Lorenzo Tempesti Interview on Nagamag.com

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Lorenzo Tempesti
Interview


Nagamag:
What are the genres that describe better your music style?

Lorenzo Tempesti:
Modern classical music Piano crossover


Nagamag:
Few words about your musical background and career?

Lorenzo Tempesti:
I define myself as a composer, specialized in piano and soundtrack music. At the beginning I was mostly writing music for videos, documentaries, commercials in my region. Meanwhile, I used to play in various music bands, among which Silvia Michelotti and Cushini di fanfole. My personal soloist career started with the CD "While the others sleep" in 2016. I've continued distributing a wide production music library through my websites www.bestproductionmusic.com and www.suonimusicaidee.it, on which it is possible to request and obtain licenses for using my tracks in videos, apps and other projects. My music production has increased in the last two years: in 2019 I've released three Digital 45s (Valzer della dogaressa, Leonardo and The flat sea) and one single (6 minutes - 44). At the end of the year I've started also a parallel electronic music project called "Storm(s)". In January 2020 the new modern classical single "Last Bourbon" and the EP "Still Alive" as Storm (s) were released. The "Suite for Malta" EP, dedicated to the Mediterranean island, was released in April 2020.


Nagamag:
Do you remember your first connection of love to music that was the right impact to be a music artist now?

Lorenzo Tempesti:
Not sure of which is the most important among these three: - the immersion in music listening I've lived in my parents' house - my first music keyboard, when I was 8 - the nights I spent composing in my room, when I was a teenager


Nagamag:
What is the impact of the new music distribution system for an artist like you?

Lorenzo Tempesti:
Since piano music is still a "niche", for me this is a great opportunity. From selling 300-400 records now I can count 30/40,000 monthly listeners, spread all around the world instead only in my region and country. And many opportunities came also from the contact with other artists, with which I exchange ideas and start collaborations.


Nagamag:
What is your role as an artist in this Covid-2019 emergency?

Lorenzo Tempesti:
I am participating in many charity and cultural initiatives related to the virus emergency: in particular I took part in the realization of the song "Il cuore resta aperto" written by Giulia Daici and played "from home" together with 12 other artists of the Friuli Venezia Giulia region, to fund our local hospital. I am also playing in FB live streamings together with other pianists for the live series "Pianisti in quarantena".


Nagamag:
Most artists have a favorite song from a different music genre than the one they are producing music for... Which is yours?

Lorenzo Tempesti:
Eric Clapton "I shot the Sheriff"


Nagamag:
Of Course Nagamag would love to listen also which track from a similar artist you admire?

Lorenzo Tempesti:
Bruno Sanfilippo Piano Textures 5 III

Discover & Listen to Lorenzo Tempesti

Lorenzo Tempesti on Spotify

Lorenzo Tempesti's Signature Track

Lorenzo Tempesti on Social Media

Lorenzo Tempesti's Website

Rikard Mathisson Interview on Nagamag.com

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Rikard Mathisson
Interview


Nagamag:
What are the genres that describe better your music style?

Rikard Mathisson:
Neoclassic, Contemporary Piano, Ambient Piano


Nagamag:
Few words about your musical background and career?

Rikard Mathisson:
I took piano lessons from when I was seven years old, and continued doing this until I graduated from high school. In the teenage I had the usual "play in a band" dream, and it never really grew on me, but unfortunately it made me put the piano aside and focus on the keyboard for many years. I even played in a fairly successful country band for a few years but finally laid of the keyboard carreer as a broke musician. However, my mid-life crisis woke me up and at the age of 40 I suddenly realized I needed to become the pianist I've always been. So out of the blue I started write piano music, to my own surprise, and there you go!


Nagamag:
Do you remember your first connection of love to music that was the right impact to be a music artist now?

Rikard Mathisson:
As a small kid, we had an old black upright piano with candlesticks and chipped keys at home. I started playing on that broken piano around the age of four and the connection was strong and real. My mother bougt a cheap polish built from particleboard which was my main instruments for twenty years. A little more than ten years ago from today I got hold of a beautiful grand old upright Zimmermann piano from 1906, which have taken the place in my heart where the piano of my childhood once belonged.


