Interview with Conrad Askland – Bandleader and Keyboardist for Cirque du Soleil

Interview with Conrad Askland about his work as Bandleader and Keyboardist for Cirque du Soleil. Original article at: https://stereostickman.com/interviews/conrad-askland/

Taking time out from his busy schedule, Music Director and Ableton Live specialist Conrad Askland – currently touring the globe with the iconic Cirque du Soleil – kindly stopped by for an interview.

We talk everything from discovering his unique role in music, to achieving high-profile opportunities, writing music, staying inspired, building a presence on YouTube, the value of collaboration, and the lure of ambition. Here’s the conversation in full.

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Conrad – excited to talk with you, thanks for the opportunity! To introduce things, how would you describe your role within the music world?

On live shows I work as a music director and conductor/keyboardist, and in music publishing I work as a music producer and composer. I am also an Ableton Live specialist, which is music software used in many live show performances.

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Crystal by Cirque du Soleil – Photos from Portland, Oregon shows

Photos from our run in Portland Oregon (May 2025) with the Cirque du Soleil ice-skating show Crystal at the Veterans Memorial Arena. I’ve been looking forward all year to visiting Portland, Oregon and it did not disappoint! Voodoo Donuts, vibrant nightclub scene, street art and the wacky crazy street life that makes people say “Keep Portland Weird”. (Photo above is my bandleader station at Crystal)

This is our second-to-the-last run of Cirque du Soleil’s Crystal show as we wrap up the Crystal world tour. In the last three years we performed across 5 continents and it was the experience of a lifetime. Much love to our cast and crew as we prepare to move on to our next adventures, and of course much love to the wonderful Crystal audiences worldwide that made this Cirque du Soleil show such a monumental success. Thank you!

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Crystal by Cirque du Soleil – Photos from Kelowna, Canada

As the Cirque du Soleil ice-skating show Crystal nears the end of its 6 year world tour, here are some behind-the-scenes and show photos from our run in Kelowna, Canada in May 2025. Performing with this show as bandleader and accordion has been an absolute pleasure with such wonderful cast and crew. This has been my third show with Cirque du Soleil. We performed across 5 continents for well over a million people. The adrenalin performances and travels across the world have been absolutely amazing. Thank you to Tegan Klein for the wonderful photos!

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Pope Trump – Life Imitates Art

UPDATE: My “Pope Trump” “First American Pope” video was released TWO DAYS before Trump said “I’d like to be pope”, FIVE DAYS before Trump’s official social media accounts posted an AI photo of himself as pope, and ELEVEN DAYS before the Vatican did indeed select the First American Pope? Can I see the future? Maybe…

On Monday, April 21st 2025, Pope Francis passed away. That night the thought occurred to me that Donald Trump, with his immense ego and lack of self-awareness, would probably want to be the new pope. I started working that night on a parody video of what it might look like if Donald Trump was The First American Pope.

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Watch “Pray the Gay Away”® the musical on YouTube

Watch “Pray the Gay Away”® the musical on YouTube! Book, Music and Lyrics by Conrad Askland. This video is from the original 2019 community theater premiere at the Historic Lincoln Theatre in Mount Vernon, WA USA

“Pray the Gay Away”® delves into the challenging realm of gay conversion therapy, offering a raw and impactful portrayal. Experience the mix of entertainment and raw emotion that left audience members describing the show as both gut-wrenching and emotionally devastating.

No More Musical Theater from the musical Pray the Gay Away®

I’m finally starting to release some clips from my 2019 original musical “Pray the Gay Away”®. This song “No More Musical Theater” is a turning point in the musical where it quickly switches from a comedy to a tragedy. This is the last of the “fun and games” moments in the script as we follow the journey of two boys going through gay conversion therapy.

Subscribe to my YouTube channel for more PTGA clips and other music video projects I’m working on at: https://www.youtube.com/@ConradAskland

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Montreal Canada photos Christmas 2023

Photos from my two weeks in Montreal, Canada for Christmas 2023 through New Year’s Day. We were in Montreal performing with the Cirque du Soleil show Crystal at the Bell Centre arena. Here are photos I took around Montreal city including Notre Dame cathedral, the Sphere, Cirque du Soleil international headquarters and the Montreal Christmas Market.

Last year I missed the Christmas markets when we were performing in Germany, so I was very happy this year to make it to the Montreal Christmas market. I will have great memories of Montreal as always. A beautiful city with a wonderful and interesting bilingual culture.

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Cirque du Soleil CRYSTAL – Christmas 2023 in Montreal, Canada

Yes, that’s me (Conrad Askland) sitting at the ice piano during a performance of the Cirque du Soleil show CRYSTAL. (Photo by Caroline Thibault)

We just finished a wonderful two weeks performing in Montreal, Canada over Christmas with the Cirque du Soleil show CRYSTAL. Not only were the audiences wonderful to perform for, the cast of Crystal also got a private tour of the Cirque du Soleil International Headquarters in Montreal. Wonderful city. Wonderful audiences.

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