Stephen Bacchus

Densely layered and deeply textured soundscapes are evoked through the music of pianist and composer Stephen Bacchus. Fusing classical, jazz, new age, world and ambient music, Bacchus continues to explore the tonal possibilities of his music. According to The Aquarian "(Bacchus) ranks among the best New Age composers". From earliest memory, Bacchus was inspired by recording technology and musique concrète. Composing his first pieces at the age of fourteen, Bacchus refined his skills at York University in Toronto, where he earned a bachelor of fine arts degree with a major in composition. Although he studied clarinet, bass clarinet, saxophone and South Indian drumming, as well as the piano, he has increasingly focused more on composing and has recorded his albums using studio musicians and friends to convey his musical ideas. In addition to recording four albums -- Ancient Mysteries, Bardo, Pangaea and Ambient Origins -- Bacchus worked with Steve Roach, Vidna Obmana, Patrick O'Hearn and Vir Unis on an album, The Ambient Expanse, featuring a five movement collaborative piece recorded at Roach's studio in Tucson, AZ. Bacchus has used music as one segment of his multi-disciplinarian approach to art. In addition to owning and operating a record label, Oasis Productions, he's garnered acclaim for his landscape photography and his web designs and 3-D computer programming. ~ Craig Harris