Nagamag:
What is most important with music for you?

Rikard Mathisson:
I believe strongly in connectling to peoples emotions, which makes the music have a value of it's own. I've once said that touching one heart would be sufficient for me, but now when I have reached out to ten thousands of hearts, I've realized that there are no such limitations. I want my music to reach out to people, that is the most important to me.


Nagamag:
Most artists have a favorite song from a different music genre than the one they are producing music for... Which is yours?

Rikard Mathisson:
Queen "Bohemian Rhapsody"


Nagamag:
Of Course Nagamag would love to listen also which track from a similar artist you admire?

Rikard Mathisson:
William Ogmundsen "Blithe and Bonny"

Discover & Listen to Rikard Mathisson

Rikard Mathisson on Spotify

Rikard Mathisson's Signature Track

Rikard Mathisson on Social Media

Rikard Mathisson's Website

Kaleidoscope of Colours Interview on Nagamag.com

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Kaleidoscope of Colours
Interview


Nagamag:
What are the genres that describe better your music style?

Kaleidoscope of Colours:
classical crossover, percussive piano, contemporary piano, post minimal, ambient


Nagamag:
Few words about your musical background and career?

Kaleidoscope of Colours:
I`m a synesthete, which means, when I listen to music or play my piano I immediately perceive colours, that are evoked in my brain. A lot artists have it - Pharrell Williams, Lady Gaga. But because I had difficulties with traditional note reading, I startet my own way to compose - entirely on base of colors. I have always been able to memorize tones and sounds from a very early age, but it was many years later that I really understood that I associate music with colours and that the colors are the reason for my good orientation. Today synesthesia affects my work as a musician in any way. I’m able to approach music from a very new perspective by writing songs neither on a note level nor entirely based on improvisation, but on base of the colours that are triggered in my brain while listening to sounds. Each of my songs get the name of the scale and aura they have been perceived on. People ask me, how I see music, but I hardly find words for the colors and even shapes. But scientist can measure activity in a synesthetes brain, its not just an illusion ;)


Nagamag:
Do you remember your first connection of love to music that was the right impact to be a music artist now?

Kaleidoscope of Colours:
I grew up in Eastern Germany. When I was about 8 years old, I discovered my parents' guitar, and when I was 14, I got a keyboard as a present, with which I started playing my favorite songs from the radio by ear. I am entirely self-taught. I felt happy, when I could dive into my very own little world of imitating my musicals idols, trying to catch famous film melodies and secretly play them by ear on an old grand piano in my school. Until today, creating, writing music is something where I can pursue and live a lot of my personality traits, being curious and observing, to listen and speak out at the same time, to feel and connect. I always had difficulties with expressing myself when I was younger. Music helps me to calm down and express.


Nagamag:
Do you have any new music coming out?

Kaleidoscope of Colours:
My EP The Birth of Coulours just released on May, 8th 2020. Its a selection of piano based pieces that represent the second cycle of pieces and have been written and perceived on my personal colour scales.


Nagamag:
Most artists have a favorite song from a different music genre than the one they are producing music for... Which is yours?

Kaleidoscope of Colours:
Mogli "Alaska"


Nagamag:
Of Course Nagamag would love to listen also which track from a similar artist you admire?

Kaleidoscope of Colours:
Yann Tiersen "Tempelhof"

Discover & Listen to Kaleidoscope of Colours

Kaleidoscope of Colours on Spotify

Kaleidoscope of Colours' Signature Track

Kaleidoscope of Colours on Social Media

Kaleidoscope of Colours' Website

Thomas Hewitt Jones Interview on Nagamag.com

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Thomas Hewitt Jones
Interview


Nagamag:
What are the genres that describe better your music style?

Thomas Hewitt Jones:
Cinematic, Contemporary Classical


Nagamag:
Few words about your musical background and career?

