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Eldad Tsabary
is a Montreal based composer.
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Interview: 10 answers
1.
Question:
When did you start making music, what is/was your motivation to do it?
Answer:
I started learning music at the age of six with the encouragement of my
parents and composed my first songs at 12; through the years I had
motivational ups and downs but at the age of 13 I chose to take up on the
flute seriously after hearing a friend of my brother play an amazing flute.
At the age of 22 while relaxing by myself and my flute in a remote corner in
the forests of the Yukon I realized how much joy music making gave me and
finally understood I wanted music as a career. Another big motivation was
King Crimson – a great teenage love of mine.
2.
Question:
Tell me something about your living environment and the musical
education.
Answer:
Until my early twenties I grew up in Petach Tiqva, Israel, studied at my
hometown’s conservatory and participated in various local events and
festivals. After my Yukon trip I came back to study at the Rimon School of Jazz and Contemp. Music in Israel which opened me up to Jazz and to the
great possibilities outside of Israel. At 26 I moved to New York where I
switched to a classical training in composition at the Mannes College of
Music and later at CUNY. After 7 years in New York I finally moved to my
new home in Montreal where I studied music technology and later found a
great opportunity to fulfill my other greatest love – teaching – as a
professor at Concordia University’s music program’s electroacoustics studies
area.
3.
Question:
Is making music your profession? What is the context in which you practice
music nowadays?
Answer:
Yes. I feel very privileged to have my compositions performed, broadcasted, released and published (instrumental, acousmatic and sound art), to perform as a flutist and teach music to great talents.
4.
Question:
How do you compose or create music or sound? Have you certain principles,
use certain styles etc?
Answer:
Hmmm. I thought about that quite a bit. My conclusion was that my main
principles are to treat every creation individually as a new being and not
fall into patterns. My guidelines in general terms have been “experiment!”,”don’t fear failure,” “be playful,” “be honest,” “be efficient.”
5.
Question:
Tell me something about the instruments, technical equipment or tools you use?
Answer:
I use the computer quite a bit. For my instrumental works I notate on
Finale and for my sound art and acousmatic works I use a variety of software
(constantly upgrading). Currently I mix my sounds using KRK studio
monitors, Audio Technica headphones and an M-Audio sound card. Through the years I have been experimenting with phase shifts, signal processing and automation, and convolution.
6.
Question:
What are the chances of New Media for the music production in general and you personally?
Answer:
What a question! New media is absolutely essential in music production’s
future. I feel it has been moving in this direction for quite some time and
I am moving with it constantly. The use of computers in art is
unquestionable; so are interactive applications, software and internet art
and a variety of new musical interfaces. I’m all for it.
7.
Question:
How about producing and financing your musical productions?
Answer:
I have been spending money on musical production – this is no different from a violinist buying a $20,000 violin as a career investment. No question I would gladly receive sponsorship when available but I will, and did, put the money when I need to.
8.
Question:
Do you work individually as a musician/soundartist or in a group or
collaborative?
If you have experience in both, what is the difference, what do you prefer?
Answer:
I worked individually, in live collaborations, in bands, in
remote-collaborations and in any other format that I could.
Working with other people is essential in music – a composer writes music
and others perform it (except for composers who write only for their solo
instruments), performers work together as a team and inspire each other. I think the same would be very beneficial for sound art and acousmatic music – despite the tendency of many to keep it an individualistic type of art (like sculpting and painting usually are).
I enjoyed both very much, but I wouldn’t enjoy my individual work as much if I didn’t also collaborate on other works. Collaborative work have always pushed my creativity further up a few notches.
9.
Question:
Is there any group, composer, style or movement which has a lasting
influence on making music?
Answer:
Although my music is very different, King Crimson still has a large place in my heart. Something about their passion, experimentalism, group vibe, and honesty that strongly pulls me.
10.
Question:
What are your future plans or dreams as a soundartist or musician?
Answer:
Learn, create, collaborate, teach and influence others, and .well. spread
some positive vibe for international, intercultural, inter-religious mixing – musical and otherwise. Why not?
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List some links & resources
The Infinite Sector: http://www.infinitesector.org/
Comfort Stand: http://www.comfortstand.com/artists/eldadtsabary.html
Sonus: http://sonus.ca
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