Sometimes I feel helpless, and sometimes I just try to be okay with making whatever small impact I can. I know that music is my "thing", so my mission for years has been to channel my music into something positive for the world around me, however small an impact that makes.
Last year I spent dozens of hours on a handful of grant applications, attempting to secure funding for my Free Outdoor Cello Concert Series, a cross-Canada tour, and to record my next album. Well, all of my applications were rejected except for one. I received Amplify BC's Emerging Artist Grant, and I am excited to say that up to 75% of the cost of my next album will be covered by Creative BC!
This album will be different from all of my other albums because it will be recorded at Monarch Studios with a female sound engineer. I've invited my friend Roisin Adams, a wonderful local pianist, to record with me, and my mom is going to add harmony vocals, Maggie Hasspacher will play double bass – so it'll be a girl-powered album! The album will be mastered and pressed, 100% made in Canada, and will feature artwork by my adopted little sister Jasmine Rosling.
In addition to releasing an album of recorded songs, I am going to release the sheet music of my songs arranged for various duets and small ensembles (cello, violin, piano, voice, etc).
If you would like to pre-order a digital version of this album, a CD, LP and/or one of the sheet music arrangements listed above, please click here and express your interest. This will help me gauge how many copies to produce.
If you would like to be a supporter and help make this project thrive, clicking on my social media pages, sharing my music with a friend, and/or making a monetary donation all helps a lot. I would be very grateful to receive an e-transfer, paypal donation, a bandcamp donation, or a good old-fashioned cheque in the mail to help cover the last 25% of the album costs.
I hope to release this album in the summer of 2024 with a release concert, to which you are already invited (just let me figure out the where/when/etc... hehe).
Lastly, I need to make an apology. My plans to tour across Canada and present another season of Free Outdoor Cello Concerts last summer fell through because I just can't do these things on my own anymore. It takes so much time to organize tours and concerts, and with the cost of everything on the rise, I was counting on some sort of grant funding to make these projects possible. When all of my grant applications were rejected, I had to scrap plans to tour and stay home to work/teach all summer.
However, I'm re-grouping... Now that I am on the first “rung” of the grant ladder, I can apply for other grants to tour, perform, and promote this recording. I need to make this recording a smashing success so that I can get the funding for the next stage.
So, if you have been following me for a while (and most of the people on this list have been on here for years) thank you for your patience! I hope you know that I am trying my very best, and I'm very sorry if I seem flaky or unreliable.
Upcoming Dates:
I'm hosting Musical Tea Parties at noon on January 26, February 23, April 26, and May 31 in East Van: http://evcms.ca/group-classes.html
I'm volunteering with the East Vancouver Music School's “Equal Measure Festival” on February 25th from 4:30 – 7:30 pm: http://evcms.ca/events.html
I'm performing with West Coast Chamber Music on Sunday, March 17th at 3:30pm:
https://westcoastchambermusic.com/programs-2024/
I'm performing with Raine Hamilton in Saanich on May 2nd, Courtney May 3rd, and New West May 4th: https://www.rainehamilton.com/shows
I hope our paths cross again soon. Until we meet again, take care!
-Clara