Thomas Hewitt Jones:
I was born into a musical family and played, performed and wrote music from a young age. I studied music classically and won the BBC Young Composer Competition in my teens, which led to many commissions and published works. I now work as a composer of commercial and concert music, and have had music played widely on TV, radio and in the cinema. I also write choral music and next month am due to start writing 3 new albums for EMI.


Nagamag:
Do you remember your first connection of love to music that was the right impact to be a music artist now?

Thomas Hewitt Jones:
I have always loved music's unique ability to express things which words cannot. Within its profoundly emotional universal language one can express aspects of the human experience and I find composing the most fulfilling thing. As a child I always loved attending concerts, and it was regular trips to the cinema which piqued my interest in music serving a narrative. I have been composing since I was about 5 years old!


Nagamag:
What's the coolest commission you've completed?

Thomas Hewitt Jones:
Last year I wrote my first three albums for Juice EMI which was pretty fun. My first job back in London (after assisting eminent film composer David Buckley in LA after university) was writing music for the London 2012 Olympic Mascots films, which played in UK cinemas leading up to the London Olympics. It was a wonderful opportunity, and I was forever grateful at the time to Barnaby Spurrier, Producer at Tomboy Films, for bringing me on to the project at the time.


Nagamag:
How are you enjoying Coronavirus lockdown?

Thomas Hewitt Jones:
Yes it is a strange time at the moment, isn't it. What a worrying time for the world. Although many music commissions have been postponed, my wife is expecting our first child very shortly, so hopefully that will add a new flavour to our lockdown! Musically, there are several new works that were recorded last year and were set for release throughout this spring and summer. I feel that music of all types is much needed at the moment, providing consolation and hope in times such as these.


Nagamag:
Most artists have a favorite song from a different music genre than the one they are producing music for... Which is yours?

Thomas Hewitt Jones:
Johann Sebastian Bach "Goldberg Variations"


Nagamag:
Of Course Nagamag would love to listen also which track from a similar artist you admire?

Thomas Hewitt Jones:
Carducci String Quartet Shostakovich "String Quartet no. 2 in A major op.68"

Discover & Listen to Thomas Hewitt Jones

Thomas Hewitt Jones on Spotify

Thomas Hewitt Jones' Signature Track

Thomas Hewitt Jones on Social Media

Thomas Hewitt Jones' Website

Marika Takeuchi Interview on Nagamag.com

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Marika Takeuchi
Interview


Nagamag:
What are the genres that describe better your music style?

Marika Takeuchi:
Modern classical music, ambient music, idm, classical crossover music, alternative music, contemporary piano music


Nagamag:
Few words about your musical background and career?

Marika Takeuchi:
I started playing piano at the age of three, and also played violin and french horn for several years as growing up. I then studied composition in Tokyo and film scoring at Berklee College of Music in Boston. My very first gig as a composer was songwriting for Universal Music Japan, and after I moved to the U.S, I've released my modern classical music as a recording artist, as well as writing music for films, advertisements, video games, and music libraries.


Nagamag:
Do you remember your first connection of love to music that was the right impact to be a music artist now?

Marika Takeuchi:
Growing up, I always had a big passion for music. My first love was piano, and I loved singing, playing violin, and I also joined a school orchestra to play french horn. I played Japanese taiko drum as well, and I once even wanted to be a DJ. I just loved music in so many ways, and eventually realized that I wanted to write and produce music, so I can use all of my favorite instruments and sounds. But the biggest moment was when I suffered from severe depression for years and writing music helped me get through it. I realized that I could turn even negative feelings into something inspiring in my music, and that was the best therapy for me. And the whole experience had the biggest impact on who I am as an artist today.


Nagamag:
Do you have any new music coming out?

Marika Takeuchi:
My latest EP "Missing Piece" is out on May 5th, with the title track Missing Piece being released as a single on April 24th.


Nagamag:
What does music mean to you, and what inspires you to write music?

Marika Takeuchi:
Music is my best friend for life, and everything that happens in life, including both beautiful and difficult moments, inspires me to write new music.


