Persephone Productions
  • Home
  • The Company
    • Mission
    • Meet The Director
    • History
    • Awards
    • Notable Alumni
    • In The Press
    • Feedback
  • Past Productions
    • Blue Stockings >
      • Meet the Artists
      • Production Gallery
      • In the Press
      • Audience Feedback
    • Counting Aloud
    • Abigail/1702
    • Jerome of Sandy Cove
    • Compleat Female Stage Beauty
    • Moby Dick >
      • MD - Press Release /Communique de presse
      • Moby Dick - Production Notes
    • 2015 GALA
    • Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde >
      • Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Press
    • The Nisei & The Narnauks >
      • The Nisei & The Narnauks Press
    • Spring Awakening: The Musical >
      • Spring Awakening: The Musical 2014
    • Strawberries in January
    • The Walnut Tree >
      • Press Release - The Walnut Tree
    • Spring Awakening: The Musical
    • Lost: A Memoir >
      • Lost: A Memoir Press >
        • The Westmount Independent Review for Lost: A Memoir
        • The Gazette Preview for Lost: A Memoir
    • Oroonoko >
      • Oroonoko Press >
        • The Gazette Review for Oroonoko
        • The Charlebois Post Review for Oroonoko
        • The Montrealer Interview with Paul Van Dyck for Oroonoko
    • Hamlet >
      • Hamlet Press >
        • First Person Charlebois Post by Christopher for Hamlet
        • CBC Interview with Gabrielle Soskin
        • The McGill Tribune Review for Hamlet
        • The Métropolitain Review for Hamlet
        • The Senior Times Review for Hamlet
    • To Be >
      • To Be Press >
        • Mirror Review for To Be
        • Charlebois Post First Person for To Be
    • Far from the Madding Crowd >
      • Far from the Madding Crowd Press >
        • Gazette Review for FFTMC
        • Mirror Review for FFTMC
        • Gazette Preview on Christopher Moore for FFTMC
        • Charlebois Post for FFTMC
    • Mary's Wedding >
      • Mary's Wedding Press >
        • Charlebois Post Interview with Gabrielle Soskin for Mary's Wedding
        • Canadian Jewish News Preview for Mary's Wedding
        • The Mirror Preview for Mary's Wedding
        • Charlebois Post Preview for Mary's Wedding
    • Henry V >
      • Henry V Press >
        • The Suburban Preview for Henry V
        • The Gazette Review for Henry V
        • Rover Arts Report for Henry V
        • Midnight Poutine Review for Henry V
        • Coolopolis Review for Henry V
        • Rover Arts Review for Henry V
    • Ten year Anniversary Gala
    • Be My Baby >
      • Be My Baby Press >
        • Gazette Preview for Be My Baby
        • Gazette Review for Be My Baby
        • The West End Times Preview for Be My Baby
        • The Suburban Review for Be My Baby
    • Cherry Docs >
      • Cherry Docs Press >
        • The Gazette (Cherry Docs)
        • The Suburban (Cherry Docs)
        • Rover Arts (Cherry Docs)
        • Dee Arr (Cherry Docs)
        • The Canadian Jewish News (Cherry Docs)
        • HOUR (Cherry Docs)
        • The Mirror (Cherry Docs)
        • Stanstead Journal (Cherry Docs)
    • Othello >
      • Othello Press >
        • The Gazette (Othello)
        • The Concordian (Othello)
        • The Link (Othello)
        • MicGill Tribune (Othello)
        • The Westmount Independent (Othello)
        • The NDG Monitor (Othello)
    • The Love of Shakespeare's Women (2)
    • Unity 1918 >
      • Unity 1918 Press >
        • The Gazette (Unity 1918)
        • The Mirror (Unity 1918)
        • Invisible Cities Network (Unity 1918)
        • McGill Tribune (Unity 1918)
        • HOUR (Unity 1918)
    • The Love of Shakespeare's Women (1) >
      • The Love of Shakespeare's Women Press >
        • The Westmount Independent (The Loves of Shakespeare's Women)
        • The Gazette (The Loves of Shakespeare's Women)
    • To the Green Fields Beyond >
      • To The Green Fields Beyond Press >
        • The Gazette (To The Green Fields Beyond)
        • The Mirror (To The Green Fields Beyond)
    • Prodigy >
      • Prodigy Press >
        • The Gazette (Prodigy)
        • La Press (Prodigy)
        • Le Délit (Prodigy)
        • Invisible Cities Network (Prodigy)
        • McGill Tribune (Prodigy)
        • The Surban (Prodigy)
        • The Mirror (Prodigy)
        • McGill Daily (Prodigy)
    • Spring Awakening >
      • Spring Awakening Press >
        • The Gazette (Spring Awakening)
        • Prince Chameleon Press (Spring Awakening)
        • Délit (Spring Awakening)
        • Mon Theatre (Spring Awakening)
    • A Room of One's Own >
      • A Room of One's Own Press >
        • CBC Radio One (A Room of One's Own)
        • The Gazette (A Room of One's Own)
        • The Westmount Examiner (A Room of One's Own)
        • The Canadian Jewish News (A Room of One's Own)
    • SubUrbia >
      • SubUrbia Press >
        • CBC Radio One(SubUrbia)
        • The Gazette (SubUrbia)
        • Montreal Mirror (SubUrbia)
        • HOUR (SubUrbia)
        • The Suburban (SubUrbia)
        • Westmount Times (SubUrbia)
        • The Canadian Jewish News (SubUrbia)
    • Jane Eyre >
      • Jane Eyre Press >
        • The Canadian Jewish News (Jane Eyre)
        • Orcasound (Jane Eyre)
    • West
    • Kindertransport >
      • Kindertransport Press >
        • The Gazette (Kindertransport)
        • Montreal Mirror (Kindertransport)
        • The Suburban (Kindertransport)
        • The Chronicle (Kindertransport)
    • Playhouse Creatures >
      • In The Press - Playhouse Creatures
    • Anna Karenina >
      • In The Press - Anna Karenina
  • Blog
  • Newsletter
  • Support
  • Contact
  • FR

