Tour Recap and Interview with Harmeet Kaur Virdee
November - December
Hello!
After a whirlwind of performances and creative projects, I’m finally winding down. Since my last newsletter, I’ve performed my Häxän score with Meredith Bates, collaborated with Toronto guitarist Dan Pitt for multiple concerts and an album recording, and embarked on a trio tour.
I can safely say that all of these engagements went according to plan and were highly successful and fulfilling. I’m certainly a little tired and am looking forward to some downtime during the holiday season, but am feeling very happy with how all of these projects went.
Photo Credit: Dana Kroeger (Taken from our concert in Lethbridge)
Acknowledgements
My trio went on a short tour in Western Canada from November 7 - 9. This was the first tour I had ever organized for my own projects. I had gone on other people’s tours in the past and learned many valuable lessons along the way as a sideman, but running your own tour as a band leader is a completely different beast. I must say that I couldn’t have done this without the incredible help of Harmeet Kaur Virdee, who assisted me in planning the tour (more on her later).
In addition to Harmeet’s incredible help, I must also acknowledge the generous and enthusiastic support that the organizers of my concerts provided in every city. This includes Lisa, Tom, and AJ from Buckingjam Palace (Calgary), Mike and James from Lethbridge Jazz and Blues Society (Lethbridge), and Don from the Bassment (Saskatoon). Each of these venues and concert organizers provided impeccable sound, instruments, food, and accommodations. We are very lucky to have such wonderful music venues across Canada. And of course, I can’t thank my band enough, Jodi and Nick, for such a fun, quirky, and musically adventurous tour. We had many laughs, made some incredible music, and had some deep talks.
Photo Credit: Dana Kroeger (Taken from our concert in Lethbridge)
Playing with Intention
It is quite a privilege to travel to other cities and share a piece of yourself through your music with strangers. It became clear to me in the days leading up to the tour, that it is also a big responsibility to honour this privilege and give all that you can to your audience in those 2 hours that they’ve dedicated their time to you and what you have to offer. Reflecting on the unsettling news of the US election’s outcome and what that meant for the global population in the years to come, in tandem with the many daily atrocities being committed against human beings throughout the world, I decided to set a specific intention for my tour: that I would provide a space for prayer, sanctuary, reflection, and catharsis in the music that I shared with my audience. I also reflected on the life of John Coltrane, and how he chose to embrace and share love through his music and his actions. I wanted to do the same by connecting personally with my audience members through sincere communication between songs and through the music itself. Although the music cannot outright say this, I wanted my audience to understand that, although we don’t know each other personally, we are capable of sharing love, empathy, and mutual respect between one another.
Photo Credit: Dana Kroeger (Taken from our concert in Lethbridge)
This intention setting ended up being quite successful in the end. After every show, I felt a warmth in the room. People came up to talk to us. Sometimes, they expressed their anxieties about the implications of this global political shift towards hate and violence. The music opened up space for conversation and vulnerable discussions. In addition, I believe it brought us all closer together as a community. I felt a deep sense of gratitude in knowing that I had touched people’s lives in that small window of time where they gave me and the band their undivided attention. I also felt a sense of reassurance that my music had instigated reflection and discussion in a time where critical thought is often overshadowed by polarizing sloganism and reactive discourse.
Ultimately, this whole experience signified the real value of touring to me. It gave me the opportunity to build relationships with communities far from my own home and instigate discussions and, hopefully, action. Touring brings us closer together through communal listening.
With this, I am reminded of a quote by the great Wadada Leo Smith:
On stage, the most powerful line — not the loudest, not the most erratic — will cause the ensemble to move in another kind of way. And that’s non-argumentative. It’s something that performance has that a lot of other [art forms] don’t have. That’s its power. It doesn’t change things, but it allows us the opportunity to make these changes. It allows us a moment to reflect and become truly engaged, so that we can actually change things ourselves. (Smith, 2021)
(Click here to read the entire article from which this quote came.)
Photo Credit: Noah Franche-Nolan
Harmeet Kaur Virdee
Photo Credit: Dimond’s Edge Photography
Speaking of building relationships and communities, here is an interview I conducted with Harmeet Kaur Virdee, who is not only an incredible coordinator, but also an incredible artist. As I mentioned earlier, I am deeply grateful for all of the work Harmeet has put into making sure my tour went smoothly. I also feel very lucky to say that I get to work frequently with Harmeet on the bandstand in her projects, as well as in the classroom, as we both co-lead the Youth Empowerment Program at the VSO School of music with my dear friend and colleague Shruti Ramani.
The Interview:
You do many things, and you do them very well! Could you please describe yourself and what you do?
Some of the very many things I do are:
Play double bass
Compose
Strings administrator at the VSO SoM
Run my own jazz series/non-profit called Surrey Jazz Nights
Freelance arts admin
Tour logistics
Grant writing
Booking shows
As you can see there is a lot of different stuff that I’m doing and I really enjoy the variety of my day-to-day working life. I’ve always been someone that wants to try and experience many different things. The thought of doing one job for the rest of my life sounded like a terrible idea (at least for me), and I couldn’t imagine working in one career like many people in the world usually do.
Everyday is truly an adventure. For example, I could be doing more admin tasks of answering emails, running social media, planning a tour in the morning. Then in the afternoon writing music and playing a show or hosting an event.
What are the core principles and values that motivate the work that you do?
As I’m both an artist and someone who works in the behind the scenes of the arts/music world, in everything I do I want to ensure that at the end of the day I’m helping my peers. Whether that be through me explaining how to find grants, or how to write a bio, I want the person I’m working with to have more knowledge and some keys to success in the music/art industry.