Nagamag:
Most artists have a favorite song from a different music genre than the one they are producing music for... Which is yours?

Marika Takeuchi:
Moderat "Therapy"


Nagamag:
Of Course Nagamag would love to listen also which track from a similar artist you admire?

Marika Takeuchi:
Jon Hopkins "The Low Places"

Discover & Listen to Marika Takeuchi

Marika Takeuchi on Spotify

Marika Takeuchi's Signature Track

Marika Takeuchi on Social Media

Marika Takeuchi's Website

Charley van Veldhoven interview on Nagamag

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Charley van Veldhoven
Interview


Nagamag:
What are the genres that describe better your music style?

Charley van Veldhoven:
A hybrid between impressionistic and romantic classical music and jazz. Influenced by artist such as Debussy, Hiromi, Chick Corea and Nina Simone.


Nagamag:
Few words about your musical background and career?

Charley van Veldhoven:
When I was around 6 years old I started playing the piano and I almost immediately started composing my own music. I absolutely loved improvising and doing my own thing! I used to enter competitions from the age of 8 till 14 and win several prizes! At the age of 20 I decided mechanical engineering was not quite what I wanted to do. I took two gab years and moved to London. I wrote my first album for solo piano here and started teaching at my own piano music school. Because this showed me I could live my life just doing music I got inspired to truly follow my dreams and become a composer for film and other media. I moved back to the Netherlands and started my course at Music and Technology at the HKU in the Netherlands because I love making music and I love technology! Now I have made music for several games under which the award winning game Reducept that helps people with chronic pain. I also write music for movies from LA/Netherlands and recently won the 100% her competition with Universal Production Music. Next to producing and composing for Media I still just love to improvise and do my own thing on the piano. I am super excited that the first track of my solo piano album is finally out! And there is much more of this coming this year!


Nagamag:
Do you remember your first connection of love to music that was the right impact to be a music artist now?

Charley van Veldhoven:
When I was around 8 years old I always loved listening to classical music CD's when playing with my toys. Then later I started finishing my solo piano compositions when I was living in London. There were many jamsessions I went to and I listened to albums of Nina Simone and Chick Corea. Living there and seeing all the amazing musicians there got me inspired to take action and start writing my album.


Nagamag:
Most artists have a favorite song from a different music genre than the one they are producing music for... Which is yours?

Charley van Veldhoven:
Cashmere Cat "Moo"


Nagamag:
Of Course Nagamag would love to listen also which track from a similar artist you admire?

Charley van Veldhoven:
Hiromi "Old Castle, by the river, in the middle of a forest"

Discover & Listen to Charley van Veldhoven

Charley van Veldhoven on Spotify

Charley van Veldhoven's Signature Track

Charley van Veldhoven on Social Media

Christoph Sebastian Pabst Interview on Nagamag.com

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Christoph Sebastian Pabst
Interview

Nagamag:
What are the genres that describe better your music style?

Christoph Sebastian Pabst:
Chillout, Ambient, Electronic, Deephouse

Nagamag:
Few words about your musical background and career?

Christoph Sebastian Pabst:
I started in 1992 with an Amiga 500, the 4-track music program Octamed and an 8-bit sequencer! Bit by bit new elements were added, a Korg 01w / FD, an Atari computer was needed for the first Cubase, later a PC, in 1998 I had a real studio with many analog synthesizers, one of the first digital mixing consoles, Akai samplers and so on. Back then, I had done a lot of music with a friend and later a DJ from Bremen, house and techno. When I first moved to Heidelberg 2001, I no longer had the space for a studio and gradually sold everything and only had a PC, a master keyboard and speakers. Because of my medical studies I had less and less time for music, that was in Marburg, where I also met my current colleague Thomas Lemmer. Many years later I sent him a few tracks and our first song Pastelstrand was released on his album pure! After that we released our first EPs and album together. We also got great remixes for the EPs. We are currently working on our second album and I am really looking forward to the next release! stay tuned, it's worth it!

