A Composer's Corner

Join me to hear the soft, gentle, beautiful music of Peter Malmsjö.Peter was born on March 1, 1962 in Saltsjö-Boo, Stockholms län, Sweden. He had acting roles early on in his life and is known for Ture Sventon - Privatdetektiv (1972), Grisjakten (1970) and Niklas och figuren (1971).His father, Jan Malmsjö is a great singer and musical star in Sweden, and his mother, Lena Malmsjö, was a production manager and actress, known for Loving Couples (1964), Badarna (1968) and Night Games (1966).Peter, has also performed in the theater and dance productions, and moved to Italy, performing in the ballet. He traveled extensively and was in a band at one point as well.Meanwhile, Peter has been composing ever since he was a boy, and his music is widely heard on the internet. His compositions are soft, gentle, and restful and have an organic feel to them that is hard to resist. His piano is tuned to 432 (instead of the more typical 440).Peter is now an Osteopath in Italy and uses his music to soothe his patients.You can find him on Facebook and view his recordings here:https://www.halidonmusic.com/en/peter-j-malmsjo-a-8081.html

Michael Laster is an eclectic composer who weaves seamlessly through many genres and musical styles. He is a composer of traditional orchestral works (the Yakima Symphony Chamber Orchestra) and film (Denture Adventure, Interreflections), as well as chamber works (Quatro Puntos, and the Seasons String Quartet), and large-scale piano works for Robert Frankenberry and Craig Ketter. In addition to music written for classical ensembles, Michael has composed and performed on numerous alternative rock singles including Snerg Dergus, Vulture Street, Stories, and Physical Dream. For lyrics, performers, song details, and more, explore his Soundcloud pageMichael maintains a busy private teaching studio, scores films, gigs in clubs, and arranges for colleagues including social activist Peter Joseph. A recipient of the Presser Scholarship at the City College of New York where he studied with David Del Tredici, Manhattan-based composer / guitarist Michael Laster has been a fellowship composer at the Seasons Music Festival in Washington, where he worked with Daron Hagen, Larry Alan Smith, Chris Brubeck, and at the Wintergreen Summer Music Festival in Virginia, where he worked with Gilda Lyons.You can find more information at https://www.michaellaster.com/

Music has always been a kind of magic for Dan, a portal to other realms. When he was young, he was inspired by fantasy novels such as The Lord of the Rings, and is still drawn to myths and legends. He has written works on themes ranging from the planets, the sorcery of Merlin, and the Callanish Stone Circle, to the Torngat Mountains. His aim is to write music that invites audiences into other worlds, so they can re-discover their own sense of wonder. Although Dan always loved to compose, he was resistant to pursue composition as a career when he was young. As an undergraduate student, he hedged his bets by studying music and English. He also took numerous courses in psychology and neuroscience and even considered a career in law. When he was awarded a Jacob K. Javits Fellowship to study music in graduate school, he threw caution to the wind and decided to go “all in.” It worked. Upon graduating with his doctorate in composition, he took a position as a music professor at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and now teaches at Westminster College, where he is serving again as the chair of the School of Music.See more on Dan at https://www.danielperttu.com/

Composer / pianist Ben Schwendener sustains a unique voice in contemporary creative music and is a leading authority on George Russell's Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organization, which he assisted Russell in teaching at the New England Conservatory from 1986 to 2004. Schwendener’s latest book Organic Music Theory (Pumping Station, 2017, Heights Music International, 2020) presents a new direction in natural pedagogy and dialogue-based arts education, establishing Organic Music Theory and Universal Musical Elements as primary creative sources. He has given lectures, workshops and seminars at Universities and institutions around the world. Schwendener has been on the faculty at the New England Conservatory and Longy School of Music of Bard College for over 30 years. He has also designed classes for non-musicians, based on the inter-discipline correspondences of Organic Music Theory for the Creative and Critical Thinking Department in the Graduate College of Education at UMass Boston.As a touring performance artist, his groups include FUGUE, with Domenico Botelho and Henry Godfrey, the Mobile Trio with drummer Kenwood Dennard and bassist Marc Friedman, LYRIC with singer Carley DeFranco, as well as collaborations with international musicians and dancers.Ben lives in Boston with his wife Shari and three children Elodi, Uli and Blue.

