Gary Stadler
Encyclopedia
Gary Stadler is an American New Age
pianist, composer, songwriter and producer, specializing in contemporary Celtic-influenced
themes and atmospheres. Stadler's six albums generally focus on imaginative concepts loosely based in Celtic mythology
, especially stories of the realm of Faerie
. His music combines melodic elements of rare world instruments, mastery of synthesizer orchestrations and studio techniques. Three of his albums feature collaborations with vocalists Singh Kaur
, Stephannie and Wendy Rule
.
Gary Stadler's third album, Fairy Heartmagic was listed on Billboard's New Age Top 25 chart for four weeks in year 2000. Several of his songs have been featured on compilations on multiple record labels in the USA and Europe.
Gary Stadler is the brother of professional golfer Craig Stadler
.
In 1993 he wrote two songs, "Dream Spell" and "Awakening", for a play produced and performed in San Diego entitled The Goblin's Bride, based on Celtic myths of the realm of Faerie. Those songs were the genesis of his first album, Fairy of the Woods, released by Sequoia Records in 1996, and well received by the alternative market of independent New Age
bookstores.
Stadler found a loyal audience who stayed with him as he added vocals and moved into a more acoustic direction on his second album released in 1998, Fairy NightSongs, featuring the lyrics and exquisite voice of recording artist Singh Kaur
, already known to New Age listeners for her Crimson Series of recordings featuring harpist Kim Robertson
.
For his third record, Gary collaborated with Stephannie, a young vocalist and songwriter with a unique talent — by recalling her dreams she composed lyrics in a form of glossolalia
she referred to as a new language of Celtic fantasy. Joined by the well-known Celtic harpist Lisa Lynne
, Stadler's third album, Fairy HeartMagic, was released on Sequoia Records in October 2000, recognized on Billboard's New Age Top 25. The song Fairy NightSongs from this album was awarded JPF Best New Age/World song of 2004 following its appearance on a compilation. This was the first of Stadler's CD to be enhanced with a CD-ROM session that offers two bonus songs in MP3 format and additional artwork for computer display. All of Stadler's later albums featured similar enhancements.
Stadler's fourth album, Reflections of Faerie, in 2003 returned to instrumental pieces reminiscent of his first release but with a deeper and more intimate feel, mostly solo piano, with some featured harp artistry of Lisa Lynne
. In 2004, for his fifth release Deep Within a Faerie Forest, Stadler collaborated with singer/composer Wendy Rule
of Australia. This recording once again delves deep into the depths of the mystical Faerie realms with intriguing lyrics and unusual instrumentation. His sixth album, Faerie Lullabies was a retrospective produced in 2006 in which he chose the most peaceful and comforting pieces from his earlier releases and re-recorded them in the form of instrumental lullabies, intended for both children and their parents.
Gary Stadler's song "Fairy of the Woods" was featured on the sound track of A Magickal Life: Jeff McBride, produced and broadcasted by Canada's VisionTV, a one-hour episode of their series Enigma True-Life Stories in January 2006. His former wife Tamara contributed lyrics to his albums as well as the albums of fellow Vegas Vortex musical group Zingaia
, also featured in the same documentary program.
(who also wrote some of the lyrics on Fairy NightSongs and Fairy HeartMagic) created the artwork for Stadler's remaining albums.
— he currently specializes in the manufacture of distillation equipment for essential oil
s. He is known for his expertise in stage lighting
and laser art
(one of his first careers), producing "wet" light shows and laser light shows in the 70's and 80's, owning and operating an electronic design/manufacturing company from the mid 70's through the late 90's, and winning a Technical Achievement Oscar for innovations in the film lighting industry in 1994. More recently, he has used these skills in the creation of innovative temporary art installations at the Burning Man
festivals, events produced by the Vegas Vortex, and stage magic productions of Jeff McBride
.
New Age music
New Age music is music of various styles intended to create artistic inspiration, relaxation, and optimism. It is used by listeners for yoga, massage, meditation, and reading as a method of stress management or to create a peaceful atmosphere in their home or other environments, and is often...
pianist, composer, songwriter and producer, specializing in contemporary Celtic-influenced
Celtic music
Celtic music is a term utilised by artists, record companies, music stores and music magazines to describe a broad grouping of musical genres that evolved out of the folk musical traditions of the Celtic people of Western Europe...
themes and atmospheres. Stadler's six albums generally focus on imaginative concepts loosely based in Celtic mythology
Celtic mythology
Celtic mythology is the mythology of Celtic polytheism, apparently the religion of the Iron Age Celts. Like other Iron Age Europeans, the early Celts maintained a polytheistic mythology and religious structure...
, especially stories of the realm of Faerie
Fairy
A fairy is a type of mythical being or legendary creature, a form of spirit, often described as metaphysical, supernatural or preternatural.Fairies resemble various beings of other mythologies, though even folklore that uses the term...
