Accordionist Michael Bridge and the Ladom Ensemble have released a new album, “The Walls are Made of Song”. A totally unique ensemble — accordion, cello, piano, & hand percussion — Ladom Ensemble was formed 10 years ago at the University of Toronto and has toured across Canada.
You may have noticed their name is “modal” spelled backwards, which points to their Persian and Balkan musical influences, along with Tango, Classical and Celtic flavours which form their musical tapestry.
The title track, “The Walls are Made of Song”, was inspired by one of Rumi’s poems, which reads: “In the house of lovers, the music never stops, the walls are made of song, and the floor dances.” It was written by the ensemble’s pianist and resident composer, Pouya Hamidi.
Through their original music, adaptations of classical and folk tunes from Iran, the Balkans, Central Europe, Argentina (and many more), and their collaborations with Canadian composers – they do not represent any one tradition but instead present a uniquely Canadian mosaic of coming together through music in a divided world.
Available on iTunes, Amazon and Spotify
Accordionist Michael Bridge has been a full-time member of the ensemble for the past five years and is pursuing his doctorate in accordion performance at the University of Toronto.
The group was co-founded by pianist and composer Pouya Hamidi, and features cellist Beth Silver and percussionist Adam Campbell. The ensemble is managed by Andrew Kwan Arts Management and based in Toronto.
Michael Bridge is a captivating young musician, redefining the sound and image of his traditional instrument. Named one of CBC’s “30 Hot Classical Musicians Under 30”, he is internationally recog- nised for his dynamic stage-presence and unique musical versatility. His repertoire includes classical masterworks, baroque, jazz, world music, folk dances, contemporary classical, and digital accordion compositions showcases the diverse genres possible with the accordion and re- moves stereotypes concerning the limitations of the instrument.
Michael made his solo orchestral debut with the Boston Pops at 17, and has performed on four continents, now playing over 100 concerts per year. He is a founding member of Double- Double Duo having toured Ecuador, Poland, France and across Canada with his collaborator Dr. Kor- nel Wolak (clarinet). Their debut album launched in 2015, entitled ‘Rock Bach’. He performs in Ladom Ensemble, an acoustic Iranian-Serbian-classical-tango quartet.
An ardent supporter of new music, Michael has over thirty world premieres to his credit, including works by Anna Pigdorna, Airat Ichmouratov and Pouya Hamidi. As a composer, he wrote and recorded two folk albums and is the primary arranger for several of his chamber ensembles.
He has gratefully received support for his academic work and touring from the Canada Council for the Arts, the Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council, The Sylva Gelber Music Foun- dation, the Government of Alberta and the University of Toronto.
The American Accordionists’ Association presents the 2019 Festival Orchestra with guest artist Michael Bridge in July 2019.
For further information: michael@michaelbridgemusic.com
