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1 - Major musical influence (either a style or a personality)? I am often more influenced by the blend of different music styles and epochs than by a particular genre of music. However, because I use so much Medieval Music sources in my works, I could definitely cite this as a very important style for me.
Similarly, there are a number of personalities (especially composers) whose music I truly admire, basically from every period in Western Music. The one thing I see in common in all of these compositional voices is that they create an immersive experience in music listening. One particular personality that always comes to mind as an example of this immersive voice is the French composer Éliane Radigue. 2 - What is your favourite instrument to write for? I like writing sustained sounds for percussion instruments (however challenging or paradoxical this idea may sound). I love writing for brasses too, because of how powerful they can sound, and how they can occupy the space entirely when they play.
In terms of expression, I believe the human voice might be one of the richest and the most colourful instruments I can think of. The fact that we can relate to them as human figures also contributes to this expressive power (especially if the composer wishes to transmit strong feelings, such as passion, madness, anger, etc.) 3 - Where do you write your music? I can write my music basically anywhere I can use my computer and my notebook.
I went on a tour of British Columbia with the Victoria Composers Collective in 2018, and a few hours before we departed our flutist fell and broke her finger. She went on the tour with us all the same, but she was upset for being unable to play her repertoire. So, while we were travelling from one city to the next in our car, I wrote a solo flute piece that would allow her to play only with her left hand. 4 - Would you rather read the book before the movie or after? If I am to watch a movie AND read a book, I would choose to read the book afterwards, because reading a book first causes me to build very high expectations about the movie – the movie is hardly ever what I imagined while reading the book. 5 - Are you an early bird or a night owl? I can be both, if I need to. I often like to compose at around midnight – I guess the solitude of the late hours propels my imagination, but I also feel bad during the day if I wake up after 9:00 am.
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