. His music combines melodic elements of rare world instruments, mastery of synthesizer orchestrations and studio techniques. Three of his albums feature collaborations with vocalists Singh Kaur
Singh Kaur
Singh Kaur was a new age music composer, vocalist and instrumentalist, who had a prolific career that lasted from the early 1970s to the late 1990s, releasing 23 albums...
, Stephannie and Wendy Rule
Wendy Rule
Wendy Rule is an Australian musical artist. She was born in Sydney, but now lives in Melbourne.She performs regularly, including several recent tours of the USA and Europe.-Musical style:...
.
Gary Stadler's third album, Fairy Heartmagic was listed on Billboard's New Age Top 25 chart for four weeks in year 2000. Several of his songs have been featured on compilations on multiple record labels in the USA and Europe.
Gary Stadler is the brother of professional golfer Craig Stadler
Craig Stadler
Craig Robert Stadler is an American professional golfer who has won numerous tournaments at both the PGA Tour and Champions Tour level....
.
Background and artistic development
Gary Stadler knew at an early age that music would play a major role in his life. In school, in his hometown of San Diego, he learned to play the piano and most of the other instruments in the orchestra. When asked what he wanted to be when he grew up, he always replied, "I want to be an orchestra conductor!"In 1993 he wrote two songs, "Dream Spell" and "Awakening", for a play produced and performed in San Diego entitled The Goblin's Bride, based on Celtic myths of the realm of Faerie. Those songs were the genesis of his first album, Fairy of the Woods, released by Sequoia Records in 1996, and well received by the alternative market of independent New Age
New Age
The New Age movement is a Western spiritual movement that developed in the second half of the 20th century. Its central precepts have been described as "drawing on both Eastern and Western spiritual and metaphysical traditions and then infusing them with influences from self-help and motivational...
bookstores.
Stadler found a loyal audience who stayed with him as he added vocals and moved into a more acoustic direction on his second album released in 1998, Fairy NightSongs, featuring the lyrics and exquisite voice of recording artist Singh Kaur
Singh Kaur
Singh Kaur was a new age music composer, vocalist and instrumentalist, who had a prolific career that lasted from the early 1970s to the late 1990s, releasing 23 albums...
, already known to New Age listeners for her Crimson Series of recordings featuring harpist Kim Robertson
Kim Robertson
Kim Robertson is a Celtic harp player. She was born in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and classically trained on piano and orchestral harp. Her work encompasses over 20 album projects, several volumes of harp arrangements, instructional videos, and an international itinerary of concerts and retreats...
.
For his third record, Gary collaborated with Stephannie, a young vocalist and songwriter with a unique talent — by recalling her dreams she composed lyrics in a form of glossolalia
Glossolalia
Glossolalia or speaking in tongues is the fluid vocalizing of speech-like syllables, often as part of religious practice. The significance of glossolalia has varied with time and place, with some considering it a part of a sacred language...
she referred to as a new language of Celtic fantasy. Joined by the well-known Celtic harpist Lisa Lynne
Lisa Lynne
Lisa Lynne is a Celtic harpist and composer and New Age recording artist residing in Los Angeles, California.Lisa Lynne is a self-proclaimed multi-instrumentalist who has "spent the last eighteen years pursuing her passion for the Celtic harp."...
, Stadler's third album, Fairy HeartMagic, was released on Sequoia Records in October 2000, recognized on Billboard's New Age Top 25. The song Fairy NightSongs from this album was awarded JPF Best New Age/World song of 2004 following its appearance on a compilation. This was the first of Stadler's CD to be enhanced with a CD-ROM session that offers two bonus songs in MP3 format and additional artwork for computer display. All of Stadler's later albums featured similar enhancements.
Stadler's fourth album, Reflections of Faerie, in 2003 returned to instrumental pieces reminiscent of his first release but with a deeper and more intimate feel, mostly solo piano, with some featured harp artistry of Lisa Lynne
Lisa Lynne
Lisa Lynne is a Celtic harpist and composer and New Age recording artist residing in Los Angeles, California.Lisa Lynne is a self-proclaimed multi-instrumentalist who has "spent the last eighteen years pursuing her passion for the Celtic harp."...
. In 2004, for his fifth release Deep Within a Faerie Forest, Stadler collaborated with singer/composer Wendy Rule
Wendy Rule
Wendy Rule is an Australian musical artist. She was born in Sydney, but now lives in Melbourne.She performs regularly, including several recent tours of the USA and Europe.-Musical style:...
of Australia. This recording once again delves deep into the depths of the mystical Faerie realms with intriguing lyrics and unusual instrumentation. His sixth album, Faerie Lullabies was a retrospective produced in 2006 in which he chose the most peaceful and comforting pieces from his earlier releases and re-recorded them in the form of instrumental lullabies, intended for both children and their parents.
