FEATURE
Exclusive Tito Abeleda Interview with Muzique Magazine
How did you come by your stage name?
Tito Abeleda is my stage name. It is a childhood nickname that I use throughout my entire entertainment professional career. All my friends and fans know me as Tito Abeleda. It is also the name I use as a composer.
When did you discover your love for your craft and what made you realize you wanted to pursue a career in it?
I discovered my love of composing at a time in my life when I was in crisis and in need of much healing. I never talk about this, but I share this so that everyone knows you can get through your darkest times. At the end of 2016, at the ‘height’ of my legal career as an attorney, my health was not so good. Actually, pretty bad. From ulcers to sleep disorders, I was spiraling downward.
Ultimately, I took medical leave for an undetermined period of time and left work to attend to my health concerns. In my mid-50s, alone at home, I only had my piano to help me heal during this uncertain time. I am forever grateful to the doctors who helped me overcome my physical adversities. But there were bigger concerns about my uncertain future as well as with my mental health and spiritual life.
As background, I started playing piano when I was in kindergarten. I studied piano all the way through college and majored in music as well. I also played the saxophone, bassoon, and oboe growing up. You can hear my fondness and love for woodwind instruments in some of my works. Although music was such a driving force in my life, dance became my other life force.
To honor both aspects of my soul, I went to Butler University where I could major in both loves of my life – music, and dance. For a substantial period of time, music took a back seat while dancing took me to become a director/choreographer and eventually a performer on Broadway for many years. I would still piano accompany other artists, but music had its place and dancing was definitely in the spotlight.
Fast forward, I made a career change to law school. I started at the bottom as a paralegal and climbed my way up to Division Chief and General Counsel and much more. But as I mentioned earlier, my life was not in balance, and it was showing in my health.
At the end of 2016, I came upon a fork in the road in my life – life or death. I chose life. I placed my trust in God that he would guide me through this new chapter. So, I reconnected with music in a different more profound intimate way.
Alone at home with just me and my piano, I started to write and produce music. I put my music up on SoundCloud as a start. It was well received. In 2017 I started Visionary Quest Records to embody the music I wrote and produced.
My music can now be heard on all music platforms, and you can find my sheet music published on Amazon, Sheet Music Plus, Sheet Music Direct, Barnes and Nobles, and Lulu Press.
On your current project, how did you come up with the concept?
At around February 24, 2022, I saw on the news that Russia had invaded Ukraine. It marked the beginning of this senseless war. I remember stopping what I was doing. I sat down and began to cry. I couldn’t stop crying as I watched what was transpiring before my eyes. Then days later I heard the Ukraine national anthem played on the news. I was so emotionally moved by its majesty and power.
The Ukrainian national anthem also known as Shche ne Vmerla Ukrainy i Slava I Voila was originally composed by Mykhailo Verbytsky (1815-1870). Moved by recent events with the attack on Ukraine, I wrote a more intimate, poignant, contemplative music arrangement of Ukraine’s national anthem and titled it Shce Ne Vmerla Ukrainy for Woodwind Quintet (Ukraine National Anthem). I wrote this arrangement for Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, French Horn and Bassoon to convey the intimacy I sought to share with this music.
Usually, music is chordal in nature with harmonies derived from chord progression, the movement and structure of chords when played together. My arrangement is contrapuntal in nature. Each instrument plays its own melodic line. Together these melodic lines give birth to their unique harmonies that form the essence of this arrangement. No one melodic line is more important than the other, but together they create a new haunting, cathartic, emotional expression of the Ukraine national anthem.
I shared this rendition with close friends. Their emotional response served as the impetus for me to officially release this piece globally on all music platforms to keep Ukraine in the forefront of everyone’s hearts.
I chose October 14, 2022, as the official release date for Shce Ne Vmerla Ukrainy for Woodwind Quintet (Ukraine National Anthem) because October 14th is Ukraine’s national holiday for Defenders of Ukraine day, which honors the bravery and heroism of those who defended and continue to defend Ukrainian independence.
You can pre-save this piece at this link – https://bit.ly/3D4BfNf. On October 14th, the links on all the other music platforms will appear there. You can take a free preview listen on SoundCloud at https://bit.ly/3CibiYK. Apple Music has already posted it at https://apple.co/3UfOkJQ. You can also see the official music video on YouTube at https://youtu.be/Y1RlGpzf9y8.
