Composer and past laureate Howard Shore chose to mentor Montreal composer Nicole Lizée as part of the 2015 Mentorship Program, sponsored by the Keg Spirit Foundation. In an email interview, Ms. Lizée discussed her work with Mr. Shore in an email interview with the GGPAA Foundaiton.
I visited Howard Shore’s studio in Tuxedo, just outside of New York City. The location is beautiful and the studio itself is stunning. In many ways it was how I had envisioned it to be: a jukebox in the kitchen, analogue equipment here and there, a stash of vinyl (with some delightful surprises), a
Lord of the Rings pinball machine, (impressive) art created by his daughter, and a vault of his scores (his entire catalogue, spanning decades) - which he was happy to let me browse through. Thumbing through the score of
Scanners was a thrill.
Our meeting reaffirmed my belief that quality, integrity, forward thinking, creativity, and craft mean everything. It’s perfectly acceptable to take the time to make sure everything is up to the highest standards and it is also OK to expect this from others. Doing so indicates the highest respect for that person. Creating art - of all kinds - should be an enjoyable, meaningful process. He has forged meaningful, creative, lasting relationships with colleagues and collaborators and this is something I also feel is important as I’ve been building relationships in much the same way.
He is involved in all aspects of his work: all arrangements (where others arrange his music), art work on his recordings (vinyl, CDs), liner notes, mixing, mastering, etc. Without that extra attention and scrupulousness something would be lost.
He was in the process of working on a (major) film during my visit so I was able to sit in during an editing session and discuss the mechanics of film scoring with Mr. Shore and his assistants. It was great to be witness to the team’s electric and creative dynamic.
In all a lot of interesting conversations were had, laughs were shared. I came away feeling confident in the road I am traveling, knowing that someone of this calibre - who I respect a great deal - likes what I do.
When asked how this mentorship will affect her music, Ms. Lizée replied jokingly "I will include more hobbits in my work."
A note of thanks from Ms. Lizée:
I would like to extend my deepest thanks to the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards, the National Arts Centre, and the Keg Spirit Foundation. It is a tremendous honour to be selected for the mentorship award and my experience with the wonderful Howard Shore will never be forgotten.
2015 GGPAA laureates Walter Boudreau, Sarah McLachlan, Atom Egoyan, Diana Leblanc,
His Excellency David Johnston, Her Excellency Sharon Johnston, Mentorship Program protégée Nicole Lizée, mentor and past laureate Howard Shore, RJH Award recipient Michael M. Koerner, NAC Award recipient Jean-Marc Vallée and R. H. Thomson at Rideau Hall.
Photo: MCpl Vincent Carbonneau, Rideau Hall
Top photo: Howard Shore and Nicole Lizée with Mr. Shore`s grandson Avery on the GGPAA Gala red carpet.
Photo: George Pimentel