Today I want to introduce you to Trevor Kowalski. A contemporary pianist-composer, Kowalski started young – piano lessons at 6 years old – but loved to create his own sounds rather than follow structured lessons. His newly released piano work June 5th (from his album Certain Paths) caught my attention:
After listening to (and playing around with) some of his music, I asked him a few questions about June 5th.
KL: How did you get into composing piano works?
TK: After working on larger scale projects, it’s nice to strip down what you’ve been doing and work with one instrument, and the piano happens to be my favorite solo instrument.
KL: What is the inspiration/story behind June 5th?:
TK: June 5th was – surprise – written on June 5th, 2017. The piece is a small-picture snapshot of the emotions I was feeling on [that] day. I usually write bigger-picture pieces that come from feelings over the course of seasons or years, and I wanted to write quickly to capture how I was feeling in just one moment. I wrote June 5th in about an hour, with two atmospheric chord progressions and driving rhythms that drew on nostalgia, and conveyed uncertainty and hope for my future as a young composer preparing for post-education transitions.
KL: What do you want the listener to take away/experience when they listen to June 5th?:
TK: I hope that listeners can hear optimism in the piece.
What journey does June 5th take you on? Let me know in the comments, and check out more of Kowalski’s work here.