Nagamag:
Do you remember your first connection of love to music that was the right impact to be a music artist now?

Christoph Sebastian Pabst:
I first love to electronic music was like written bevor the Amiga 500! Before that I had no real music style and I mostly heard charts. It was great to experiment and to experience electronic music in every detail. Jean michel jarre was my role idol.

Nagamag:
Did you make money with music?

Christoph Sebastian Pabst:
Yes, of course, a fraction of a cent per stream. Last year I earned almost a few euros! :-) still nothing to live on. But music should primarily make people happy, when money is added it is nice but not important.

Nagamag:
Most artists have a favorite song from a different music genre than the one they are producing music for... Which is yours?

Christoph Sebastian Pabst:
Vangelis "Conquest of Paradise"

Nagamag:
Of Course Nagamag would love to listen also which track from a similar artist you admire?

Christoph Sebastian Pabst:
Thomas Newman "Any other Name"

Discover & Listen to Christoph Sebastian Pabst

Christoph Sebastian Pabst on Spotify

Christoph Sebastian Pabst's Signature Track

Christoph Sebastian Pabst on Social Media

Pedro Meirelles Interview on Nagamag.com

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Pedro Meirelles
Interview

Nagamag:
What are the genres that describe better your music style?

Pedro Meirelles:
Contemporary Classical, Minimalist Classical, Brazilian Classical

Nagamag:
Few words about your musical background and career?

Pedro Meirelles:
I’m a composer/producer from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. I’ve loved classical music and rock my whole life, so, besides composing and producing my solo instrumental catalogue throughout the years as an independent artist, I’ve also worked at different projects with names from the rock world such as Andrew Scheps (Rick Rubin), Serj Tankian (System of a Down) and Gogol Bordello.

Nagamag:
Do you remember your first connection of love to music that was the right impact to be a music artist now?

Pedro Meirelles:
Yes, getting in touch with the score of the movie “The Adventures of Chatran”, by Japanese composer Ryuichi Sakamoto, which I listened to for the first time when I was around 4. At the time, I got so obsessed with the film because of its beautiful and hypnotic synth music that I wanted to go watch it over and over again at the theater.

Nagamag:
Most artists have a favorite song from a different music genre than the one they are producing music for... Which is yours?

Pedro Meirelles:
Nirvana "Lithium"

Nagamag:
Of Course Nagamag would love to listen also which track from a similar artist you admire?

Pedro Meirelles:
Philip Glass "Vanessa and the Changelings"

Discover & Listen to Pedro Meirelles

Pedro Meirelles on Spotify

Pedro Meirelles' Signature Track

Pedro Meirelles on Social Media

Pedro Meirelles' Website

William Ogmundson Interview on Nagamag.com

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William Ogmundson
Interview

Nagamag:
What are the genres that describe better your music style?

William Ogmundson:
I draw from so many styles...classical music has always been my primary influence, but I've worked quite a bit in musical theater, and also play ragtime, stride piano and early jazz. I take all of my influences and try to channel them into the neoclassical/solo piano genre.

Nagamag:
Few words about your musical background and career?

William Ogmundson:
It was only a couple years ago that I started taking my career as a recording artist seriously. Before that, I was a working musician for about 20 years. I did accompanying, played piano and organ in churches, taught lessons, performed locally, and composed primarily for the theater. I never made it "big" but got to perform in some pretty neat places along the way, including Notre Dame and the Vatican. I was nominated for an EMMY for a children's TV show I composed for, and one of the musicals I composed for was published by Dramatic Publishing.

Nagamag:
Do you remember your first connection of love to music that was the right impact to be a music artist now?

William Ogmundson:
My first experience was picking out an Icelandic folksong "A Sprengisandi" on the piano. I couldn't have been more than 3 or 4 years old at the time, but I had that sudden revelation that wow, I could really do this-I could make music. I could be one of those people.

Nagamag:
What is the strangest song you've every written?

