This was my demo submission for the Abbey Road 80th Anniversary Anthem Contest which closed on July 15. It features real choir and piano and sampled orchestra. It is fairly long, almost 6 minutes. It is composed in commemoration of Abbey Road's 80th Anniversary and dedicated to "All those who have died fighting for freedom, and to the millions who perished in the Holocaust, and to my friend, Lana, RIP." Many thanks to Karen Gardis and the Davis High School Madrigals and their engineer Jeff Pelz, who recorded the choir parts for me in less than an hour on the last day of school. And to recording engineer Isha Erskine who managed to squeeze this into his busy schedule and help me mix it. The production is not perfect, but it was the best I could do in the time I had. You can tell the kids were restless and wanted to start their summer vacation, there are pages rustling and the odd creak of a chair or music stand. Overall it does convey the spirit and emotion of the composition. The ten winners of the Anthem Contest will have their pieces recorded in Abbey Road's Studio One with the London Symphony and will be released by EMI. I hope I am one of them! Wish me luck!!!

Hymn of the Spirit

Mountain Morning

Something I am working on for a thriller, horror movie. Based on a theme by Evan Evans.

3M1 Walking the Swamp

Something I am working on. Based on a theme by Evan Evans.

3M7 The Key

3M9 Released

Something I am working on. Based on a theme by Evan Evan's.

5M2 Emma's Death

A slow, dreamy meditation. Internalizing thoughts and feelings. Featuring a haunting but beautiful duduk melody.

Reflections

The long journey home. A restless orchestral piece with an old world flavor. Picture refugees returning home after the end of a long war.

The Long Road Home

A big tragic orchestral cue, the death of a hero and the end of a love.

Death of a Knight

A demo for a cue where people are trapped in a room which is filling up with poison gas and their frantic attempts to escape before they are overcome and die.

Gassed

A work in progress. Pretty rough, but I like it.

Death Do Us Part

The King's Return

Leon Joseph Portelance, 57, is a Canadian composer, songwriter and producer living in California. He has a Bachelor of Music Degree in Composition & Theory (1976) from the University of Victoria and a diploma in recording engineering. He has also worked as an engineer and producer in several studios. Leon currently works from his home studio in Sonora, California where he writes and produces rock and pop tracks for his band, Vinny's Last Ride, and scores soundtracks for movies.


Leon Joseph Portelance

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