My other core value which truly drives everything I do is that I want to ensure that the work I’m doing would be able to benefit a younger me. When I was younger I didn’t have much exposure and access to music until I was in grade 11/12. So in the work I do, I want to make sure I’m providing and caring for the future generations of artists and musicians.
What are you working towards as a creative artist? Any projects or ideas?
I’m always writing music. Some of it is good, and some are just ideas that may get thrown out. In the past year I’ve been trying to focus on and find what is that thing I want to share with the world. I’m still figuring it out but I think I have a better idea. Hopefully some music may come out soon (wink wink).
Tell us about the work you’ve done for the Surrey Music community. Where do you see it going in the future? What has been your personal experience while doing all of this organizing?
Surrey Jazz Nights has been running since May 2023 and with a little over a year it’s grown significantly. It started off as a monthly series at Blenz Coffee in Sullivan by the Bell Centre. Since January this year we’ve collaborated with the City of Surrey to put on jam sessions and other performances. With the Surrey Libraries we hosted two open mics which each brought about 40 musicians of different ages and experiences and an audience of 200 people (which to me is crazy!). There have been so many collaborations this year including the Arts Council of Surrey, Langley Arts Council, and the City of North Vancouver.
Now we also have a bi-weekly series at Finest Cup Coffee in Fleetwood. At this venue we present duos from musicians in upper high school and university musicians. It has been a really cool series because many of the musicians haven’t performed as a duo before and there are always really cool musical moments and new discoveries.
In October SJN became a registered non-profit, and we applied for some grant funding. I’m hoping that with this funding I’ll be able to bring professional musicians to Surrey to do performances and some workshops. There is so much demand for music in Surrey especially with the youth in Surrey. This is because each high school in Surrey has strong jazz programs. There are so many people just waiting and eager for more music in Surrey. I can’t wait to see how this initiative will continue to grow each year and how we will serve the community!
What place do you think an arts and music community holds within our larger society? How do you see it contributing to our communities?
I think that more and more people are realizing the importance of music in the community. At the Surrey Jazz Nights shows since all our shows are free/by donation and in very public spaces there are often people that wander in and stay for the show. Many of those individuals have shared that it was their first time hearing and seeing live music. Which is such a special experience that I have the honour to be a part of.
Specifically in Surrey, there is a lack of events that bring people together. But when it does happen it is accepted with so much love and enthusiasm. Through music and art we are building new communities and bringing people together who then are eager for the next show. I feel like it is kind of indescribable as to what happens when someone attends a music and art event (even if it is a young group playing in a coffee shop). I foresee these spaces becoming really integral to communities and individuals of all ages, including youth. We need more positive and safe spaces to bring the community together. When we are able to do this, it connects us together as a whole.
From a presenter/artist's perspective it is important to find your community and build these connections. Moving forward I believe that it is going to be these communities that we cultivate that will support our artistic practices, both by showing up and even financially. When you are able to create a space for someone where they want to come back and are eager for the community I at least think that they will want to support in any way they are able to. Then if you have a small number that can support your endeavours financially it will ensure that we can continue to create art and make cool experiences for people.
What do you hope to share with the world through all of the work you do?
I hope that anything I share will inspire others to be in touch with their creative side. Whether that is through music or another art form. As we know art has so many benefits to an individual’s health and mental well being. I think it is so important for everyone to create their art even if it is something as simple as playing a few notes on the piano, or drawing lines on paper. We all have the power of creation within us, sometimes we just need to be reminded about it!
Has your musical practice had any impact on the way you move through and react to the world around you? If so, how?
This is a really interesting question and I think that the answer is: I’m not too sure. Music has been a part of my life since I was born and I honestly can’t think of where I would be in this world without music. So I was to really answer this question I think that music truly has impacted everything I do. To the point that I think removing music would mean that the Harmeet most people know wouldn’t exist. Maybe that’s a scary thing to think about, but I think it's actually quite beautiful. Because the world is full of music in nature, and in every culture. Which I think is really cool, music must be really important if everyone in some way engages with it
The Next Few Months
As I look ahead to the next two months, the first thing on my mind is rest. Balancing my busy teaching schedule, creative projects, performances, and freelance work as a musical director has been rewarding but intense. So, at the top of my to-do list for November and December is to rest and spend quality time with loved ones.
That said, sitting still isn’t my strong suit, so I’m also excited about a few projects on the horizon:
1. Trio Album Recording: Following the momentum of our tour, Jodi, Nick, and I will head into the studio on January 3rd to record our next album for Cellar Live, with Sheldon Zaherko engineering and mixing.
2. Dan Pitt Collaboration: I’ll be editing and mixing the six hours of music Dan Pitt and I recorded in November. We plan to distill it into a 45-minute album—though I suspect there might be material for additional releases in the future.
3. Häxän Suite Recording: Meredith Bates and I are preparing to record my Häxän suite. The plan is to record on Salt Spring Island in February. Until then, I’ll be refining the music.
4. Slonimsky Study: On a more personal note, I’ve been diving into Nicolas Slonimsky’s Thesaurus of Scales and Melodic Patterns. It’s a fascinating resource that’s fueling my piano practice, thanks to my former teacher, Dave Restivo, who introduced me to it.
5. Ableton Patch Walkthrough: If there’s enough interest, I’d love to share a Substack article on the development of my custom audio processing patches in Ableton for the project with Dan Pitt. Let me know if that piques your interest (leave a comment or send me a message)!
6. Course Development: I’ll be working on the syllabus for my upcoming Digital Music Production and Film Scoring courses, which will kick off at the VSO School of Music in the new year.
To close, here’s a snapshot of a nice moment with Nick and Jodi, taken after our early-morning flight from Saskatoon to Vancouver.
Photo Credit: Noah Franche-Nolan
Wishing you and your loved ones good health and a nice lead up to the winter holidays,
All the best,
Noah