William Ogmundson:
I had written a pretty little solo piano ballad, but couldn't think of a good title, so I shared it on facebook and asked people to help me come up with one. I got many predictable responses like "Lover's Last Kiss" or "Passion in the Rain", but none of them did anything for me. Then one wise guy suggested calling it "Squirrel's Last Crossing" and immediately the wheels started spinning! I sat down and wrote a new song to go with the title, and it's been a hit with audiences ever since.

Nagamag:
Most artists have a favorite song from a different music genre than the one they are producing music for... Which is yours?

William Ogmundson:
Eminem "Lose Yourself"

Nagamag:
Of Course Nagamag would love to listen also which track from a similar artist you admire?

William Ogmundson:
Greg Maroney "Breathe"

Discover & Listen to William Ogmundson

William Ogmundson on Spotify

William Ogmundson's Signature Track

William Ogmundson on Social Media

William Ogmundson's Website

Kirsten Agresta Copely Interview on Nagamag.com

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Kirsten Agresta Copely
Interview

Nagamag:
What are the genres that describe better your music style?

Kirsten Agresta Copely:
New Age, Ambient, Neoclassical

Nagamag:
Few words about your musical background and career?

Kirsten Agresta Copely:
KIRSTEN AGRESTA COPELY is a harpist, composer, and arranger that has made music in four continents for heads of state, in blockbuster movie soundtracks, alongside Billboard 100 artists, on late night television, with the most recognized symphony orchestras in the world. Her first album as composer, Around the Sun, will be released in January 2020. Steeped in rigorous classical training, Copely’s performance career began at an early age: by fourteen, she performed a full solo tour of the British Isles, and continued to gain attention in the classical world by winning Bronze Medal in the 1st USA International Harp Competition, debuting as concerto soloist at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center soon after. While she maintains a heavy classical schedule—she serves as Principal Harpist with the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra at Lincoln Center —Copely has also garnered a reputation as the pop industry’s go-to harpist, culminating with a performance alongside Beyoncé at the second official White House State Dinner for President Barack Obama. Other live engagements include appearances on Saturday Night Live, Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and the MET Gala; in studio, she has recorded with greats like Lionel Richie and has performed in numerous video game, television, and movie soundtracks.

Nagamag:
Do you remember your first connection of love to music that was the right impact to be a music artist now?

Kirsten Agresta Copely:
Music has been an integral part of my life since I was a child; I began playing the harp when I was five years old. I have always made my living as a musician which is something I'm very proud of.

Nagamag:
How did you get started playing with so many iconic pop artists?

Kirsten Agresta Copely:
I was hand picked to play with Kanye West at Live 8 which led to many more performances with Jay Z, John Legend, Enya, Evanescence and more. Ultimately the performances grew increasingly illustrious, and culminated in a performance with Beyoncé at the second official White House State Dinner for President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, and Mexican President Felipe Calderón - a true "gig of life."

Nagamag:
'Around the Sun' is billed as an album of new age and ambient music. What was your inspiration for wanting to write and record music in this genre?

Kirsten Agresta Copely:
A lot of the compositions I was writing were naturally minimalistic in style and led easily into being more defined by ambient soundscapes. It was a perfect opportunity to collaborate with my husband, Marc, who has lots of experience playing ambient guitar on TV/film soundtracks. We both love the work of Brian Eno and Harold Budd (pioneers of the ambient genre) so he creatively designed the supporting complimentary layers. There isn’t a single keyboard effect on the album; just solo harp recorded in a classical style with sonic treatments.

Nagamag:
Most artists have a favorite song from a different music genre than the one they are producing music for... Which is yours?

Kirsten Agresta Copely:
Queen "Hammer to Fall"

Nagamag:
Of Course Nagamag would love to listen also which track from a similar artist you admire?

Kirsten Agresta Copely:
Brian Eno & Harold Budd "Late October"

Discover & Listen to Kirsten Agresta Copely

Kirsten Agresta Copely on Spotify

Kirsten Agresta Copely's Signature Track

Kirsten Agresta Copely on Social Media

Kirsten Agresta Copely's Website

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