What the Radio Stations Are Saying:
"This is ambient music at its best. Relaxing, comforting and almost 'visual'. This is a very surprising and pleasant EP." - Tony Bates, Highlands 100.7 FM, Victoria, Australia
"I just wanted to comment on how much I enjoyed your music. I loved the laid-back, moody nature of your work. A Little Bit of Neptune is elegant in its simplicity... your releases have stuck out as being among the nicest I've received so far (from RadioDirectX, promotion service) Kind Regards," - David Mendes, 2GLF 89.3 FM Stereo, Australia
"Excellent easy-listening music" - David McCrory, 2NVR 105.9 FM and 2bbb 93.3 FM , Australia
"These songs are moody and have attitude built in. The compositions are some of the best I've heard...Orchestration is uncomplicated and brings out the compositions in thier true form." - Bert Gagnon, Neon Productions, England
"Every month A Little Bit of N eptune is on one of our playlists. Listeners say 'Lovely music, timeless masterpiece, music from the angels.' (later comment) Unbelieveable, but you have done it! (new song) All of My Tomorrows is as beautiful as A Little Bit of Neptune. Next Sunday it's on the air. Best," - Ad Damstra, Alphen Stad FM, The Netherlands
"We were very pleased to hear this album. Our audience had some good reactions... In a few days we will put the full album on our playlists for several shows. Good luck with the great album!" - Erik Vande Voorde, Radio Bejaard, Belgium
"Bonjour, thanks for this great music. I really enjoyed. I added it to my WJAZ playlist plus worldwide internet site. Best regards," - Jacques Perrichon, Radio Pluriel 91.5, Lyon, France
"Robert Bruce is an artist that leads us in other dimensions of human sensation. It's a masterpiece". - Billy Ifantis, Skylight Radio, Athens, Greece
"Nice one!" - Oli Massive, Fritz FM, Berlin, Germany
"Still awesome. I've played it over and over again." - Jason (Xu) Marzetti, CJSR 88.5 FM, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
"Robert, thanks for sending me your CD. I'm going to feature it this month and beyond on my show Planetary Prismatic Sonics... it's a nice flowing piece o' sonic tonic! Thanks, " - Mitchell Mendys, WKNH, New Hampshire, USA
"Beautiful music, lovingly played. To be aired this week. - Tom Bingham, WCVF FM, NY, USA
"Robert, What a fine and mellow flow you've got going. I'll be playing your music a lot on the New Age segments of my show. I especially love the sense of mystery the music conveys...It's nice to awaken folk with that on a Saturday morning. Thanks, Mitchell Mendys WKNH, New Hampshire, USA
Hi Robert Many Sincere thanks for the Cd you submitted to us. We have played it, and think that it is well worth having tracks from the CD included into our playlists. The charactor of the music style presented gives this CD a unique feel, with an individual personality presented inside it's contents. Great work, and we sure look forward to hearing from you in the future Kind Regards - Graham Barclay, Soundwave FM, New Zealand
Dear Robert, Thank you very much for the CD "Bound for the tenderness of Eden" which we received recently. It is being enjoyed by our listeners in our daily programs during the week. Rgards, Geof Cartledge, Librarian/Presenter, West Gippsland Community Radio Inc., Drouin. Victoria. Australia.
What a great sound you have, we have played several of your tracks to date and plan to schedule more in future programs. Keep up the good work and please keep us up to date with your progress Regards Michael Criddle OzRadio (President Radio Triple H-FM), Australia
Hi Robert, I think your Album is a great one! Keep on going with this kind of work!! Yours, Paul van Kuik Radio 0162 Dongen
Listener's Comments:
"What a beautiful surprise your music was! The emotions you are presenting in your songs were almost touchable, all around me and inside me! What a beautiful feeling to lose yourself in such serene music!" - T.V.
"His music is very visual and lends itself to conjuring up images and scenerios. It speak of a very internal, personal soundscape with barely an influence from any other contemporary composer." - Award-Winner Music Critic Hugh Fraser, The Hamilton Spectator
"Your music is very inspirational and I found myself visualizing different scenarios depending upon the emotion I felt from the piece..." - S.K.
"I am self-employed in a very high stressed occupation. Quite few times when I would be visiting Brenda's office she would have your CD on and I asker her about it. I felt an immediate calm come over me and the music seemed to take me back to another place and time. During the course of a stressful day I put your Eden CD on and it truly has a therapeutic and calming effect on me. The world seems like a peaceful place and troubles seem far, far away." H.K.
