Hello – this is the home base for my “Birds on the wire” music project and I am so glad you have found it! The music is being released on all major platforms and with accompanying videos on YouTube.
I have had the good fortune to be born into a quite musical family but, I am a black sheep, I chose science as my calling. I could never however, escape my roots and I have been making music for most of my life. As a neuroscientist, I have also learned why music and language evolved (uniquely) in humans, I have studied how the brain processes music (musical perception) and how that connects to our physical self (musical affect). Not that that makes me a great musician, but it does convince me of the critical importance of music in our lives and particularly to our sense of connection to the social, emotional and physical worlds around us.
Music for our times reflects the growing need to create a sense of belongingness – for many people, social isolation in industrialized society has been accelerated by the pandemic – I want my music to resonate with those people and provide a way to let them know they are not alone – I know how they feel – I want to draw people together. Nearly a hundred years ago, Abraham Maslow’s work showed how belonging and love are fundamental human needs and I now believe that this is a way I might help strengthen and enrich people’s lives through shared experience.
Music walks a fine line between something that is coherent and comprehensible but still possesses the capacity to surprise and delight. It must make sense in terms of our expectations but also resonate – that resonance can be in the moment or reflect a deeper or longstanding need. Music reflects the social traditions of the listener, which is one of the things that makes it coherent. Today, with the extension of physical instruments into the world of digital signal processing, music has a sonic and harmonic palate that is unique in all human history. As a composer, I am exploring that space in a way that combines traditional and more modern harmonic practice with the classical and modern sounds of hybrid orchestral scores. This is the ‘Birds on the wire” musical project.
Welcome to this repository of music and musings. I hope you find something that sparks curiosity, entertains and/or promotes reflection. I welcome your comments and observations. Reach out via the contact to propose collaborations or use the music for your projects. Most of all, have fun.
“The purpose of life is to be happy” Dalai Lama