{"id":18192,"date":"2022-05-29T13:19:10","date_gmt":"2022-05-29T18:19:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/takenote\/?p=18192"},"modified":"2026-01-16T15:57:39","modified_gmt":"2026-01-16T20:57:39","slug":"cirque-du-soleil-crystal-music-director-conrad-askland","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/takenote\/cirque-du-soleil-crystal-music-director-conrad-askland\/","title":{"rendered":"Cirque du Soleil \u2018Crystal\u2019 Music Director Conrad Askland Q&A"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Inside the Creative World of Cirque du Soleil\u2019s Crystal<\/em>: Music, Technology, and Empathy<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Conrad Askland first became aware of Cirque du Soleil more than 25 years ago, when he saw a CD in a store with strange cover art.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI fell in love with that album,\u201d he says of the Allegria <\/em>soundtrack. \u201cIt\u2019s the only CD I played in my car for over a year. I went through three copies of the same soundtrack.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since then, Conrad graduated from Berklee Online\u2019s undergraduate program and became the music director for Cirque du Soleil\u2019s Crystal<\/em>\u2014an innovative and first-time acrobatic musical performance on ice. <\/em>This conversation illuminates Conrad\u2019s ability to integrate both live instrumentation with the art and science of music technology through Ableton Live for Crystal<\/em>\u2014as well as other Cirque shows. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Based in Seattle, Conrad is also known for the creation of Pray the Gay Away<\/em>, a musical he reflects on as a controversial yet necessary body of art for any local community to engage with. He expresses a burning curiosity to explore how to best impact social change through art and music with the goal to lead with empathy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Cirque
Cirque du Soleil ‘Crystal’ is Currently on Tour<\/a>, with Performances at Agganis Arena in Boston through June 12. Photo by Matt Beard. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ve worked on a number of Cirque du Soleil shows. When did you first become aware of Cirque du Soleil?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Conrad Askland: I first became aware of Cirque du Soleil around 1995. I was browsing a CD store, a compact disc store, and I saw this album cover. It said Allegria<\/em> and had a strange face and on the back [with] musicians and Renaissance masks. I thought, \u201cWhat is this?\u201d I\u2019d never heard of Cirque du Soleil and I thought that the music was amazing. \u2026 Around 2001, I saw Myst\u00e8re<\/em>. That was the first Cirque show that I saw live. I remember I went there with my mother and sister; my mother said, \u201cWhat did you think?\u201d I said to her, \u201cThat\u2019s art. What those people are doing, that is true art.\u201d I was so blown away. \u2026 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What instruments do you play as a band leader?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Conrad Askland: In my current role, I play keyboards and accordion, and then I also do all the Ableton Live editing. When you say \u201ckeyboards,\u201d depending on the show you\u2019re doing, that can be any number of different styles of piano. It could be a harpsichord. It could be pipe organ, and it could be synth sounds, orchestral sounds. In Crystal<\/em>, it\u2019s straight piano. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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