Composing passionately about the human experience, composer Christina Rusnak works at the intersection of place, nature, culture, history and art to integrate context into her music from the world around her. A storyteller, she seeks to convey something meaningful about the human experience to both the audience and performers. An award-winning freelance composer living in the Pacific Northwest, Ms. Rusnak composes for diverse instrumentations with lyrical lines and organic rhythms and textures. Her pieces address social and environmental justice, houselessness, immigration from 19th to 21st century perspectives, and more. Her choral work, Liberty’s Light, examines immigration from Ellis Island to the Texas border. “Water and Stone” explores climate, and the impact of water, heat and cold in sculpting Death Valley National Park. “From the Sidewalk”, addresses the invisibility of a homeless woman in New York City. In 2020, Rusnak was commissioned Fanfare for Justice (also Call for Justice) to commemorate the Black Lives Matter movement. In 2025, she is composing a multi-movement work for women’s choir, Women’s Rights are Human Rights addressing degrading rights of women globally. Recent awards and honors include a 2022 Residency at the Visby International Centre for Composers; 2023 Bronze Global Music Award for Voices of the Land; 2024 American Prize 2nd Place Orchestra for The South Pass, a finalist for FREE LAND, and a 2025 finalist for the American Prize for Orchestra for Time After All. In 2019, she led the renowned Composing in the Wilderness Seminar in Denali for the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival. An advocate for New Music, Rusnak currently serves as president of the International Alliance for Women in Music. Her essays on music and advocacy can be found on LandscapeMusic.org and New Music Box and more. Her works are available from Amazon, Naxos and Parma Recordings. Scores are available through her website http://christinarusnak.com and various distributors, and can be viewed via ISSUU.

One of UK's most sought-after and versatile composers, pianist Will Todd is well known for his beautiful and exciting music. His anthem, The Call of Wisdom, was performed at the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations with a TV audience of 45 million people. His breakthrough work, Mass in Blue (originally titled Jazz Mass), has been performed hundreds of times all over the world. His arrangement of Amazing Grace was performed at President Obama’s Inauguration Day prayer service in 2013 and as part of the BBC’s Nelson Mandela Thanksgiving Service.His music is regularly broadcast on Classic FM, and on BBC Radio 3.Will Todd’s music is valued for its melodic intensity and harmonic skill, often incorporating jazz colors, and his choral music is much in demand from amateur as well as professional performers.You can find out more on his website https://willtodd.co.uk/And find more of his music on YouTubehttps://www.youtube.com/@WillToddMusic

I had the pleasure of interviewing Pasquale Zompa. He and Bernard DeCesare were a songwriting team that wrote some great hits for Fats Domino and Tiny Tim. You will also hear some great pieces from their band Our Patch of Blue.Pasquale shares some great stories of songwriting in the 70’s and how they had the good fortune to cross paths with some of the great record producers of their time. You’ll hear about his trip to Abbey Road and also hear some of his latest creations and songs in the works.

Mark was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He began composing solo piano music the moment he sat down at the piano at the age of 7. His first piece was called The Cat and the Rain. Mark's music reflects his love for nature, love and relationships, moods, travel and his quest for peace and tranquility. Mark's music plays around the world on new age radio stations, online internet programs, and satellite programs. His album Feeling Right At Home won the award for Best Original Solo Piano Album at the EPR music awards held in September 2017 at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. In July 2021 Mark reached #1 on the Canadian National Music Spiritual Chart on Reverbnation.com And most recently (in August 2024) along with co-producer Luc Gilber, Mark recorded his 19th Album, also a collection of 20 new compositions. To be released this coming autumn. In early October Mark will become a certified Qi Gong instructor/teacher. You can find out more at https://markpinkus.com/

Dr. Robert Gross received his DMA in music composition at University of Southern California where he also received a graduate certificate in Scoring for Motion Pictures and Television. He also received an MA in Music for Film, Television and Theatre from the University of Bristol in England; an MM in Music Composition from Rice University; and a BM in Music Composition from Oberlin Conservatory. He has taught graduate and undergraduate level music theory at Rice University. He was half of Blind Labyrinth, with the late Kenneth Downey, an experimental electroacoustic music duo, whose CD Blasted Light was released on the Beauport Classical label in 2014. Robert has presented papers around the country and at both national and regional chapters of Society of Composers, Inc. His post-tonal analyses have been published in Perspectives of New Music and Journal of Schenkerian Studies. He is a Board-Certified Music Therapist, with an MA in Music Therapy from Texas Woman’s University. His music therapy articles have been published in Voices: A World Forum for Music Therapy and in Qualitative Inquiries in Music Therapy.You can find out more at https://www.robertgrosscomposer.com/

Multi-award winning pianist, composer and producer Doug Hammer has been involved with music his whole life, starting piano at age six. He is educated in contemporary, jazz and classical styles of music.A scholarship graduate of Berklee College of Music in Boston, Doug’s musical world continued to flourish, gaining experience in everything from record production to orchestration and arranging. After Berklee, he opened his own project studio and production company, Dreamworld Productions. His studio and skills have served the needs of many, working on projects for film, web, TV, radio and corporations. He has produced countless artists in a diversity of styles.After many years of success with his business, Doug started releasing his own music. It has won countless awards and nominations from radio, websites and media. His music is widely popular on streaming, satellite and radio stations all over the world. It has received hundreds of millions of plays on Pandora, Spotify, Music Choice and Whisperings Solo Piano Radio. His album, Solace, is a big hit on Pandora and his double album, Travels, won Album of the Year on Whisperings Solo Piano Radio.Find more information at https://doughammer.com/

