Luke Welch
Canadian pianist Luke Welch writes from his present residence in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, about an article in his hometown paper in Ontario, The Mississauga News:
"...this
newspaper article from the Mississauga News is a particular favourite
of mine that was written by Chris Clay during my tour in Ontario earlier
this year:
With all best wishes,
May 26, 2017
by
Chris Clay
Mississauga native Luke Welch recently released his second
album, Crossing Borders, that’s a collection of Domenico Scarlatti
keyboard sonatas.
Welch, who now calls The Netherlands home, answered a series
of questions posed by The News about his career, music, and recordings.
What was your first introduction into music and what was it about the piano that appealed so greatly to you?
"My first exposure to music was in elementary school at
Dunrankin Drive Public School. The music teacher at the time, Mr.
Gibson, introduced all of the attending students to a variety of
instruments, choirs, and other musical endeavours which opened my eyes
to the world of music. Eventually, it was time to learn the keyboard,
and when he noticed my immediate connection with the instrument he
quickly allowed me to be the only student to play his acoustic piano.
From the moment I first touched the piano, I was fascinated by the sound
of the instrument and required dexterity of each hand being able to
play different things at the same time. In a way, I wanted to be like my
teacher — to be able to unite and inspire people through music,
combined with the thrill of playing the piano. Later on, I was able to
continue studying piano privately with some wonderful people including
Catherine Kuzeljevich, Krzysztof Jedrysik, and John-Paul Bracey — all of
whom assisted me significantly in my musical journey."
What took you from your hometown of Malton all the way to The Netherlands? Was it to advance your career?
"The journey from Malton to the Netherlands was a long one,
and not necessarily a direct one. Each school I attended took me further
away from home — first attending elementary and junior high school
(Darcel Sr. Public School) in Malton, then attending Mayfield Secondary
School in Caledon, followed by Bachelor and Master of Music studies at
the University of Western Ontario in London. While studying at UWO,
however, I sustained some piano-related setbacks: repetitive motion
strains caused by tension, overplaying, and faulty technique — and by
the latter, I do not necessarily mean musical facility in the academic
sense, but rather details such as hand position, bench height, and other
nuances that were generally overlooked in my musical education.
Ultimately, I was forced into a three-year layoff from piano, which at
the time seemed potentially career-threatening. I then decided at one
point to attempt to resurrect my career; it would hopefully result in a
successful comeback, or otherwise [I would] be forced into an
alternative occupational path if I could not physically handle the
requirements. I figured it would therefore be best to find an
environment which offered a completely different approach to
piano-playing from what I had been exposed to. Many European countries
have long-standing traditions, schools, and methods of musical approach,
so in my case it was a matter of targeting the most suitable teacher,
institution, and funding to support this significant move overseas. I
still did not have the physical capacity to play longer than five
minutes a week when I first moved to the Netherlands, but was able to
work with great teachers and assistants who always believed in me and
gave me the necessary tools to reestablish my piano career. In the end,
it has proven to be even better than I could have imagined since it has
continued to provide me with incredible opportunities well beyond my
original intentions."
Is Crossing Borders your debut album?
"Crossing Borders is technically not my debut album, though
it is certainly one of my proudest accomplishments. My first album (The
Universal Language) was released two years ago, and incorporated a
significantly different approach to the recording process. Crossing
Borders is particularly special since it was a completely independent
project and [I] was able to arrange the project exactly the way I had
conceptualized — including the selection of recording venue, repertoire,
instrument, album cover designer, manufacturer all carefully
co-ordinated into one final product. Now seemed like the perfect time to
make this recording since my playing has continued to develop and
evolve, and I had spent a considerable amount of time selecting and
preparing the repertoire. Since the first album has been available for a
while, my audiences had been asking for a followup recording, so it
felt like the right time to take another musical snapshot — which is
essentially what a recording really is."
How did you enjoy the experience of recording this album? Do you anticipate releasing more albums in the future?
"I thoroughly enjoyed the recording process. I had the
opportunity to work with a very friendly and experienced tonmeister in
Germany who was extremely helpful and knowledgeable from the very first
moment. The entire album was recorded in one day, which was quite an
undertaking, though the other components of the process was intriguing
and something I have been continuing to learn from. I definitely plan to
record again. I am anticipating to record at least one more disc of
Scarlatti's music since I have continued to enjoy the diversity of his
output, and there were also a number of tracks I had been prepared to
record for this album but was not able to include. Additionally, there
is also other repertoire that would make an interesting programme for an
album so there are quite a few future recording possibilities to
consider. In the end, it is always nice to have something to look back
on after spending so much time preparing and performing these pieces, so
recording is a nice way to codify all that hard work."
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