Gary Stadler's song "Fairy of the Woods" was featured on the sound track of A Magickal Life: Jeff McBride, produced and broadcasted by Canada's VisionTV, a one-hour episode of their series Enigma True-Life Stories in January 2006. His former wife Tamara contributed lyrics to his albums as well as the albums of fellow Vegas Vortex musical group Zingaia
Zingaia
Zingaia is a musical group in the genres of contemporary World Music, New Age music and Ethnic electronica. They have released three albums and have appeared on six compilations, including the Billboard charting album Buddha-Lounge 3....
, also featured in the same documentary program.
Album artwork
The artwork on the first two of Stadler's six albums was created by San Diego artist Scott Thom, known for his original airbrush paintings coveted by collectors and his line of New Age greeting cards. Las Vegas artist Katlyn Breene of ZingaiaZingaia
Zingaia is a musical group in the genres of contemporary World Music, New Age music and Ethnic electronica. They have released three albums and have appeared on six compilations, including the Billboard charting album Buddha-Lounge 3....
(who also wrote some of the lyrics on Fairy NightSongs and Fairy HeartMagic) created the artwork for Stadler's remaining albums.
Broad interests
In addition to his musical talents, Stadler's interests and skills are widely varied. He has spent the majority of his business life as an electronics design engineer with emphasis on laser system design. His love for automobile mechanics won him 1st place in the San Diego Plymouth Troubleshooting contest, continuing on to win 4th place in the national Plymouth Troubleshooting contest. His interests include technical and historical glassblowingGlassblowing
Glassblowing is a glassforming technique that involves inflating molten glass into a bubble, or parison, with the aid of a blowpipe, or blow tube...
— he currently specializes in the manufacture of distillation equipment for essential oil
Essential oil
An essential oil is a concentrated hydrophobic liquid containing volatile aroma compounds from plants. Essential oils are also known as volatile oils, ethereal oils or aetherolea, or simply as the "oil of" the plant from which they were extracted, such as oil of clove...
s. He is known for his expertise in stage lighting
Stage lighting
Modern stage lighting is a flexible tool in the production of theatre, dance, opera and other performance arts. Several different types of stage lighting instruments are used in the pursuit of the various principles or goals of lighting. Stage lighting has grown considerably in recent years...
and laser art
Laser lighting display
A laser lighting display or laser light show involves the use of laser light to entertain an audience. A laser light show may consist only of projected laser beams set to music, or may accompany another form of entertainment, typically a dance concert or other musical performance.Laser light is...
(one of his first careers), producing "wet" light shows and laser light shows in the 70's and 80's, owning and operating an electronic design/manufacturing company from the mid 70's through the late 90's, and winning a Technical Achievement Oscar for innovations in the film lighting industry in 1994. More recently, he has used these skills in the creation of innovative temporary art installations at the Burning Man
Burning Man
Burning Man is a week-long annual event held in the Black Rock Desert in northern Nevada, in the United States. The event starts on the Monday before the American Labor Day holiday, and ends on the holiday itself. It takes its name from the ritual burning of a large wooden effigy on Saturday evening...
festivals, events produced by the Vegas Vortex, and stage magic productions of Jeff McBride
Jeff McBride
Jeff McBride is an American magician from Monticello New York. He is known for his sleight of hand skills and specializes in the manipulation of playing cards, coins, and other small objects. His stage performances blend elements of kabuki, a Japanese theater form, with traditional conjuring...
.
Solo instrumental albums
- Fairy of the Woods (1996, Sequoia Records)
- Reflections of Faerie (2003, Sequoia Records)
- Faerie Lullabies (2006, Sequoia Records)
Album collaborations with vocalists
- Fairy NightSongs with Singh KaurSingh KaurSingh Kaur was a new age music composer, vocalist and instrumentalist, who had a prolific career that lasted from the early 1970s to the late 1990s, releasing 23 albums...
(1998, Sequoia Records) - Fairy HeartMagic with Stephannie (2000, Sequoia Records)
- Deep within a Faerie Forest with Wendy RuleWendy RuleWendy Rule is an Australian musical artist. She was born in Sydney, but now lives in Melbourne.She performs regularly, including several recent tours of the USA and Europe.-Musical style:...
(2005, Sequoia Records)
Compilations including recordings by Gary Stadler
- Musical Healing (2001, Sequoia Records)
- Mystic Celtic (2002, BSC Music GmbH)
- Buddha-Lounge (2002, Sequoia Records)
- Qi Gong (2003, BSC Music GmbH)
- Celticum Mysticum (2004, Prudence Recordings)
- Perfect Balance, Musical Healing Vol 2 (2005, Sequoia Records)
- Celtic Lounge (2005, Sequoia Records)
- Celtic Lounge II (2007, Sequoia Records)