The Composer With the African Grey Parrot

Doug Schmidt, one of the two featured Canadian composers in Revealed Time, Esprit’s 2nd concert of the 2014 season, joined Alex and I for a delicious Chinese meal at our favourite homestyle style Chinese restaurant after his first rehearsal with the orchestra. The dinner included “bo jai”, a delicious small pot of Chinese greens, King mushrooms, shrimp, chicken and “cha siu” (bbq pork) and a dish of tender snowpea leaves in garlic sauce. Doug, who originally hails from British Columbia, where Asian food is legendary, misses good down home Chinese cooking -- this because he now makes his home in Germany (not noted for its Chinese food).

So Doug brings his new work, ... just a stranger here... from Germany to Canada for its world premiere. If you come to my free pre-concert talk (7:15), I will coax him into talking about the musical influences in his piece. These are as astonishingly varied as mariachi music, ancient Chinese instruments, Latin music seasonings and even his experience as a professional bandoneon player. All these influences flavour his piece which, at its heart, touches upon “where his mind, body and spirit have been as he has travelled and lived in different locations” (Esprit Orchestra 2014-2015 brochure).  

Of particular interest to me (and a revelation of Doug’s wonderful sense of humour) were his countless stories of Sophie, his pet African Grey parrot, who is so smart that she has a very large vocabulary and is even learning how to spell! Doug is now teaching her how to sing (she will sing the theme of Mozart’s Queen of the Night aria and stop at any point so that Doug will have to finish it off -- even if he is in a different part of the house!). This is one of her many games. Another is her constant teasing of the pet dog. She orders him to “sit” or “go away” and then rewards him by launching a piece of kibble from her birdcage onto the floor for the obedient animal.

Needless-to-say, with all these inspirations floating in his world, ...just a stranger here... is a work of sheer delight. The excitement of the concert is doubled because we will present the world premiere of Toronto composer, Adam Scime’s Rise for stereophonic orchestra! Esprit will be divided into two equal groups on the stage. The musical gestures are tossed back and forth between the groups, and are blended and swirled in waves of sound.

See you at the pre-concert talk for more stories from the bandoneon playing, Grey parrot-owning composer, Doug Schmidt and the stereophonic Adam Scime.

– Alexina Louie