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Kristan Toczko (HarpistKT) Presents Beauty and the Beast

(Halifax/Kjipuktuk, NSKristan Toczko (HarpistKT) presents her second single of the year, a rendition of the Disney classic, Beauty and the Beast’s Prologue. Her harp performance offers a fresh take on this beloved piece. Interestingly, it is rumored that the film director used Saint-Saëns’s Aquarium as temporary music during the film’s editing phase to guide the mood while Alan Menken was still composing the score, resulting in notable similarities between the two pieces. 

Listen to Beauty and the Beast’s Prologue wherever you stream your music: https://leaf-music.lnk.to/lm2044

Leaf Music is an independent recording label based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, making and distributing high-quality classical music recordings by artists and composers from across Canada. Our growing catalogue of solo, orchestral, and chamber music is distributed by Naxos of America to the world’s most important music retailers, download providers, and streaming services. Leaf is also a provider of professional audio and video production, post-production services and integrated music marketing and distribution in Canada.

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MEDIA CONTACT: 

For more information/photos or to arrange interviews, please contact Peggy Walt,  peggy@leaf-music.ca (902) 422-5403 (office) or (902) 476-1096 (cell).

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Leaf Music Distributes Nerve with Ian Foster

(Halifax/Kjipuktuk, NS) Leaf Music announces the distribution of a new digital recording, Nerve (IF10) with genre-defying composer/performer Ian Foster.  

Nerve takes us into the evocative world of contemporary classical crossover, featuring an intricate blend of piano, strings, and electronic textures. Ian Foster is a seasoned songwriter, film composer and music producer, and the album combines prepared pianos and strings with synthesizers, drum loops and a range of electronic instruments evocative of contemporary film scores and even contemporary ambient music. Intimate piano pieces and lush electronic atmospherics are presented in Nerve by this Music NL and ECMA winner, who continues to evolve and defy genres (visit ianfoster.ca to learn more). Thank you to the Canada Council for the Arts and Music NL for their support of this project, which was recorded in various venues in St. John’s.  

Listen to Nerve wherever you stream your music: https://leaf-music.lnk.to/if10

Leaf Music is an independent recording label based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, making and distributing high-quality classical music recordings by artists and composers from across Canada. Our growing catalogue of solo, orchestral, and chamber music is distributed by Naxos of America to the world’s most important music retailers, download providers, and streaming services. Leaf is also a provider of professional audio and video production, post-production services and integrated music marketing and distribution in Canada.

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MEDIA CONTACT: 

For more information/photos or to arrange interviews, please contact Peggy Walt,  peggy@leaf-music.ca (902) 422-5403 (office) or (902) 476-1096 (cell).

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Kristan Toczko (HarpistKT) Present The Legend of Zelda’s Great Fairy Fountain

(Halifax/Kjipuktuk, NS) Kristan Toczko (HarpistKT) presents her latest single, Great Fairy Fountain, from The Legend of Zelda. This is a frequent request and fan favourite on HarpistKT’s social media channels: TikTok (where she has 2.5 million followers), Facebook (299K), YouTube (380K), and Instagram (508K). Join her at @harpistkt. 

Great Fairy Fountain opens with the iconic and deeply nostalgic arpeggios of the Zelda series, where Koji Kondo referred to it as a “hook,” the hallmark of his compositional style. 

Listen to Great Fairy Fountain wherever you stream your music: https://leaf-music.lnk.to/lm2045

Leaf Music is an independent recording label based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, making and distributing high-quality classical music recordings by artists and composers from across Canada. Our growing catalogue of solo, orchestral, and chamber music is distributed by Naxos of America to the world’s most important music retailers, download providers, and streaming services. Leaf is also a provider of professional audio and video production, post-production services and integrated music marketing and distribution in Canada.

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MEDIA CONTACT: 

For more information/photos or to arrange interviews, please contact Peggy Walt,  peggy@leaf-music.ca (902) 422-5403 (office) or (902) 476-1096 (cell).

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Leaf Music and Kristan Toczko Present: Rock Echoes

(Halifax/Kjipuktuk, NS) Leaf Music and virtuoso Canadian harpist Kristan Toczko announce the launch of Rock Echoes (LM283, available February 16). Far from typical harp music – this album fuses the worlds of classical and rock music. Kristan has transcribed some of the most popular songs from her social media channels, bringing the unbridled energy of rock and roll to the harp. Whether it’s a classic Guns N’ Roses riff or the intricate rhythms of Tool, each track showcases Kristan’s brilliant solo transcription and artistry. 

Featured songs include these rock classics:  Sweet Child O’Mine (Guns N’ Roses); Paint It, Black (The Rolling Stones); Love of My Life (Queen); Wish You Were Here (Pink Floyd); Nothing Else Matters (Metallica); Californication (Red Hot Chili Peppers); Stairway to Heaven (Led Zeppelin); Lateralus (Tool); Hotel California (Eagles); Starlight (Muse); Smells Like Teen Spirit (Nirvana); Good Riddance/Time of Your Life (Greenday).

Kristan Toczko’s innovative videos have been enjoyed by hundreds of millions since she joined TikTok in 2020. Born in Moncton, she received her BMus from McGill University and her master’s at Yale, winning major competitions at both universities. Kristan also won the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal Competition and the CBC’s Young Artist award. Kristan discovered the virtual world of performance from her home studio in St. John’s during Covid, when her busy freelance career – playing concerts, travelling, and appearing with major Canadian orchestras and ensembles – came crashing down. She now records a harp-related video a day, including teaching videos and song covers; her arrangement of Nothing Else Matters caught the attention of Metallica, who included her performance in the band’s 40th-anniversary concert in San Francisco.

Kristan says playing the harp is like having an entire orchestra in one instrument. She loves taking her fans’ requests and is up for any challenge of “harpizing” a pop or classical song. She is also a talented graphic designer and was the recording engineer and art director on her new album, which was produced and mastered by Leaf Music’s Jeremy VanSlyke.  

Join Kristan’s fans on TikTok (where she has 2.5 million subscribers), Facebook (281K), YouTube (344K) and Instagram (340K) – @harpistkt. 

Leaf Music is an independent recording label based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, making and distributing high-quality classical music recordings by artists and composers from across Canada. Our growing catalogue of solo, orchestral, and chamber music is distributed by Naxos of America to the world’s most important music retailers, download providers, and streaming services. Leaf is also a provider of professional audio and video production, post-production services and integrated music marketing and distribution in Canada. 

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MEDIA CONTACT:  

For more information/photos or to arrange interviews please contact Peggy Walt,  peggy@leaf-music.ca (902) 422-5403 (office) or (902) 476-1096 (cell).