Published

May 21, 2016

Genres

By Kiah Welsh

From 2,000 submissions, down to

four. Musical acts from across Canada

vied for top spot in Searchlight 2016.

Coming up this Sunday, the four

finalists will perform on CBC-TV in

front of a live audience and our

Searchlight 2016 Q&A: Teo Milea

Searchlight 2016 Q&A: Teo Milea

celebrity judges — Maestro Fresh

Wes, Sarah Blackwood and Dallas

Smith — to determine the grand prize

winner. Below are the local listings.

– 8:30 p.m. (Newfoundland and

Labrador)

– 8 p.m. (Nova Scotia, P.E.I., New

Brunswick)

– 7 p.m. (Quebec, Ontario)

– 6 p.m. (Manitoba)

– 9 p.m. (Saskatchewan, Alberta, B.C.)

– 8 p.m. (N.W.T)

Get to know one of the top four right

now. It's Toronto's very own Teo Milea.

What were you doing when you

found out you had made the top

four?

I was on the street ... I was walking

with Raluca (my wife) and I had a

coffee in my hand and I said, "This is

not possible, no way! I'm already in

the top four? This is unbelievable, it's

amazing."

What was the first thought that went

through your mind?

I was thinking that I'm living the

Canadian dream, for real.

What has been the highlight of your

career, so far?

Definitely, this [Searchlight] is one of

the most important moments in my

life. This is not a step, this is a huge

jump in my career. Also, in 2013, I was

invited into the Dortmund opera in

Germany for a ballet gala. I was the

first pianist in the world who was

invited to perform in that gala.

You composed all of the songs? How

long did it take?

I had a song, "Agony and Ecstasy,"

and the ballerina called me one day

and she said, "Hi, I'm Monica and, I like

your song." I said, "OK, thank you so

much. I'm so happy!" Then she said, "I

would like to dance and perform with

your song in a huge gala." And, I said,

"OK, you can have the song." She said,

"No, I would like to have you live."

And, I said, "Whoa!" We went to

Germany and we had one week of

rehearsals, three times a day. Thirty

minutes before the show, the director

came to tell me: "I forgot to tell you

you're the first pianist who's

performing in this ballet gala for 18th

edition." It was fantastic!

Were you nervous? There were

thousands of people in the audience.

I wasn't very nervous because I wrote

that song, it's huge ... it's 10 minutes.

It's very technical. I have to watch also

the keys and my fingers and my

hands. But just with one eye ... and

with the other one I have to watch the

ballerina and see how they're dancing.

I have to be on the same time. I knew

all the movements, when he pulled her

Agony and Ecstasy l Teo Milea performing at

Agony and Ecstasy l Teo Milea performing at

Dortmund Opera

Dortmund Opera

up and when she jumps — it was

awesome!

If you could tour with any musician,

who would it be?

I would choose Chris Botti because he

plays in a different way using the

trumpet. I like his sound. He's a cross-

over trumpet player and in his music

you feel that warmness and kindness

and full of respect. I'm following him

and I saw how respectful he is with his

crowd and this is so important for me.

What are some of your favourite

musicians?

I will start off with the greats in

classical, which is Bach and Mozart —

they are my teachers. And, I'll list:

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Chopin, Rachmaninoff is my favourite,

and then I will jump in our world to

Michael Newman, and Philip Glass.

That's a good list.

Yes, in my music you will [have]

different variances.

Talking about songs, what song do

you wish you wrote?

Definitely, the next song that I'll write

will be about Toronto. This is my

hometown now and I want to

dedicate my new hometown a song

which I will call "Toronto."

What does being a successful

musician mean to you?

To be a hard worker, a very sensitive

person, full of respect and very

grateful.