Music
of the
Mythos
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I have an extensive musical background: I started piano lessons when I was five, and went on to become a classically trained pianist and composer with a degree from the California Institute of the Arts. I put myself through school building harpsichords and restoring pianos as well as performing. I've had numerous works published, and have also been the musical director for professional musical theater productions. Yet I had never even heard of the glass armonica, until in 1995 I came across an out-of-print recording of Music for Glass Harmonica, including music by Mozart, performed by the late Bruno Hoffman. When I listened to that recording my musical career changed forever – I simply had to play and compose for the glass armonica myself. "But the expense and long effort have been more than worth it – although it's been the hardest instrument I've ever learned to play, it's also by far been the most rewarding. When I'm performing in public somewhere, where people aren't expecting to hear a glass armonica, you can see them approach with awe and wonderment on their faces. That's really when I know I've chosen the right path for myself, know that for just a little while, I've helped to open someone's eyes to the possibility that Life continues to hold beautiful surprises for us – and they can be around any corner! "As
I myself have been drawn into the spell of the glass armonica,
it's also been changing the way I compose. Its elegant simplicity
and beauty sound like they belong to a simpler and gentler world,
and I think my music has become far more direct and "from
the heart" since I started writing music with the glass armonica
in mind. |
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Music
of the Mythos |
"But
first, I had to build my instrument: the quartz crystal cups were
hand blown by Gerhard Finkenbeiner of Waltham, Massachusetts,
and the cabinet and gold plated metal work was crafted by various
artisans in Seattle, Washington. It took about a year to build
it. Then I had to teach myself to play it, since there aren't
any teachers! 
