Michele LeTourneau
Northern News Services

NNSL (Apr 30/99) - After spending 20 years in the south, Bryan Townsend has returned to the area where he spent his formative years.

Townsend -- a rare breed, he's a composer -- was six when his family moved to Hay River.

"I started getting into music there," remembers Townsend.

But becoming interested in music in Hay River could be a frustrating experience for a teenager.

"There was no music training available," Townsend says, adding that in the summer there was the opportunity to learn folk guitar.

"But I was a young teenager. I wanted to learn rock and roll."

In the summer of '79, the family moved to Vernon, B.C.

"That's where I really picked up on music," says Townsend. "I took lessons in guitar and voice and at 15 I joined a rock band in high school."

Townsend also began taking "serious music lessons," learning classical guitar to improve his musicianship. He played pubs and dance halls. After a stint at the University of Victoria, the fledgling artist travelled across Canada with rock musician.

"I became disillusioned with bands. It was a sort of party thing. I wanted to be serious about music," he recalls.

Back to college it was: one year studying at the local college in Vernon, and four years at the University of Victoria.

"What I was really interested in was writing music -- more so than performance. That was my focus, my reason for training. I studied with some very prolific composers."

Townsend explored avant guard music with Timothy Sullivan -- a notable composer who was the head of the Royal Conservatory at the University of Toronto. With John Burke, a PhD from the University of Indiana, who studied under Greek composer/architect Xehanis Zenakis -- he learned about architectural theories as applied to music.

"In academic theory, the exposure is to experimental music," Townsend explains. "It's dissonant, non-tonal music. Movie soundtracks and mood music, that's most people's exposure to that style of music."

Also, Latvian composer Imant Ramish -- whose music was more in the vein of Bach and eastern European folk song -- taught Townsend.

"The kind of stuff most people would listen to at pops concerts," says Townsend.

Though the artist graduated from university six years ago with a rounded knowledge of the theory and practice of music -- he was also involved in electric and computer music as well as continuing with classical and Spanish guitar -- he was disillusioned with the academic system.

After two years of "drifting around," Townsend returned to Victoria, where he did volunteer work and finally resumed composing. He continues to write on an ongoing basis.

Of course, none of this explains what a struggling composer -- it's never been easy to be a composer -- is doing up North even if he did spend nine childhood years here.

"I moved here to be closer to my partner, Patricia," says Townsend. "We grew up together in Hay River."

Townsend adds that it's a "neat feeling to return to where you grew up."

"Now I just want to put my musical skills to work for some benefit to the community."