Young composer tackles old masterpiece
Schulich music student writes score for new production of Othello

Emma Quail, The McGill Tribune

Rather than following the example of the villainous character Iago, who gets what he wants by means of deception, a young composer is finding success through good old-fashioned hard work.

Shakespeare's tragic masterpiece Othello is currently being put on at the McCord Museum's J. Armand Bombardier Theatre, and first year McGill student James Keenan Campbell has composed the original score. Directed by Gabrielle Soskin, Othello is the latest performance of the Persephone Productions Company, which is centred on providing experience and exposure for young artists.

Campbell is a perfect example of the Persephone mandate. Starting off as a guitarist, Campbell began his music career by playing and composing folk music. "I played in a pretty successful folk band in Minnesota, so I started writing the violin parts for that. I've been writing folk music since the ninth grade," says Campbell.

Over the years, Campbell has picked up knowledge of theory and composition from choir and small classical music groups. Before and during high school, he was heavily involved in the fine arts. "My high school was really into the arts, so I did choir for six years and musical theater. … I just started looking at film scores pretty early on, too," says Campbell.

In his senior year of high school, Campbell started to write music specifically for orchestra. He composed for a production of Arthur Miller's The Crucible, where he also appeared on stage as Judge Hawthorne. Campbell has played roles and contributed music for other theatrical performances, such as Spring Awakening by Duncan Sheik and Our Town by Thornton Wilder.

With his passion for theatre and composing, Campbell wanted to continue his involvement in the arts within the local Montreal scene and found his opportunity with Persephone Productions. "I just saw an ad that some theatre company in Montréal was doing Othello and so I got the email address for the director," explains Campbell. "Actually, it was a little bit scary at first because she basically said that she didn't work with amateurs." 

However, after hearing Campbell's original score for The Crucible and his samples for Othello, the director was so impressed that she agreed to let him take on the musical endeavour. During the composition process, Campbell was able to visualize and feel the music by observing the actors and actresses. 

"When you're working with actors of this calibre, you get inspiration from them. When you see an incredibly intense scene, the piece just kind of fits. I can see a scene and kind of feel what needs to be there, and then just write it," says Campbell.

Apart from Othello, Campbell is working on some arrangements for Effusion, a McGill a cappella group which he is a member of. He is also writing a piece for his choir at home and continuing to work on his own musical, which he started this July.

"I might just make a run for it and see if I can be a professional composer, but you look at a lot of Italian singers [and realize] they're all lawyers and professional singers."

Not quite balancing that level of work, Campbell is definitely doing an impressive job of keeping up as a busy, young composer and a McGill student.

Othello plays at McCord Museum's J. Armand Bombardier Theatre (690 Sherbrooke) November 13 - 29 at 8 p.m., with weekday matinees at 1 p.m. and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m.

18 Nov,2008

Persephone Productions Inc
93, Somerville Ave.,
Westmount, Que, H3Z 1J4

CONTACT
ABOUT