Music - somebody still has to keep score. Photo: Ylanite Koppens
Is Taran Plamondon an expert in a dying field?
He doesn't care, really. The Canadian musician has been 'deconstructing' music almost as long as he's been playing it.
When he hears something he likes, he gets an urge to write it down.
Plamondon is the brains behind the music preparation and publishing company Éditions Plamondon, which he juggles with his other musical money earner, playing the French horn.
He started the company during the 2020 covid pandemic, as a way to make money when there wasn't a lot of live music being made. But demand from composers and performers for professionally produced and printed music has kept the business going well after the lockdowns ended.
And the beauty of the modern internet age means he's able to continue the business even thought he's now playing the horn for the Auckland Philharmonia.
Taran Plamondon - making scores as well as playing them. Photo: Supplied
Plamondon spoke to RNZ Concert's Bryan Crump about music publishing in a digital age and how he ended up in New Zealand.
Turns out he followed his girlfriend who was already in the orchestra, playing the English horn.
Crump was also curious to know if Plamondon believes music copying has a long-term future. What if we all start reading music from screens?
Plamondon thinks there will always be a few who would rather read music from paper. And if he's wrong, there's still a need for people with the skill to set out music that looks good on a tablet, or even a mobile phone.