Joseph Blanchard, a self-taught pianist and composer, is inspired by the melodies and harmonies of the Romantic 19th century classical composers. His feelings, conveyed through improvisation, eventually become completed works. He has recorded these original compositions on four albums. ​Overall, Joe’s playing style provides a pleasant background ambiance. He resides in the Greater Boston area and routinely performs at hospitals, country inns, non-profit organizations, private functions, and other local venues. On occasion, he plays at the BSO Cafe in Boston Symphony Hall when the BSO is in town.Joe has many wonderful music videos online. Explore his music and see clips of his performances at https://www.joeblanchard.com

Greg Maroney is a contemporary pianist and composer whose emotionally rich and accessible music is played and loved around the world. Peaceful and serene or dark and passionate, his compositions reflect a life lived in harmony with nature and a profound love of the beauty surrounding him. Greg lives with his wife Linda on a small farm in south central Pennsylvania. The message Greg would like to convey with his music is this: Walk gently on this earth, treat others as you would like to be treated. Shape your outlook to respond with love, compassion and presence. Music can open the heart and let in sunlight. If you allow this to happen it will make your day that much brighter!He has over 20 physical CDs and over 50 Digital albums to his credit !You can find out more about him at https://gregmaroney.com/

Robin Ritz, hailing from Willimantic, CT, is a true renaissance woman. An artist, life-coach, business woman, community activist and singer / songwriter – she does it all. Tonight, we will explore her life journey as a musician and visit some of her music. We’ll get insight into her songs and appreciate them all the more within the context she presents. Her band is called Thankful Soul Revival.The beginning of something real, Thankful Soul Revival first embarked on their musical voyage of discovery together as a cohesive Blues Rock Band in 2019. But their origin goes back earlier to when the band members grew up listening to a variety of music genres that played an influential role in shaping their paths as musicians and ultimately led them together. As Thankful Soul Revival, they have collectively found their signature sound, and offer something different and unique to their fans by creating and sharing original music they are proud to call their own.

Singer/Songwriter Krisanthi Pappas performs classic soft rock, jazz, swing and her original adult contemporary music throughout New England, New York City, the Caribbean and most recently in Greece. She has been in the top 10 of the World Indie Charts as well as having placed on the Cashbox Top 100. Krisanthi is in the 2022-23 Sony Pictures film Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody playing the role of Rickey Minor’s keyboard player in Whitney’s band.Krisanthi Pappas, has been compared to Norah Jones and Diana Krall by JazzTimes Magazine and to Karen Carpenter and Carole King by All Music Guide. Her jazz songwriting style has been compared to Randy Newman by Cadence Magazine, while her pop songwriting has been compared to Carole King by All Music Guide. As well as her vocal gentleness, she has the husky-voiced passion of Bonnie Raitt and the swinging playfulness of Ella Fitzgerald.Based in the Boston-area, Krisanthi is a full-time entertainer playing an average of 200 performances a year at theaters, concert venues, singer-songwriter series, festivals, resorts, clubs and private events throughout New England and New York City. She has also performed throughout the U.S., Caribbean and parts of Europe.In the retro-pop scene she has performed the Pre-Shows for Sheryl Crow, Heart, Queen with Adam Lambert, Hall & Oates, Squeeze, The B-52s, The Doobie Brothers, Steely Dan, Chicago and REO Speedwagon. In the jazz and cabaret scene she has opened for or shared the stage with such jazz greats as Branford Marsalis, Chuck Mangione, The Yellowjackets, Manhattan Transfer's Cheryl Bentyne, Kevin Mahogany, Billy Stritch, Gary Burton and Makoto Ozone. In the musical theatre scene, Krisanthi has been composer, lyricist, writer, director, and musical director as well as having held lead and supporting roles in several productions.Krisanthi also plays piano and drums on some of her songs as well as writing her band's musical arrangements. She is fortunate to have spent many winters performing solo in the Caribbean.Krisanthi has been the musical director and/or a performer for many prestigious events such as Governor Deval Patrick's Inaugural Celebration as well as benefits including the Faulkner Hospital Breast Center in Boston, Making Strides Against Breast Cancer, The Relay For Life and others. Her Sister Friends For Life Concert featured herself with other acclaimed singers and many Boston radio personalities from WMJX and KISS 108.Since COVID, Krisanthi has been performing a popular weekly virtual piano bar concert on her station Krisanthi5 on YouTube Live.https://www.youtube.com/Krisanthi5

