User:Dongarbutt/Don Garbutt

Don Garbutt [] (b. 1955) is a music composer, producer and sound designer who has worked in many capacities as musician and collaborator. He grew up in Alderwood, a small suburb of Toronto, Canada, attending the Royal Conservatory of Music [] Toronto, studying music theory, bassoon and voice, with private training in bagpipes, piano and accordion. He joined the Musician's Union as a bassoonist at the age of 15, and played bass guitar, keyboards and synthesizers in several bands through the seventies, including Moosemeat (1970), Sagebrush (1971-2), Bump in the Dark and Spun Silver (1973), Kabuki (1974), Contagious (1975), McKye (1976), The Foggy Duo (1977-1981), Skyboat (1981), David Mo (1982-3), Clive Burr's Escape/Praying Mantis (1983), Cardboard Brains (1985), The Invigilators (1989-present). He studied at York University (1974-77), with David Rosenboom, Casey Sokol and toured with the improvisation unit YIMPA. During that time he also performed with The Glass Orchestra. He has created music for television, film and multi-media, with diverse gigs such as piano advisor to Dennis Quaid (Great Balls of Fire), studio design and programmer for Henry Butler (New Orlens Piano Professor) and MIDI guru for prog rock giants Procol Harum. He has been a consultant for Oscar Peterson, Pink Floyd, David Bowie, Barenaked Ladies, Tragically Hip, IRCAM, PiTechnos Corporation, QED Media and is a founding member and the Director of Electronic Music at the Harris Institute for the Arts, Toronto. He has produced recordings for numerous international artists, earning a Juno and a Gold Record in 2005 (Keshia Chante), and six Grammy short-list nominations in 2009 (Mario Melo). He was the $10,000 First Prize winner in the "In The Mix" contest for GenAudioInc., for his composition "Alien Planet" and his innovative use of their 4D sound imaging software "AstoundSound", and is a beta tester for GenAudioInc. and IDARCA, makers of the Acxel II synthesizer. Don Garbutt composes "Science Music", elecronic music inspired by ideas of theoretical physics, released on his album "Cosmology", and has shared his music with a long list of notable physicists including Roger Penrose, Frank Wilczek, Lee Smolin Neil Turok, Robert L. Forward (R.I.P.), Lev Kofman (R.I.P.) , Lisa Randall and Brian Greene.