During November, 2009 I was privileged to be Composer & Musical Director for a 2-week run of November Theatre's Musical Magical Tale, The Snow Queen. The production was mounted in Bancroft, Ontario by a 22-member cast, included several live musicians, a dedicated team of costume and mask designers, and magnificent video projections. The team was driven by November Theatre's producers Jim Henry and Jacqueline Lopez with stage direction by Jim Henry and stage managment by Suzanne Ballantyne. The project was a culmination of a dream by Henry and Lopez who brought me on board some 3 years previously to create music for their unique Canadian retelling of Hans Christian Andersen's classic tale. It has been a rewarding, unforgettable experience!

In the story, we meet young Greta at a point in her life where her place of emotional stability has been snatched away and she must embark on a journey to return to that place, or perhaps to discover a whole new space. Along the way she encounters many unexpected 'bumps in the road' which, of course, are all learning tools as she is tossed from stability to uncertainty to assurance to disappointment and then back again...

Musically I've supported this sense of 'being tossed' by the constant juxtaposition throughout the entire piece of two basic musical intervals--the perfect fourth, and the tri-tone. Just when there seems to be a sense of stability we, along with Greta, feel a sense of uncertainty--assurance and then disappointment, and so forth. The music twists and turns, introducing unexpected dissonance when all seems to be going so well, and follows Greta's journey...

It's not often that I've had a chance in my career to bring to a piece 100% of my own musical interpretation, unrestricted by artistic 'input' and 'requirements' imposed by the various realities of the music business. The gift that I've been given, in this case, however, by my wonderful colleagues Jim Henry and Jacqueline Lopez, is the gift of freedom to do musically as I see fit. It's an unqualified gift for which I've been very thankful and extremely honoured. As we worked through the process together, I was consistently inspired by their wonderful writing and dramatic sense. Our goal is to ultimately be able to share our Snow Queen with children and adults everywhere!

  Snow Queen & Greta  

  The Townsfolk