"The tonal tranquility and spirituality of this collection of compositions has proven to be an invaluable asset to my Holistic offerings available to the public. There is an inherent therapeutic ambiance to the music. I have recommended this CD to Doctors, Massage Therapists, Reiki Instructors and individuals who require mind/body support. I receive consistent affirmation from those who listen and discover profound emotional connections to the music. This unique listening experience possesses a superior quality that transcends the definition of musical therapy." - N.W.
"Just a short note to let you know how deeply your music touched me. It took me on a journey through the elements of life, love, loss and birth that contribute to who I am today." - B.L.
"I listened to your CD and I LOVE it. I found I went to a very introspective place. I didn't know what would come up. I just let my body respond with where I was at. With each piece and each re-hearing, my response was somewhat different, though there was an underlying introspective theme throughout it."
"One thing that struck me is your music feels very healing to me. I felt like my soul was being asked to tell its story. It's a story I don't have words for. I can only feel it. And what comes may be very different from what's in my head. Sometimes joy and ecstasy, other times pain and hurt. It's below everyday emotion, it's a place inside that has something deeper to say. Paradoxically I find joy through this when I actually feel. It's a challenge, too, to feel, to allow it, to risk it."
"Your music was really resonating with me. I felt like I had this invitation to go deep inside and it was safe to access whatever might be there. I had a sense that if I kept working with your music, I could go more inside and feel more of what's there in some of the closed places."
Comments From Workshop/Educational Settings:
--What did you enjoy about today's masterclass?
"I really liked all the music that Mr. Bruce played and composed. It really had a lot of feeling to it and was very interesting and helpful to us! He gave us lots of tips on what to write when we compose. I loved his playing. Usually when I'm listening to a pianist play, it seems really boring but his music really captured me and I didn't look away from the piano once. His music was so, so good."
--How will you use what you have learned from the masterclass?
"I will use the information that Mr. Bruce taught us to help when I sit and make-up things on the piano and also when I practice. The thing when you close your eyes and feel the music come to you should really be helpful when I learn and practice music."
--What would you have changed in the masterclass?
"I would have made the masterclass a lot longer and I would have had Mr. Bruce play more of his music and explain how he felt about these pieces."
--Other things you want to say.
"I think that this was the best masterclass ever and it would be really, really cool if he could come back again." - grade 7 Student, Rogers School for the Arts, Pittsburgh, PA
"I was impressed with the way Mr. Bruce adapted his talk and went with the flow of questions from the students. It is always difficult to talk about such abstract things as motivation and inspiration. He seemed to handle these issues with ease. It is apparent that he is a motivated and inspired composer.
"While younger students like to think about concrete things, Mr. Bruce was able to capture an element of interest in the creative side of the art of music. When he played some of his compositions, you could have heard a pin drop. The application of his beliefs to the actual performance made his ideas stand out clearly to his student audience.
His music is unique, sensitive and artistic. His presentation was well suited to the experienced audience before him." - Russ Weil, Head of Music, Westmount High School, Hamilton, Ontario
"The sessions were informative, entertaining and inspirational for young musicians. Mr. Bruce's easy-going manner allowed the students to relax and he encouraged an open exchange of ideas. He presented his "personal music story" which is unconventional but highly successful. Many students were inspired by his personal and professional accomplishments. His presentation is suitable for senior high school students who would enjoy the alternative approach to music-making and the forum for discussion." - Cindi Johnston-Turner, B. Mus., B. Ed., M. Ed. Head of Music, Parkside High School, Dundas, Ontario
"There were many favorable comments in the days that followed (your masterclass.) Many told me they were impressed by your honesty and your respect for their thoughts about music. You engaged us in a fascinating dialogue throughout your presentation and brought into focus the importance of self-acceptance as the beginning impetus for any creative activity." - Music Faculty of Mohawk College, Hamilton, Ontario,
About Piano Repertoire for Students
"Robert's music represents some of the finest work available amidst an abundant pool of contemporary teaching repertoire. If I were confined to expressing only one feature of his music it would certainly be MOTIVATIONAL." - Debra Bemiller, Pennsylvania Music Teachers Association
"Most attractive about Mr. Bruce's presentations is his ability to perform his own works convincingly with an attitude that any student can benefit successfully from his compositions. His sharing of the joy of music and pleasure he finds in composition are most contagious." - Brian Preston, New York State Music Teachers Association