Music for the contemporary dance film, "Near / Far"
Concept by Carolina Bergonzoni
Edit by Gemma Crowe
Music by Sebastian Laskowski

Near / Far

This is an excerpt of a 20 minute work that I did in collaboration with choreographer Tiffany Tregarthen in Vancouver, BC. It was a commission from the SFU Faculty of Dance for a show in March 2012.

the sum of its parts (excerpt)

A dance piece created in collaboration with choreographer Kaitlyn Soo. May 2011.

It's This One...

This the main title for the 2013 documentary, "You've Done Enough" (dir. Laurie Harris). © Sebastian Laskowski 2013

Main Title - You've Done Enough

I scored Lou Papa's Falling as part of a demo show reel, which can be viewed here in its entirety: http://youtu.be/pr3SzbO6JCM

Music for "Falling"

This is an excerpt of a longer work created for a dance piece in collaboration with choreographer Tatiana Cheladyn, which was presented as part of Expanse Festival in Edmonton, AB on March 8 and 9, 2014.

The Feeling of Not Being Empty (excerpt)

Music: Sebastian Laskowski
Words: verbatim from WikiLeaks, Reddit, Trade Justice Network

Director: Jude Christian
Video/Projections: Mari Shibata
Producer: Soph Nurse

Music Director: Sebastian Laskowski
Soprano: Kirby Anne Hall
Alto: Kimberley Devonshire
Baritone: James Schouten
Bass: Ashley Mercer

Flute: Hayley Porter
Clarinet: Emma Stubbs
Piano: Kat Perdikomati
Viola: Alexis Bennett
Cello: Roxanna Albayati
Electronics: Jon Daou

Presented July 2014 in London, England, as part of Tete a Tete: The Opera Festival, King's Cross 2014. Funded by Arts Council England. 

©alculated to death examines the power our authorities have to monitor personal internet use and communication, in the name of copyrighting and crime-fighting. A part-acoustic, part-electronic score that uses government documents obtained from WikiLeaks – including the Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement (CETA) and the UK Data Communications Bill – to weigh the infinite possibilities of the internet against its political and human cost. CETA and the implications it may bring regarding the privatization of public entities is a topic that has been discussed on many online forums. The fact that many of CETAs components have been lifted from the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) – which, amonsgt other things, could allow authorities to access personal emails without warrants – has been flagged as a major concern. The UKCDB addresses topics regarding the access of personal data in a similar way. ©alculated to death is more an “infomercial” than a narrative in which the cast trades off between voicing the views of the government and those of the general public – the latter lifted from various blogs.

©alculated to death | an opera (2014 excerpt)

An excerpt of "Runaway", composed for "The Trap" (2015, Burst Pictures). Directed by Adam Estey

Original Music from The Trap | Runaway

An excerpt of "Orin's Return", composed for the British science fiction feature film, "Fluid" (2015). Directed by Jonathan Bart.

Original Music from Fluid | Orin's Return

"I had spent a lot of time this year on long-haul flights, and I was always surrounded by crying infants. It made me realize, as a man in my twenties, how much other people’s babies have
become a part of my life. All over social media, I see photos of babies - this is the first generation where the entire life of a human being can be documented on the Internet."

S.L.
October 2014

Performed by the Yaletown String Quaret, March 19, 2016, as part of Sonic Boom Festival in Vancouver, Canada.
Mark Ferris, violin
Domagoj Ivanovic, violin
Marcus Takizawa, viola
Finn Manniche, cello

You'll Always Be Surrounded by Crying Infants on a Long-Haul Flight | String Quartet

"Jamie's Thoughts" is part of the original music that was composed for "Last Night" (2016, dir. Joel Salaysay).

Original Music from Last Night | Jamie's Thoughts

Boulder Symphony Orchestra performing "Kinespheric Exploitation", March 2017. 

Kinesphere: “The personal space or Kinesphere is the space around us within reaching possibilities of the limbs without changing one's place” - Rudolf Laban. This work is a reflection on the creative processes of dancer choreographers, and how they utilize the body in different and unconventional uses. Special thanks to Tatiana Cheladyn and Akeisha De Baat for allowing me to pick their brains to create this work.

Kinespheric Exploitation - Boulder Symphony

Sebastian is a Vancouver-based composer. He received his formal training through the Royal Conservatory of Music of Canada, Simon Fraser University's School for the Contemporary Arts and Goldsmiths, University of London. He has written for various ensembles, ranging from string trio to choir to orchestra. He also incorporates fixed and live electronics in his projects, which play a large role in his sound in film, contemporary dance, theatre and installations. 

In December 2011, he was commissioned by SFU’s Faculty of Dance to create "the sum of its parts" with choreographer Tiffany Tregarthen for March of the following year. In April 2012, his first orchestral piece, "2.5 mg", was premiered by the Victoria Symphony and his first opera, "©alculated to death" (set to text obtained from WikiLeaks), was presented in London, England as part of the 2013 PureGold Festival.

His former work in pre-hospital health care and his interests in the rehabilitation and deterioration of the human body and mind have been an influence in his themes and structures of his compositions, and he is currently interested in presenting societal issues from a cultural perspective. Sebastian’s music has been presented in festivals and shows in Canada, England, Norway and the United States.

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