With concert halls and recording studios shuttered for the past year because of the pandemic, musicians have had to find creative ways to stay productive.
At Burmer Music
, owner Glenna Burmer began collaborating in a new artistic medium, merging her original compositions with video animation. The result is Nana korobi, Ya oki, a story about a young girl in Hokkaido who overcomes seven trials to save an orphan during a snowstorm. The film’s title is from a well-known Japanese proverb which says: “Seven times you may fall, but get up the eighth.”
This short video was created and produced by Glenna Burmer with assistance from artistic director Gaby Breiter of Deep Sky Studios in Portland, Oregon. The original music featuring woodwinds and strings was composed by Glenna Burmer and recorded by Dynamedion in Germany.
The dreamy animation style reflects sumi-e art, a Japanese artistic style that employs black ink and distinctive brush strokes. The style was chosen as a tribute to Burmer’s mother, who was a sumi-e artist. The animated video will be released later this year.
Glenna Burmer is a composer and artist who produces live concerts, music and dance programs that feature original music, choreography and video. As president of Burmer Music LLC for the past decade, she has produced six contemporary classical music CDs or music compilations, including three concerts at Benaroya Hall in Seattle and a ballet at the Meydenbauer Center in Bellevue, Wash.
Acclaimed by audiences and critics alike, her productions have won several awards, including the 2014 Independent Music Vox Populi Award for both the best contemporary classical album and the best instrumental for Celebrate World Music!