The Dr. Steel Recital Hall concert is being held as a fundraiser for the completion of Collierʼs latest project; a live recording of improvised solo piano+computer music recorded on May 18th at The Living Arts Center in Mississauga, Ontario. Tickets for either concert are available at the door for a cost of $10, and people can reserve tickets for July 3rd by emailing aaroncolliermusic@yahoo.ca or by calling 566 3771. Collier’s first full-length electronic music recording “Love” will be available and people will be able to pre-order copies of his new recording mentioned above at the July 3rd show.
Archive for the 'Family' Category
On Thursday, July 1st, The Al!bi Lounge is hosting Aaron Collier’s “Synth/Beats/Remixes” show as a Canada Day dance celebration. Just two days later on Saturday,July 3rd, Collier is presenting his “Solo Improvised Piano+Computer” soft-seater concert at the Dr. Steel Recital Hall at UPEI.
“Synth/Beats/Remixes” is a live performance of electronic dance music featuring live synthesizer with FX and Collierʼs original programmed beats. Since releasing his first full length album “Love” in 2008, Aaron has performed this show in his current hometown of Toronto and across Canada opening for the likes of Thunderheist, Kid Koala, Slowcoaster, Skratch Bastid and The Jimmy Swift Band. “Solo Improvised Piano +Computer” is focused on creating unique “here and now only” Avant-Classical and Jazz pieces of music at the piano while using a computer to sample and loop the piano as well as his voice, body and anything else nearby. Of these two seemingly disparate styles, Collier notes: “The styles truly represent the directions in which Iʼve developed musically, beginning with piano studies with a few very inspirational and influential piano teachers in PEI and then more recently nearly a decade of touring and writing electronic and rock music with The Jimmy Swift Band in Halifax, among other projects. My foundation of piano lessons has always influenced my efforts as an electro-rock musician, and so impressing what Iʼve learned in the last decade upon my efforts as a pianist was natural. Itʼs really amazing to be playing at Dr Steel Recital Hall, because itʼs where I had performed as a piano student for numerous recitals, exams and competitions. I have very fond memories of that space.” PEI audiences can expect some surprise special guest vocalists and musicians at these concerts.
The Dr. Steel Recital Hall concert is being held as a fundraiser for the completion of Collierʼs latest project; a live recording of improvised solo piano+computer music recorded on May 18th at The Living Arts Center in Mississauga, Ontario. Tickets for either concert are available at the door for a cost of $10, and people can reserve tickets for July 3rd by emailing aaroncolliermusic@yahoo.ca or by calling 566 3771. Collier’s first full-length electronic music recording “Love” will be available and people will be able to pre-order copies of his new recording mentioned above at the July 3rd show.
This past April I spent a week in the woods at MacPhail Woods taking a university course, Environmental Studies 209 – Ecological Forestry, learning about forest ecology, sustainable forestry practices, forest restoration and the Acadien Forests.
It was an amazing experiential learning course and everything we learned has stayed with me and I think it will stay with me and will be built on by my own experiences as I work in our family woodlots and observe nature throughout the seasons. We learned about plant identification techniques, assessing forest health, ecological diversity, pruning and harvesting techniques and so much more. We also got to take a piece of the woods at MacPhail’s and design a restoration plan and then actually implement it.
Ecology, plant biology and forestry had never really entered my thoughts on what I might want to be doing but after this course I intend to take a few more biology courses to see if that’s something I might want to pursue.
In house news we tilled up a garden, planted some more trees and shrubs (native plant like service berry, bayberry, red osier dogwoods, high-bush cranberry and common elders from MacPhail’s nursery) and planted some mint and rhubarb donated from my Mom-in-law’s garden. I also found a patch of ostrich fern (fiddle heads) downstream from Carragher’s pond and planted an ostrich fern in the woods next to our house. We have started some herbs and tomatoes (the tomoatoes are 2 feet or more already!) and have plans for a much bigger garden this year.
We built a bedroom for our daughter, also creating an office nook we hope to finish soon. The bedroom is small but expandable, with a whole wall built from storage shelving and very cute. It also has an 8 foot ceiling creating storage space above it as it’s on the second floor where our ceilings are vaulted and 12′ tall at the center. There are more plans for construction projects this summer and much more landscaping work to do as well as a wood shed to build.
We’ve also added another addition to our household, a 4 month old Siamese mix kitten named Stella. She’s settled in nicely and is getting used to the attentions of an almost two year old who is VERY excited to have a kitty in the house!
It’s shaping up to be another very very busy summer, maybe I’ll be able to take a break this year though to relax but somehow I doubt it!