Portrait of a young composer-performer
Who are you?
My name is Karl-André Rozankovic. I have been a piano teacher at CMM since the summer of 2015, but I work mainly in the field of music as a performer, composer, arranger. I am very interested in improvisation. It is a practice that I try to integrate into all the spheres of my musical activity, both through teaching and composing. In the fall of 2021, I launched my first solo release album called "Liminaire". This is a small collection of original compositions and piano improvisations. At the same time, I continue to work in the field of song, folk music and jazz as a pianist, but also as an accordionist.
Karl-Andre at Place des Arts in 2008
What was your musical journey?
Music has always been part of my life. My parents were trained as musicians so I often heard them practice their instrument or give concerts. I even had the chance to travel with them when they went to play abroad, notably in France. I started taking piano lessons when I was about 5 years old with my Aunt Helena who occasionally taught music privately at her home. She also introduced me to the history of music and writing. Given my growing interest in music, I was referred to a piano teacher at the Conservatory, Johanne Pelletier, who tutored me for more than 5 years. At that time, the music school was located on Lorne Avenue in Saint-Lambert. This was a real incubator for young musicians in the making. I have fond memories of this establishment where music resounded on every floor. I remember the annual concerts on the ground floor where we had the chance to play on a grand piano and hear it being played by our peers. There were also string ensemble lessons under the guidance of Zoé Dumais in which I participated as a cellist. Finally, there were the jazz combo lessons under the guidance of saxophonist, Pierre Richard every Monday evening, which I came to attend as a listener. When I heard my dad playing Joe Morello's drum solo from “Take Five”, this is where I got hooked by jazz; . Shortly thereafter, I took up drum lessons with Geoffroy Doyon at the age of 12. He also introduced me to jazz harmony on the piano by teaching me the song “Blue In Green”. Through my drums and jazz combo lessons, I have met musicians with whom we occasionally got to play outside of class in public. Little by little, the CMM found us paying contracts in hotels, openings and various private parties. It was sort of the start of my career as a professional musician.
When I moved to Montreal in 2014, I started the music-concentration program at Vincent d´Indy. At that time, I was also studying double bass. Following the afternoon music lessons or evening orchestral sessions with the OSCM, I stayed at school to practice my classical piano, which was becoming more and more jazz. There were teachers like Monique LeBlanc and Jean-Michel Rousseau who supported me to develop a more personal approach by encouraging me to improvise, compose and write music. A year later, I began my training in jazz piano at Cégep de Saint-Laurent where I met some leading figures of the Montreal music scene such as Lorraine Desmarais, Marianne Trudel, Alexandre Côté, Jean-Pierre Zanella, Rémi-Jean Leblanc and so on. I have acquired several skills which have allowed me to develop myself as a musician. Courses consisted of: ear-training, composition, writing arrangements for small and large ensembles, studio recording and computer-assisted music training. I also had the opportunity to perform with top-level musicians every day. Whether it was during lessons and concerts at school or through the more informal “jam sessions” with my peers, it was during this time that I developed more as a musician with expanded horizons. I have started several bands including “Barnatchok” and “Solarium” from which I have recorded a few albums and toured throughout Quebec and the Maritime provinces. Since the end of my musical studies in 2019, I continue to work in the music industry as a composer-performer and as a teacher at the Conservatoire de musique in Saint-Lambert. I had the chance to record albums including a first release in my name. I have also performed with Cirque Éloize a few times and at summer festivals in Quebec (audience award in Victoriaville, OFF jazz festival in Montreal, Festival Classica) and abroad, notably in Belgium in the fall of 2020. Who knows where my next musical endeavors will lead me?
What lessons have you learned from your musical journey?
For me, music serves as an opening to the world. There is a great prospect of travel and discovering new places, but also the possibilities of random encounters that build character and change perspective on life. My tours across Quebec have changed my relationship with the idea of identity and national belonging, which depends a lot on love of the land. I realize how lucky we are to live in such a vast country, rich in forests and bodies of water. I am also touched by the kindness and generosity of people who live in rural areas. There is a lot to learn from their lively lifestyle, which seems simpler to me from the outside. They maintain a better health than average, in my opinion. When we travel to make music, we get a lot of recognition and we learn to be more grateful for what we share. It is an art of living; take the time to share a good meal, play music around the fire after a concert, stop often by the road to contemplate the river. In the end, music is a channel that gives access to all the beautiful things that life can offer us.
What is the place of music in your life today?
Music is my daily bread. Whether it's active or passive listening to music, a rehearsal or improvisation session alone or with friends, every moment of my day is punctuated by musical activity. But the one thing that remains key in my eyes is regular practice of an instrument, in my case especially the piano. It’s like a daily ritual. There are few days when I do not practice.
What advice would you give to young people studying music as an extracurricular or as a concentration?
Do a little every day. Better to practice 10-15 minutes a day than an hour the day before class. Practicing music is not just about sitting down with your instrument. It is also going to bed with a herbal tea while listening to a song or an album.
