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On Tour with Cirque du Soleil “CRYSTAL” Show

I’m currently on tour as Bandleader, Keyboards and Accordion with the Cirque du Soleil ice skating show “Crystal”. Thrilled to be back to performing and touring after the Covid shut down. The Crystal touring schedule link is posted below if you happen to be in any of the cities that we are performing in.

Cirque du Soleil “CRYSTAL” Touring Schedule:
https://www.cirquedusoleil.com/crystal

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How do you explain what Music is?

Music is a complex and multi-faceted art form that encompasses a wide range of sounds, rhythms, melodies, harmonies, and structures organized in meaningful ways. It is a form of human expression that transcends language and cultural barriers, communicating emotions, thoughts, and ideas through organized sound.

At its core, music is a combination of sounds arranged in time, creating patterns and relationships that evoke emotions, trigger memories, and stimulate the senses. It involves elements such as melody (a sequence of pitches or notes), rhythm (the arrangement of sounds in time), harmony (the combination of different pitches or chords), dynamics (the varying levels of volume and intensity), timbre (the unique quality or color of a sound), and form (the structure and organization of musical elements).

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Seattle, WA street photography Spring 2023

Seattle, WA USA street photography Spring 2023. I hadn’t been to downtown Seattle, WA during the day for a few years and I was surprised by the high amount of homelessness and drug use that I witnessed. I don’t normally photograph homeless people but I did include a few here to give a feel of what I saw as I walked the Seattle streets of King Station, Pioneer Square, Pike Place Market and the Seattle waterfront.

Camera used was a Sony Ay iv and lenses included Sony GM 14mm, Sony GM 35mm and Tamron 70-180mm. Full gallery of Seattle street photographs below:

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How do I teach myself music production?

Students often ask me how they can learn music production. I always recommend a combination of formal classes with self-teaching, tutorials and experimentation. The path of learning music production is very fulfilling and the learning process never ends. So you can you teach yourself music production?

Here are some steps to help you get started:

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AI Image Creation – New Ways of Thinking

The image above is “Ludwig van Beethoven portrait as a New York rapper”, or at least this is what the AI created using OpenAI Dall-E. Over the past few months I’ve been mostly playing around with AI that is text-based. It is interesting to see what AI comes up with for graphics. For my work, I do see uses for using AI to create images; mainly in the areas of character development, costume design and set design for theater works.

I have some new albums being released pretty soon. Maybe us AI to create some of the album covers?

If you have some tips and tricks you use in the arts for generating AI images, please let me know about them!

Here are some random prompts I typed into the AI engine and the resulting images it created:

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In music, what does the term “texture” mean?

In music, the term “texture” refers to the way different musical elements, such as melodies, harmonies, and rhythms, are combined and layered to create the overall sound and feel of a piece of music. Texture describes the relationship between the different musical parts and how they interact with each other. It can vary greatly and greatly affect the character and mood of a piece of music.

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Skagit Valley Tulip Festival 2023

Skagit County Tulip Festival 2023 in Mount Vernon, WA USA. Many people say this is the most beautiful time of the year in my hometown of Mount Vernon, WA. Truly breathtaking views of our tulip fields and local agriculture in Skagit County, WA.

Most photos taken with Sony A7 iv camera and Sony GM 14mm lens (I love this new lens for landscape photography!)

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Hamburg, Germany photos

Hamburg, Germany photos from our last city of the 2022-2023 Cirque du Soleil European tour of the show Crystal. What a wonderful city! The city felt like being in a virtual steampunk world. I visited the Indra music club there the Beatles first performed in Hamburg, the underground tunnel, Miniature World, Reeperbahn and walked the streets for hours enjoying the architecture and graffiti of the city.

Photos with a Sony A7 iv camera and Sony GM 35mm lens

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What is the job of a music director?

The job of a music director, also known as a conductor or maestro, involves overseeing and leading a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, choir, or band, to achieve a cohesive and artistic performance. A music director’s role is multifaceted, encompassing various responsibilities related to music interpretation, rehearsal direction, artistic vision, and performance leadership.

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