About the Arrangements (Why chamber orchestra?)

I must admit, creating the orchestral arrangements for this project was a daunting prospect. Especially since what I knew about orchestration could fit nicely into the corner of my left eye. Until now, I’d spent my musical career working pretty much exclusively within a band structure. I was confident I could find my way around some bass and drums – but dealing with cello, viola, French horn? – that was another story. I have always loved orchestral music. And although it’s been a constant companion to me in my life, I had never really imagined I’d be working with it.

But I felt strongly that the songs I was writing demanded a new approach. One that would allow the musical setting to truly express, and ‘speak to’, the content of the lyrics. I felt that the chamber orchestra was the answer – for its drama, romance, and it’s ability to tap into the more heightened and elusive areas of our experience. That’s what I think these songs are about.

The orchestra represents and expresses the human touch – human hands , human breath, human emotions – for me this has become increasingly important at a time so overrun by new technology and automation. The smaller chamber orchestra allows for many voices to be heard individually and collectively simultaneously. The songs are about that touch, and those voices - intimate, deeply personal. Sometimes quiet, even silent, voices from within, and the voices of a strangers – but all heard, and all distinct. I needed those voices included in the arrangements. As you can imagine, coming to all this as an absolute beginner was an exciting, but frankly, intimidating challenge.

Fortunately for me, Genie-Award winning film composer Patric Caird is also an old friend. He was intrigued by the musical possibilities of the songs and excited to collaborate on such a unique project. The problem was, while I live in Toronto, he lived in Vancouver. A formidable obstacle. But we determined we would simply start, and then see where it took us. And so began a long-distance, and long-term, cross-Canada collaboration that resulted in my making many trips out West. Although our musical backgrounds could not have been more disparate, knowing each other since Grade 9 gave us a leg up on the process. Our shared history supplied a sort of musical shorthand and we were able to develop an approach to the arrangements out of our mutual affinity to specific composers, styles, particular musical moments, vocabulary, etc.

We took our cues from the songs themselves. One at a time. The method was exploratory and experimental. And we allowed influences from many different composers into the room – Debussy, Ravel, Bernstein, Barber, Britten, Stravinsky, Arvo Part – to name just a few. And, of course, Pat’s distinctively original voice is heard throughout. Pat eventually had to leave the project when he took work in Los Angels. But our orchestrator, the composer and music educator Paul Alexander, by now very familiar with the work, was able to continue collaborating with me in completing the arrangements. Paul’s is a very different sensibility from Pat’s and he worked brilliantly to find the common ground which would maintain overall unity, while allowing his own ideas to come through.

I must express my immense gratitude to these two splendid talents who so generously gave of themselves to make this project happen.

Paul brought violinist and music contractor Mark Ferris from the Vancouver Symphony onto the project and together they hand-picked members of the VSO to record the arrangements at the Factory in Vancouver. I am grateful to Shawn Pierce who directed these sessions and Sheldon Zaharko, who engineered.

Let me also take this opportunity to thank my co-producer Henry Gooderham who collaborated with me so tirelessly during the final, Toronto leg of this project. Many of the arrangements were actually finalized in the editing process at his studio, Redline Recorders. His creativity and input was essential to the end result and it would be remiss to exclude him from a discussion of the arrangements.