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Elijah Bossenbroek

Composer and pianist

United States of America

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About

Elijah Bossenbroek was born and raised in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He started taking piano lessons at age six, but wasn't a typical piano student. He often hated the dull repetition behind learning notes and playing to metronomes. Frustrated with playing by the rules, Elijah began writing his own piano compositions at age fourteen.

At the age of eighteen, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, where he spent the better part of 5 years traveling to places such as Mississippi, Japan, California, and Kuwait. He would find any opportunity he could to fiddle around on a piano, even taking a small keyboard to Kuwait with him in the midst of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Upon his return from the deserts of Kuwait, and working a few odd jobs, his Mom told him she would pay him two months salary if he would quit his job and record a CD. With very little persuasion, Elijah purchased a home recording studio and began working on his first album, and two months later "Harmony In Disarray" was born. This CD caught the attention of an A&R of "A Matter of Substance Records" and Elijah Bossenbroek signed on to have them help produce and market his second album "Carpe Lumen"

Since then, Elijah Bossenbroek has bought out of his contract with A Matter Of Substance and is once again an independent artist and loving the freedom that comes with that! He performs throughout the Nation for various Art, Wine, Music Festivals and small venues. He is also branching out into scoring music for a couple films and licensing his previous recordings for marketing purposes throughout the World.

https://www.elijahbossenbroek.com

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Interview

What does music mean to you personally?

Creating music is my living and my passion. Without it, I wouldn’t be nearly as interesting, I’d be much poorer, and I’m certain I would be much grumpier.

Do you agree that music is all about fantasy?

This question is much too deep for me.

If you were not a professional musician, what would you have been?

The one job that I had before become a full time pianist that I really enjoyed was a land surveyor’s assistant. I would have most likely followed that career path if it wasn’t for music.

The classical music audience is getting old, are you worried about the future?

Not in the least. My average fan actually falls into the 18-30 age bracket. Then again.. I don’t really consider my music classical.

What do you envision the role of music to be in the 21st century? Do you see that there is a transformation of this role?

I’m excited for all the new opportunities and audiences reached that these streaming services present. 10-15 years ago, there wasn’t a radio station playing strictly solo piano music and now it’s easier than ever to reach your audience. There are so many more opportunities to be heard now than there ever was.�

Do you think that the musician today needs to be more creative? What is the role of creativity in the musical process for you?

Yes. With most people now streaming music, and with it being so easy now to record and get your recordings on to these sites; it really levels the playing field for everyone. With that said, every musician needs to find a creative way to stand out that sets them apart from everyone else.

Do you think we as musicians can do something to attract the younger generation to music concerts? How would you do this?

Going on twelve years now since composing my first CD, I’m seeing a really neat cycle. Those kids/teens that learned my music way back then are now some of my most passionate fans as adults. If you're able to get them learning and performing your music young, you will get them in that seat and excited to hear you play years later.

Tell us about your creative process. What is your favorite piece (written by you) and how did you start working on it?

I press record and I play. If I like it, it gets on a CD, if not, I start all over. I wish I had a much more romantic or thought-out process but there really isn’t much of a method to my madness. My favorite piece is “I Give Up” off of Carpe Lumen. At that time of this recording, I was just signed to my first label and they used this song to try to find me a producer. On their second attempt, I got the completed song back from them for me to review and I knew right then that this song was going to connect with people. I even named it right there on the spot “I Give Up” because if this song didn’t work out, that was it for me in this music business. A little dramatic? yes.

Can you give some advice for young people who want to discover classical music for themselves?

There are so many different varieties of what’s considered classical music and so many different ways to enjoy it. Search for what makes you excited.

Do you think about the audience when composing?

For years I would perform at 3 day Art Festivals on the street where I would perform from 10am to 5pm. It’s here that I made up sort of a game in my head to lure these potential customers in to purchase my CDs. I could see first hand and in real time what songs brought people closer in to me and what songs drove them away. This was so valuable in laying the groundwork for quite a few of my compositions.

What projects are coming up? Do you experiment in your projects?

I have a few songs I’m working with a producer on now that are quite experimental for me. I’m really like a kid in a candy shop when it comes to new sounds and new musical ideas!