I met Linda Marks at a BACA (Boston Association of Cabaret Artists) Showcase in 2013 and was impressed. A decade later, I ran into her performing at the Club Cafe in downtown Boston. She has a great stage presence and, at that time, had 14 CDs on the market. A prolific songwriter, her songs often explore powerful emotions and thought provocative themes. Linda experienced a traumatic event as a young woman, and this shaped her life in a positive way. She has since dedicated herself to healing people and shares some of her stories in this video. Linda has performed at Ryles, Skipjack's, Amazing Things Arts Center, Scullers Jazz Club, The Java Room, Club Passim, L’Aroma Cafe, Club Cafe, the Hearing Room, Grill 37, The Burren, City Winery and The Dedham Square Coffeehouse. Linda holds degrees from Yale and MIT and is the author of Living With Vision (Knowledge Systems, 1988), and Healing the War Between The Genders (Heart Power Press, 2004).You can find out more about her here:https://www.lindamarksmusic.com/about.html

David Ibbett, Ph.D. is a composer, educator and musical advocate for science. Based in Boston, he directs the Multiverse Concert Series, a project that combines music and science in live performance. In 2020, David was the first Guest Composer at Fermilab, the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. He is now resident composer at Mindmics biotech.David is Assistant Professor at Berklee College of Music and Visiting Professor at Worcester Polytechnic Institute.Dr. Ibbett composes electrosymphonic music: a fusion of classical and electronic styles that interweaves influences from songs, symphonies, pop, rock and electronica. His Black Hole Symphony, an orchestral journey to the heart of a black hole galaxy, has been recently featured a the Charles Hayden Planetarium, Museum of Science, Boston.

Luanne Crosby has performed her original music for many years, beginning as a young teen, solo on acoustic guitar, and later, belting out her blues/rock originals in local bars. She writes in many different styles and genres.With her group, The Luanne Crosby Band, Luanne entertained in popular Boston area rock clubs throughout the early eighties; and in 1984 moved to Germany, formed a 5-piece band, Lifeline, and went on to become a popular fixture on the national scene there. Returning to the States four years later, she gave birth to her daughter. Sometime after that, she began gigging again, this time with The Persuaders who performed covers of artists such as Stevie Ray Vaughn and Bonnie Raitt, as well as some of Luanne’s originals. In the summer of 1999, she began working on her first CD.Check out her website: https://www.luannecrosby.com

Sally began her career as a full-time touring musician in 1979, after encouragement from Stan Rogers, the legendary Canadian singer-songwriter. That was followed by an invitation from Garrison Keillor to appear on A Prairie Home Companion. She appeared more than a dozen times on that show, which launched her performing career. Her travels have since taken her to Europe, China, Hungary and Poland, England and Scotland and all across the United States.At the heart of Sally’s work is traditional and contemporary folk music. Her music is like a quilt, made up of soul-stirring ballads, messages of hope, knee-slapping dance tunes and gentle lullabies.With fellow songwriter Claudia Schmidt, they have recorded four albums together including Closing the Distance, While We Live, and Evidence of Happiness. In 2016, Sally and Claudia released their fourth collaborative album, We are Welcomed.

Born into a musical family in Ukraine, Marina Baranova began playing the piano when she was five years old. Just two years later, she was accepted into a music school for talented children in her home town of Kharkov. At age 11, Marina won first prize at the International Competition for Young Pianists in Ukraine, which preceded her first international concert tour in Finland.In the late 90's she moved to Germany to begin studying with Professor Vladimir Krainev at the University for Music, Theatre and Media in Hannover. Throughout her studies in Hannover, she won at least one internationally renowned competition every year. Marina still resides in Hannover, her base with which she returns from international tours across famous concert halls in Germany, Austria, France, Italy, Spain, Benelux, Poland, Israel, Latin America and Thailand.You can see more of her here: https://www.marinabaranova.com/

Santiago Bosch, born and raised in Barquisimeto, Venezuela, was inspired by his father, saxophonist Jaime Bosch, and began studying piano at the age of 9. By age 15, he started composing music and playing professional gigs, participating in album/recordings with diverse artists around the country. He graduated from UPEL-IPB University with a professor's degree in Music Education. Santiago earned a Bachelor's degree in Piano Performance Magna Cum Laude from the Berklee College of Music, and a Master's Degree in Contemporary Jazz Performance from the Berklee Global Jazz Institute. Santiago has been featured in live performances, master classes and recordings with artists such as Tucker Antell, Dave Santoro, Jack DeJohnette, Antonio Sanchez, Jacques Schwarz-Bart, Elliot Mason, just to name a few. See his full bio here: https://www.santiagobosch.com/bio.