Oliver  Kilian
Live Acoustic and Classical Guitar Music
Classical ~ Acoustic ~ Thousand Islands Folk Music ~ Autobiography ~ Past Performances ~ Contact ~ Home Page
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Introduction
Hi, and welcome to my music homepage. I have been playing guitar for over 35 years and have amassed a pretty diverse repertoire. Over the years I have delved into rock, punk, metal, folk, classical, jazz, and bluegrass. My influences include (in no particular order) Rush, the Beatles, Liona Boyd, Al Di Meola, New Grass Revival, Joe Satriani, and Santana.
| If you are interested in more information right now (such as my availability, fees, and the like), please do not hesitate to contact me. |
Autobiography [Top]
 Beginnings: I was born and raised around Toronto and began playing guitar at age 12. My first musical love affair was with the Beatles, and they are still one of my favorites. At 15 I got my first electric guitar and began to learn the music of Rush and Black Sabbath, subjecting my parents to all sorts of noise (bless them for their tolerance) as I tried to copy the sounds and styles of these guitar titans. It was through Alex Lifeson (Rush) that I first became acquainted with the sounds of the classical guitar, basking in the warm sounds he created for Rush tunes like Rivendell, Panacea, and the intro parts of A Farewell To Kings, La Villa Strangiato, and The Trees. Mr. Lifeson shares this credit with Rik Emmett, who also included pretty classical pieces on Triumph's albums. I have great respect for players who are equally proficient on electric and acoustic guitar. At 17 I went schizophrenic, familiarizing myself with the music of Liona Boyd and beginning the long journey to finger-picking proficiency, while at the same time hanging out with high school classmates that were forming the punk band, Neon & The Nasties. While punk wasn't my main musical interest, learning the music of the Dead Kennedys, and jamming with the Nasties, did strengthen my strumming technique significantly. After high school, and a brief stint as second guitar with the Nasties, I enrolled in college at Lindsay, Ontario, where I was to meet many fellow axemen (some of whom are still jamming mates), and eventually find myself on stage for the first time (gulp). Things went over well enough: while others were presenting acoustic staples by Pink Floyd, the Eagles, and Neil Young, I nervously ripped through a selection of classical and flamenco-style pieces and, of course, a couple of Beatles tunes. My classical repertoire had blossomed to about 3 hours of music, and I found myself being asked for lessons. It was one of my students (a classmate) who introduced me to Al Di Meola (well, his music anyway), a man of such awesome virtuosity (on classical, acoustic, and electric guitar) that to this day I don't know whether to be inspired by him or throw my guitars away and try tennis. His technical prowess and timing is formidable, something I've since learned is common among great jazz musicians. Thus an interest in jazz was born and I have been a Montreal jazzfest junkie ever since.
Now: By day, I occupy myself variably as a forest ecologist/consulting arborist/researcher, computer specialist, music teacher, and language interpreter, but the music addiction lives on.
Past Performances[Top]
Below is a partial list of places I've played in past years.
Clip A:  Clip B:  - Classical Guitar
- weddings
- Fulford House, Brockville
- Boathouse Restaurant, Rockport
- Hogan's Inn, King City
- Thousand Islands Heritage Music Programs
- Golden Apple Restaurant, Gananoque
- 1000 Islands Heritage Village, Gananoque
- St. Lawrence Islands National Park, Mallorytown
- Canadian Empress Cruiseship, Kingston
- Fort Wellington National Historic Site, Prescott
- Festival of the Islands, Gananoque
- Westport Music Festival
- Schoolhouse Jam, Rockport
- Riverfest, Brockville
- KOA, Mallorytown
- KOA, Ivy Lea
- Landon Bay Campground, Gananoque
- Crazy Horse Campground, Ivy Lea
- weddings, reunions, telethons, corporate events, and other assorted parties.
- Restaurant, Lounge, Coffeehouse, & Bar Shows
- Spinner's Pub, Brockville
- Dedo's, Lindsay
- Boathouse Tavern, Rockport
- Mickey's, Ottawa
- Irish Pub ("The Central"), Lindsay
- Frosty's, Lindsay
- The Crow's Nest, Tobermory
- Corner Coffeehouse, Newmarket
- Urban Cafe, Richmond Hill
- Outdoor Programs
- Darlington Provincial Park
- Presqu'ile Provincial Park
- Ferris Provincial Park
- Bon Echo Provincial Park
- Wellesley Island State Park
- St. Lawrence Islands National Park
- Bruce Peninsula National Park
- Landon Bay Campground
- Ivy Lea Provincial Park
1000 Islands Heritage Music Programs [Top]
 Research into the music of the 1000 Islands area has opened up a unique opportunity for me to share the heritage of this area with its many visitors - if you think the guests of your tourboat, restaurant, pub, campground, private party, country club, etc..... might enjoy a light-hearted musical romp through our local history, by all means contact me. I've got a growing collection of music that was composed about the 1000 Islands area and deals with actual historic events that occurred here. This sort of history-based folk music offers nothing short of an insightful and entertaining context to the scenic beauty of the islands, and is always appreciated by visitors and residents alike.
CULTURAL HISTORY THEMES - Early Exploration
- First Settlers - Logging in the 1000 Islands
- Early Navigation
- The War of 1812
- The Rebellion of 1837-39
- Prohibition
- Early Recreation/Tourism
- Others
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Classical Guitar Repertoire [Top]
Traditional - Lento - Francisco Tárrega
- Kemp's Jig - Anonymous
- Greensleeves - Anonymous
- Estudio in E - Francisco Tárrega
- Spanish Romance - Anonymous
- Lagrima - Francisco Tárrega
- El Noy De La Mare - Anonymous
- Adelita - Francisco Tárrega
- Tempest - Anonymous
- Little Suite - Comte Anton de Logy
 - Andante - Fernando Sor
- Estudio #2 - Fernando Sor
- Estudio in E - Anonymous
- Gavotte - Comte Ludovico Roncalli
- Pavana - Francisco Tárrega
- Andante - Francisco Tárrega
- Prelude - Robert de Visée
- others
Contemporary - The Trees - Alex Lifeson
- Needle & Damage Done - Neil Young
- Field Music - Oliver Kilian
- Fantasy Suite for Fiona - Oliver Kilian
- Different Strings - Alex Lifeson
- Goodbye Blue Sky - Roger Waters
- Recorder Song - Oliver Kilian
- March of St. Humphrey - Oliver Kilian
- Morning Sundance - Richard Fortin
- Elegy for Suffering - Oliver Kilian
- Blackbird - Paul McCartney
- Huron Harvest - Oliver Kilian
- No One At The Bridge - Alex Lifeson
- That's Nacho Cheese - Oliver Kilian
- Stairway To Heaven - Page, Plant
- San Tropez - Roger Waters
- Dear Prudence - John Lennon
- Chinatown - Richard Fortin
- Signe - Eric Clapton
- others
Acoustic Repertoire [Top] |
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