Julian Loida to Release 'Giverny' Album in May

On May 19th, Boston-based percussionist, composer, educator, and producer Julian Loida will unveil his new full-length album Giverny. Loida's range of sound and genre exploration is largely a product of his synesthesia - music is a literal full-body experience for him, with sounds often invoking involuntary sensations of color, texture, or even taste. For Julian Loida, music is a visual art.

With Giverny, Loida has created an 11-song feast for the senses. In "December Dreams," inspired by Danny Elfman's score in the "Ice Dance" scene in Edward Scissorhands, he juxtaposes the dark chill of winter with the feeling of newfound joy.

Tracks like "Sphere" and "Collide" explore the vastness of space, the elegant bodies suspended in the atmosphere, and the way objects move at the speed of light but appear fixed in place from the earth below.

"Beautiful Way" is a celebration of movement - light reflecting off of glass, the sun rising in the morning, or running your fingers through your partner's hair. The delicate push and pull of "Waves" evokes the feeling of water on the skin.

"Giverny is the small town outside of Paris where Claude Monet lived, worked, and changed the world through his paintings," Loida explains. "The light in this town is soft and warm, where 'golden hour' is all day, serene. I visited twice in the spring and fall and when this music came to me, the sound and feeling of this piece reminded me of Giverny, the light, the feeling of walking through this artist's gardens and grounds."

Curiosity, open-mindedness, and passion for music on a visceral level have propelled Julian Loida towards a wide range of experiences and endeavors. In all of his work, his goal is to break down artistic barriers and use music as a tool for healing.

His work, which spans genres, has been featured in film and advertisements. He regularly collaborates with dancers to compose scores for their performances, and partners with visual artists, songwriters/composers, and other musicians of all stripes.

For over two years, Loida ran the Children's Program for Shelter Music Boston, bringing music and trauma-informed educational programming to children and families experiencing homelessness and financial insecurity in Greater Boston. In 2021, The Peace Studio, founded by Maya Soetoro, awarded Loida membership in their 2021 Creative Peacebuilder fellowship, an international cohort of artists whose careers are centered around global justice and peace.

Since then, Loida has continued to bring trauma-informed education and healing experiences to schools and communities through drumming classes or by accompanying yoga classes. He serves on the board of B Free Wellness on Cape Cod, whose mission is to transform lives by providing free or low cost services including movement, mindfulness, and coaching programs to those whose lives have been affected by trauma, addiction and oppression.

He has toured internationally, performed with and performed at some of the most prestigious festivals in the U.S. such as Spoleto, New World Festival, the Exit Zero Jazz Festival, Caramoor American Roots Festival, and Round Top Music Festival.

Loida has performed with groups such as Alarm Will Sound, Castle of Our Skins, Parsonsfield, the Callithumpian Consort, Alkinoos Ioannidis, Veronica Robles, Fabiola Mendez, the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra, The New Bedford Symphony, and MassOpera. Be sure to follow him at the links below for the latest news and updates, and stay tuned for more news about Giverny in the coming weeks.

Watch the new album trailer here:

Photo credit: Joe Navas