Neoclassical Suite is a column that will present 7 recent, distinctive tracks of the neoclassical-modern classical-contemporary -and beyond!- music field.
The Players
On Autopilot
(neoclassical, ambient, drone)
On Autopilot (formerly Sur Automata Piloto, in Esperanto) is a solo musician, George Simpson based in Frome, Somerset, UK.
Natalia Johansson
(neoclassical)
My name is Natalia Johansson and I was born in Argentina 34 years ago. I am now living in Sweden.
When I was three years old we had a piano at our house because my mother was taking piano lessons at the time.
I must have been very inspired, because I started out myself by taking out melodies by ear, that I’ve heard and remembered from movies or from the radio. When I was four I played a part from Beethoven’s Für Elise and was very happy about it!
However, at the age of nine I lost interest and it would take 14 years until my desire to play the piano came back.
I began composing my own music about 11 years ago. The process of composing is best described as some sort of meditation. I really don’t think much while composing music, it’s like an instinctive feeling where the song almost writes itself.
Elson Complex
(neoclassical, acoustic guitar)
I am a fingerstyle acoustic guitarist.
One half of my family comes from Andalusia, the other half from Catalonia. I was born in Foreign Countries. Three souls (at least) are dwelling in my breast. I love soundscapes with acres of space between the notes.
Hugar
(neoclassical)
When Bergur Þórisson and Pétur Jónsson independently released their self-titled debut album in 2014, they were a pair of talented, experienced local musicians from Seltjarnarnes, the smallest township in Iceland, just outside of Reykjavík.
But a mere six years later, on the strength of that self-released free download, they had collaborated with Iceland’s leading likeminded artists (Björk, Sigur Rós, Ólafur Arnalds, Jóhann Jóhannson), earned international praise from the likes of The Independent, Rolling Stone, Clash, KEXP and The Line of Best Fit; racked up 52 million streams and counting; and released their fully formed major-label debut, Varða, on Sony Music Masterworks. Their sophomore album The Vasulka Effect: Music for the Motion Picture will be released by Sony Music Masterworks on October 2, 2020.
Rikard Mathisson
(neoclassical, solo piano)
Piano Where It Feels!
Rikard Mathisson is a newborn contempary piano composer, artist and producer. He produces piano music in varying style; solo piano in the style of Yann Tiersen, Michael Nyman, Nils, Frahm and pop in the style of Béatrice Martin (Coeur de Pirate) and Coldplay, and electronica in the style of Jean Michel Jarre, Vangelis and/or Mike Oldfield.
He writes and produces neoclassical Nordic folk-inspired music and lyrics. Earthbound and heavenly, true to the core of each tune, striving to inspire other people to contribute to this universe with art and music during the lifetime, contributing to something larger than the individual. Every song has it’s own soul, mood and sense.
Judson Hurd
(neoclassical, contemporary music)
Judson Hurd is a composer based in Wilmington, NC. He is influenced by the music of , , , , and other artists in the Neo-Classical and ambient genre. Judson Hurd began playing piano at age 4 and later studied at the Franz Schubert Conservatory in Paraguay. Judson’s music and compositions usually feature piano but he also uses synths, samplers, guitars, to amplify his ideas. Bad Architect Records was founded in 2017 to release new music from Judson Hurd and other artists such as and . You can hear music on Spotify or going to www.badarchitectrecords.com.
The single was released in August 2017 to remember the passing of Charity Jertberg, Judson’s older sister, who passed from breast cancer. It has since reached over 1,000,000 streams on Spotify and continues to be Judson’s most popular work. is currently composing for TV and Film and is available for different projects at www.judsonhurd.com. His music has been used for many projects such as Android, the Oprah Show, NBC, NPR, and many others.
Richard LaBrooy
(neoclassical, cinematic)
Carolyn Barela is a Los Angeles based multi-media composer, songwriter and arranger. She works with multiple genres but favors neo-classical music, where she is known for orchestrating strong and compelling melodies and weaving modern counterpoint to immerse listeners in a lush sonic landscape.
Carolyn is currently pursuing a degree in film scoring from Berklee College of Music Online. Her film credits include the end credits for the indie film short “Sides,” as well as a promotional video for NASA/Jet Propulsion Lab’s NISAR Spacecraft Project. She has won awards in multiple film scoring contests, including the Marvin Hamlisch International Music Award’s “Diversity Award for Outstanding Achievement in Music Composition” in 2019. Her music can be found in various film libraries and on all major streaming services. She is also a contributing songwriter for Friday Pop Café Songs.
The Music
Christos Doukakis