This week on Finding Your Bliss, Life Coach and Bliss Expert Judy Librach is joined by Chris Thornborrow, an award-winning composer for film, theatre, and the concert stage. His work has been described as “heightened and brashly percussive” (Variety), “urgent, masterful” (NOW Magazine), “powerfully virtuosic” (Barcza Blog), and “elegiac music that casts a spell” (Hollywood Reporter). Recognition for his work includes the Karen Kieser Prize in Canadian Music, multiple SOCAN Awards for Audio Visual Composers, two DORA Award nominations, and the Louis Applebaum Composers Award Nomination.

Chris composed the music for “Sleeping Giant”, which was nominated for the Critics Week Grand Prize and Golden Camera Award at the Cannes Film Festival, won the Best Canadian First Feature Award at the Toronto International Film Festival and has been broadcast internationally in 40 countries. It was also nominated for three Canadian Screen Awards, including Best Motion Picture.

He composed a unique noise-inspired electronic-classical fusion score for the film “We Ate the Children Last”. Based on a story by Yann Martel (“Life of Pi”), the film premiered at the Claremont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival and was honoured as one of Canada’s Top 10 short films at the Toronto International Film Festival. In addition, Chris collaborated with Brandon Cronenberg on The Camera and Christopher Merk, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival.

His first full-length hybrid-musical “Hook Up” premiered to critical acclaim in 2019 and was nominated for a Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding New Opera. Commissioned and produced by Tapestry Opera, it was lauded as “beautiful, gut-wrenching, and absolutely riveting” (Mooney Theatre). Firmly established as a leading composer and facilitator in contemporary music theatre for young people, Chris regularly works with school boards and top arts organizations across Ontario. Through his work with the Canadian Opera Company’s After-School Opera Program, and the Canadian Children’s Opera Company, Chris has collaborated directly with thousands of students and co-written over 60 musical theatre works. He has also written and produced impactful educational videos on topics of performance, choral singing, and the creative process for the Gryphon Trio’s national school program, “Listen Up!”

His instrumental music has been performed, recorded, and commissioned by Array Ensemble, the Bicycle Opera Project, Ensemble Paramirabo, Esprit Orchestra, junctQìn keyboard collective, Tapestry Opera, the Thin Edge New Music Collective, and The Toy Piano Composers, of which he was the Co-Founder and Artistic Director for eight seasons. As an avid fan of tabletop games, Chris composes original orchestral music for Dungeons and Dragons campaigns while serving as a game master.

Click on this link to listen to Chris' album "Toy Piano Composers", featuring his song "Walking", on BandCamp: https://redshiftmusicsociety.bandcamp.com/album/toy-piano-composers

Also back on the program with lots of exciting news, we have singer/songwriter extraordinaire, Jully Black!

Jully Black is a true Canadian Icon. Named as one of ‘The 25 Greatest Canadian Singers Ever’, (CBC Music) she has been dubbed ‘Canada’s Queen of R&B Soul’ by fans and industry leaders alike. As a platinum-selling recording artist, her music career has yielded multiple singles reaching the Top 10 pop, R&B and dance music charts. She has taken home Juno and Gemini Awards, earned innumerable industry accolades, was hand selected to sing for the Queen of England and was inducted into Canada’s Walk of Fame in 2021 (PILLARS OF EXCELLENCE - Arts & Entertainment).

With her powerhouse vocals, hilarious personality and love of people, Jully Black truly is everyone, and unlike anyone. Her passion for philanthropy has taken her from the shantytowns of Bangladesh to the villages of South Africa and all across Canada. As a woman of faith, she champions important c ...