If you or if you know of anyone who would enjoy playing this arrangement, I will gladly send a FREE PDF copy of my arrangement. Just email me at tito@visionaryquestrecords.com. Put in the subject line – Request for Tito’s arrangement of the Ukraine national anthem.
Tito Abeleda Interview with Muzique Magazine
What are your plans for the near future?
In December of 2020, my piano book Passionate Piano Moments: Emotional Piano Music was published on Amazon, Sheet Music Plus, Sheet Music Direct, Barnes and Noble, and Lulu Press. It was Amazon’s #1 New Release in New Age Music in December 2020.
The piano book was comprised of piano music spread out over several of my albums. My future plans are to re-release this piano music on one album with some new piano music added to the album under the same title as my piano book. My tentative date is at the end of 2023.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank, any shout-outs?
I want to thank my father and mother. They made it possible to send me to all my music lessons and college while providing me with their undying support to all my dreams – no matter how they changed and evolved. Dad and Mom always told me to follow my dreams and that they would be there for me for all of them. They never wavered on that promise.
How can fans find you?
Fans can find me at these links.
Artist Website – https://www.visiionaryquestrecords.com
Social Media Links:
• Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/tabeleda
• Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/titoabeleda
• Twitter – https://twitter.com/titoabeleda
• LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/lambertoabeleda/
Music Platforms:
• Spotify – http://bit.ly/Spotify_TitoAbeleda
• SoundCloud – https://bit.ly/3RN6Dnh
• iTunes – http://bit.ly/TitoAbeleda_iTunes
• Pond5 – https://bit.ly/3EBrROy
• Songtradr – http://bit.ly/Songtradr_TitoAbeleda
• YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/c/titoabeleda
Sheet Music:
• Amazon – https://amzn.to/2VAO3nz
• Barnes and Noble – https://bit.ly/PassionatePianoMoments_BarnesNoble
• Sheet Music Plus – http://bit.ly/VisionaryQuestRecords_SheetMusicPlus
Fans can also find my music here:
Instagram/Facebook, TikTok/Resso/Luna, YouTube Music, Amazon, Soundtrack by Twitch, Pandora, Deezer, Tidal, iHeartRadio, ClaroMusica, Saavn, Boomplay, Anghami, KKBox, NetEase, Tencent, Qobuz, Triller, Joox, Kuack Media, Yandex Music, Adaptr, MediaNet
Fans can also email me at tito@visionaryquestrecords.com.
Tito Abeleda Interview with Muzique Magazine
What suggestions do you have for other artists like yourself?
When I came upon that fork in the road, faced with the question – do I choose life or do I choose death? The answer was clear and simple. I chose life. In my darkest hour, I realized I had relinquished control of my life to the outside world. I was no longer in the driver’s seat driving toward my own chosen dreams. I had totally disconnected from my creative soul. I was unhappy and it showed in my health and other aspects of my life. What’s within surrounds you.
Remember this. You are the director of your dreams and how life unfolds. Live life on your terms. Yes, life is still going to throw you curves, but if you are living life on your terms, you will still be happy. If you are unhappy, change your story. It’s your one and only life. You are your greatest creative project. So, why would you want to build someone else’s dream? Build yours. In the chaos of running around meeting everyone’s agenda and deadlines, I had lost sight of what I wanted and what would make me happy. Because I finally reclaimed myself, I was able to turn my life around. I live life now happy, healthy, and balanced. With that in place, I write music for the sheer joy and love of creating music.
Don’t let anyone tell you that it can’t be done because it’s never been done that way. Your path to success and happiness is going to be uniquely yours. Don’t compare yourself to other artists as your measure of what works for you. Allow yourself to evolve. As you evolve, so will your creativity as well as your dreams. That is ok. The dreams I had 20 years ago are so different from my dreams today. And I explored all of them. The music I wrote 5 years ago is so different from how I write today. Music is the expression of my soul’s voice. As I evolve, so will my music. As you evolve, so will your artistry.
Most importantly, always remember to dream. You can have more than one. But only you are the life force that can make your dreams come true. So, each day take a step closer to all your dreams.
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