hand gestures rather than direct contact and is seldom encountered in the classical world. Lehtinen, however, makes the instrument a cornerstone of his sound and Helsinki In November gives listeners a master class in what this unusual instrument can do.

Hideyuki Hashimoto

(neoclassical, piano, improvisation)

Hideyuki Hashimoto (b. 1986) is a pianist/composer born in Osaka Japan, currently based in Kagawa Prefecture. He utilizes space in his improvisational performances and composition. In 2012, Hashimoto released two works Earth and Air, throughout Japan. His music has a delicate spacial beauty with a feel of vivid imagery and has been appreciated as a work of superiority in an array of reviews published both in Japan and abroad. In addition to first being appointed to compose the music for film in Hungary, he has also appeared in Japanese audio magazines and had his music featured in such commissions as JAL flight broadcasts. In 2013, following the Setouchi Triennale 2013, Hideyuki Hashimoto partook in the Sea’s Terrace event with his spacial music in Takamijima, and with an upright piano from the island, represented the region’s atmosphere with music, leaving the audience with a deep impression of beauty.

Gianluca Piacenza

(neoclassical, instrumental)

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.

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.

William Ogmundson

(neoclassical, solo piano)

William Ogmundson is a pianist, lyricist and EMMY-nominated composer. He has performed all over North America and Europe (including the Vatican) and released seven solo CDs to date. For more information, go to WilliamOgmundson.com

Hollingen

(neoclassical, ambient)

The music of Hollingen draws inspiration from the dramatical seasonal changes of the Scandinavian nature. Using the piano as the prominent centerpiece combined with subtle analog synthesizers, his compositions leaves the listener in a twilight between nostalgia of past and hope of the future.

The Music

Christos Doukakis