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Contemporary composer Gene Newton is a celebrated music and theater teacher who taught for over two decades. He taught music and theater arts in schools in Oregon and Washington. Newton directed concert choirs, symphonic choirs, jazz choirs, concert bands and jazz bands. He is also a recognized instructor of music technology. His instrumental and vocal jazz ensembles have been recipients of numerous awards and accolades at competitions and festivals throughout the Pacific Northwest. Newton is a talented composer who masterfully blends technical musicianship with his innate creativity in order to create a distinctive, transcendent sound. He recognizes Vangelis, Colin Chinn, Peter Buffett, Jean Michel Jarre, and Michael Gettel as a few of his musical influences. "But there are so very many other composers and artists I enjoy," he adds. "My favorite classical composers are Tchaikovsky, Mozart, Schumann, Schubert, Charles Ives, Chopin, and Stravinsky. I also love surrounding myself with jazz and Broadway music in order to enrich my musical experiences and expressions. ”I just let my soul do whatever music comes to it when I am composing; it is a very intuitive process--I try to simply stay out of the way so it can be authentically expressed and intuitively experienced by every listener. At least, it is my goal to try to keep my ego out of the way." Newton insists that every musical note he has ever heard has influenced his own compositions and style. However, he has a unique style that is hard to pinpoint. Newton's first album, Celestial Plea, is dedicated to the late Wayne Dyer and is an eclectic collection of compositions. Other celestial influences are obvious in Eternity, a musical journey through that realm, and Tarot: Music for Readings, a musical realization of the Carl Rohrig Tarot Deck. Tarot was a commissioned work and Gene has often thought of re-titling the CD to appeal to a broader audience. "You don't have to have a Tarot deck in your hand to experience the innate comfort and peace that the music invokes. Finally, Elemental Suite is Newton's latest release. It is a musical interpretation of the elements and is the result of several years or work and contemplation. Newton's music is difficult to classify into one genre. It easily crosses into several musical realms. It is often classified as new age, though it contains elements of jazz, orchestral, film, meditation, classical, electronic and space music. All four releases have received high praise and excellent reviews from many industry sources. Gene is currently working on a new CD and is pursuing his interest in composing music for film and/or documentaries. Please contact him if you have a specific project you would like to work with him on.