Based on Through the Mud by Melinda Komuves
Artist Statement:
This piece came about after a long period of introspection, having looked at “Through the Mud” for long intervals and trying to see past my own experience through the pandemic to someone else’s. I thought it best to keep the simplicity of the song intact and not overproduce any aspect of something I felt should be one voice. It is solo piano and has the intention of creating dissonance and release, like the individual’s struggle through recent times. Although not muddy in any sense, the individual voice remains pretty for most of the performance to maintain the venerability and inherent good of the individual’s soul regardless of what life may put them through. The picture invokes a sense of pride and strength, so the song ends resolved and sure. Optimism is the sense that I hope to leave people with after listening to this particular performance.
Artist: Emmett Hodgins
Program: Bachelors of Jazz Performance
I am a jazz pianist from Victoria BC who grew up playing folk, fiddle and classical music until I moved to Toronto and start experimenting with jazz and alternative music. I enjoy pushing the boundaries of musical genre and experimenting with different sounds in my music. I play mostly piano with a little upright bass and I sing.