Danielle Lennon
Kingston, Ontario, Canada | Established. Jan 01, 2014 | SELF | AFM
Music
Press
This last November, the immensely talented composer and multi-instrumentalist Danielle Lennon released ‘String Theory,’ her fascinating debut album consisting of eight original instrumental tracks. The outstanding debut defines Lennon as one of the most talented and clever independent musicians this side of the past six months.
Classically trained, Lennon already had extensive experience as professional violinist and performer before diving into the creation of ‘String Theory.’ ‘The opening track of the record, ‘Strathspey,’ introduces Lennon as a superior performer and compelling composer. The production quality of the track is remarkable and the stringed instruments combined with the percussion are beautiful.
One of the main strengths of ‘String Theory’ is its continued sense of continuity. It crafts a very fluid listening experience that draws the audience in track after track in anticipation of the next entry in this astounding saga. Each track is a stark contrast to its predecessor, such as ‘29/12/11’ after the opening of the record – calculated instrumentation cascades around brief, yet dominant piano.
The piano becomes a recurring character in this potent sonic play. Personally, I found myself heavily moved by ‘Erratic Nomad,’ a song that conjures a thrilling rollercoaster of gypsy-like violin combined with the most prominent percussion performance in the collection. The track that follows, ‘Calm Before The Storm’ draws upon imagery of peaceful silence before a devastating storm. It’s the most emotional offering on the album.
‘Tie That Binds’ provides beautiful closure to a magnificent movement of music. It’s reminiscent of Howard Shore’s now-legendary ‘Concerning Hobbits’ composition for ‘The Lord of the Rings.’ It’s a fitting end to a reflective and thoughtful record.
I am beyond impressed at Danielle Lennon’s ‘String Theory.’ It’s a gorgeous debut and consistently provides insight into a colossal new talent. It is a record of epic, theatrical proportions and showcases Lennon as a potential leader in the next generation of contemporary classical music. - Indiemunity
Violinist Danielle Lennon is originally from Hamilton but now plays with the Kingston Symphony. This track called Full Rotation is from her new album, String Theory. The album is full of original compositions written for strings, piano and drums. It straddles the lines between classical, jazz and avant garde music.
See link for audio. - CBC: In the Key of C
“BRAVO. I enjoyed the pairing of the films with the music. Some touching moments there.” - Peter DeSotto, Quartetto Gelato
"String Theory's mediative patterns are beautifully woven around your head like a sweet ear muff." - Rich Aucoin
“Holy sh*t! This is amazing!” - Jim Bryson
"...one of the greatest artistic achievements to come out of Kingston in 2014.” - Greg Tilson, Artistic Director, Skeleton Park Arts Festival -
String Theory is an elegant scientific idea that explains how fundamental particles are different manifestations of one basic object: a string. String Theory is also the title of Kingston composer and violinist, Danielle Lennon’s new album, set to launch later this fall. This is an elegant collection of music that shows how beautiful, inspired art can manifest from the strings of a violin.
Classically trained and a member of the Kingston Symphony as well as at least two other musical collaborations (Calamity Janes, Hoppipolla), Lennon had been writing her own compositions for a few years until it dawned on her that she had the makings of an album.
“It’s an amalgamation of everything I know about music. It incorporates my classical training, my love for Celtic fiddle, and my affinity for dance and pop music,” says Lennon. She loves to perform other people’s music, but “this album was a chance [for me] to create my own music and express something me.”
Each piece has a special meaning to Lennon, crafted during unique times and distinct circumstances. Calm Before The Storm, for instance, was inspired by a beautiful summer day that turned dark and eerie. She recalls how she “sat outside and watched as a storm made its way over the Grand River.”
String Theory prominently features performances by Lennon as well as a diverse ensemble of Kingston-area musicians, whom she handpicked for the project, including: Lisa Draper (violin), Venetia Gauthier (violin), Jeff Hamacher (cello), Ashley Vanstone (piano) and Andy Love (percussion). Although classically-inspired, the album is produced by Matt Rogalsky, a renowned electro-accoustic composer, musicologist. “Matt was just right for this project and he was wonderful to work with. He has a diverse background and expert ear,” she says.
Lennon wanted to add a visual component to the album so she called on eight Kingston filmmakers to make a short film of one of the eight songs. They are Irina Skvortsova, Julia Krolik and Owen Fernley, Cameron Tomsett, Brent Nurse, Josh Lyon, Sebastian Back, Nelly Matorina, Melinda Richka. Their complimentary short films will provide original cinematic interpretations for each of the compositions; filmmakers have been granted maximum creative freedom to visually translate their respective pieces. The films will support Lennon’s live performances as well as the online release of the album.
Advance sales for String Theory begins on September 26. The album will be released on November 7, with a release party to be held at Queen’s University Club on November 14. Lennon also plans to hold a function at her hometown of Hamilton. - Kingston Arts Council
Discography
Still working on that hot first release.
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Bio
Born and raised in Hamilton, Ontario to a lawyer father and teacher mother, there was little musical influence in the household other than appreciation and the enjoyment of listening. Despite this, Danielle's passion for music was apparent at a young age. Lennon began playing the recorder and reading music at the age of four, followed by piano lessons when she was seven. She was a member of The Hamilton Children's Choir for five years and, after being heavily influenced by a group of string students while on a tour of Nova Scotia, Danielle took up the violin at the age of thirteen. "I felt like I had a lot of catching up to do, taking on the violin so late in life, but I seemed to take to it right away and, thanks to an incredible teacher and the support of my family, I was able to dive in, joining my first orchestra after only a few weeks of lessons."
Danielle's music making through high school was focused solely on the classical genre. She was Concert Master of the Westdale Secondary School Orchestra and The Hamilton East Chamber Ensemble. She also played with The Hamilton Philharmonic Youth Orchestra and had the opportunity to sing in the chorus for three Opera Hamilton productions. She went on to study classical violin at Queen's University. Her first venture into other genres came with a summer job performing variety shows with The Blazing Fiddles on the Grand River in Caledonia. Her ability to flip the switch from classical to fiddle, show tunes and jazz was honed during her nine years with the group. After graduating from Queen's, she became a full time member of the Kingston Symphony, a violin teacher and began playing with bands including Boru's Harp (Celtic), Calamity Janes (folk rock) and Hoppipolla (ambient rock). She found herself being frequently called upon to do studio work for bands of all genres including The Gertrudes, Kris and Dee, Jerome Godboo, Ianspotting, and most recently she worked on a three song EP with Megan Hamilton and producer Jim Bryson.
Danielle began writing her own music in 2005. Her relationship with composing started off as rather on-again, off-again but in the last two years, writing has been a prominent part of her daily life. Her first album STRING THEORY is an amalgamation of all of her musical experiences and is sure to capture the imaginations of listeners of all types.
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