Composer-Musician Greg Moorcroft: “I’m convinced of the power of music to astonish us, to transport us to worlds that we can’t see (or even imagine) and, ultimately, to make us more truly ourselves.”
Greg seeks nothing less than transcendence through music, opening himself to receive, and give voice to, this illuminating and transformative energy. Through ten albums, many performances and an ongoing stream of compositions, he is honing a distinctively contemplative and yearning voice, reflecting the transience of this temporary world while searching for perfection and eternity.
Reviewers observe that “deep contemplation is easily promoted by this music,” which is “profoundly intense in its honesty”, citing its “airy, drifting and lush textural worlds” and “uncanny haunting intensity.” Greg’s highly-respected peers, leading atmospheric musicians such as Max Corbacho and Steve Brand, praise the music’s depth, peace and tranquility.
Greg writes: “My music is intended to alter your consciousness, to tap into a timeless realm of ecstatic inspiration. I’m convinced of the power of music to astonish us, to transport us to worlds that we can’t see (or even imagine) and, ultimately, to make us more truly ourselves. Music, for me, is soul-shaking, ritual, deepcore magic – and transcendent play.”
Greg made his debut at The Gatherings concert series, one of North America’s most prestigious electronic-atmospheric music venues, in October 2017.
Greg caught the performing bug in his high school days, with drama and musical roles in both school and community theater. The University years were divided between a Monty Python performance troupe (which he founded) and open stages.
Later on, he played drums in a rock band, then formed a vocal trio around his acoustic guitar playing. Details on these and other formative ventures are in Greg’s blog entry Sundry Bits of Dabble: a Lifetime’s Artistic Resume.
The event that set Greg on the composer’s track was the Toronto Symphony Orchestra’s 1997 workshop Music By the Masses. This produced the short string piece Trio Galactique but, more importantly, determined Greg’s vocation as a composer. A few years later, he discovered the world of ambient-atmospheric music, which became his primary musical interest and birthed his eyes cast down project.
Shortly after that, thanks to musical hero Robert Rich, Greg discovered the world of Just Intonation, which he is only beginning to explore, but which is expected to play a prominent role in future work.
Composition of a longform, symphonic, multi-guitar opus in early 2020 brought Greg back to writing in more of a classical/melodic mode. This has resulted in new works for choir, and plans for classical guitar music, among other ventures.