Tad Winklarz

"We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of dreams" - Arthur O'Shaughnessy

I received formal training at The Conservatory of Music in Poland. Toured as a singer internationally with the award-winning Gdansk Medical Academy Choir performing a cappella music, oratorio, gospel as well as various other musical styles. I held the position of accompanist, vocal coach, and performer at the Gdansk National Theatre. The particular play I was involved in was political in nature, with anti-communist overtones. We celebrated over one hundred performances, all to a sold out house. In November 1981 we had the honor to bring the play to the shipyard workers, who had been on lockdown for several weeks, at a crucial moment of the Labor Union "Solidarity" movement under the leadership of Lech Walesa. Just a few days later I was part of the performance of Mozart's Requiem, with the choir and Gdansk Philharmonic Orchestra to honor the fallen workers murdered by the communist regime. The concert was broadcast live from a famous Cathedral thru loudspeakers to over a million people outside. It truly was an unforgettable moment. One week later, I left the country. But that's another story. In late 1984 I became a member of Chalk Circle as a songwriter, keyboard, and saxophone player. The band recorded two platinum and one certified gold album. We landed a Japanese and German record deal and performed at a festival in East Berlin just months before the fall of the Berlin wall. The promotional tour in support of the Japanese release as well as an appearance at the Tokyo Music Festival was abruptly canceled one day before departure due to the passing of Emperor Hirohito. This sent the country into weeks of mourning and the canceling of all entertainment events. Chalk Circle toured internationally as a headliner and shared the stage with bands such as Crowded House, Tears for Fears, Rush, The Waterboys, Tom Cochrane, Kim Mitchell, The Tragically Hip, Brian Setzer, Jeff Healey, Sarah McLachlan, Billy Bragg, Michelle Shocked and many others. We produced eight music videos in support of the singles. In 2006 Universal Music Canada released a Best of Chalk Circle compilation album as part of their ''20th Century Masters'' series. The band reunited for a sold-out reunion performance in Toronto in 2006. Over the last 25 years, I have worked on numerous projects including feature films, award-winning documentaries, and television series. My work includes the position of a composer, music director, producer, and sound engineer. In 2003 I was involved in a side project called Cybermonkey. The most popular album, Karma Wheels was nominated by the JPF Music Awards as the best ambient album and the composition Gdansk was nominated as the best ambient song of the year. I train and prepare piano students for the Royal Conservatory of Music examinations, auditions for University-level music programs, piano competitions, festivals, and various recitals. I find this work very rewarding and satisfying. I have mentored hundreds of young musicians and shared my knowledge and experience in the music industry. In July of 2019, my students and I enjoyed our twentieth recital since joining the Long and McQuade Music Education Centre. To watch these impressive young people you can find many videos on my YouTube channel. I'm currently creating a music book of classical compositions for piano and as always writing new music in various genres. Enjoy over 8 hours of my original work on the audio player at the bottom of this page. Thanks for listening and I look forward to your future visits.

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