Who Are We?
Founded in Vancouver in 1998, Scrap Arts Music has toured internationally since 2001, performing in sixteen countries across five continents.
Our humble beginnings were anything but glamorous. Short of cash but brimming with ideas, we set out to build an entirely new kind of percussion ensemble.
In just three years, we created more than one hundred sculptural musical instruments from reclaimed condominium and harbour scrap (do we have stories!), assembled a team of athletic multi-instrumentalists, composed a 90-minute production, and completed a three-month residency at the Banff Centre for the Arts that helped transform our ideas into a touring production.
In 2001, we launched what has become a deeply rewarding international career.
Nine years later, we performed in the Closing Ceremony of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games before 70,000 spectators in the stadium and millions more watching around the world.
Today, we're embarking on our most ambitious project yet: Children of Metropolis, an original silent film brought to life through live performance on handcrafted musical instruments. We hope you'll join us.
Director Bios
Gregory Kozak
Founder, Instrument Maker, Composer, Educator, Performer
Founder, Instrument Maker, Composer, Educator, Performer
Gregory composes music for quintet, orchestra and film, creates musical instruments from industrial scrap, and choreographs movement.
Equally at home as an ensemble musician and concert soloist, he directs Scrap Arts Music, a world-class five-member touring ensemble that performs exclusively on his 145+ handcrafted instruments and original repertoire at leading international festivals and theatres.
Schooled in jazz and world music traditions, Gregory also draws inspiration from the avant-garde composers of the 20th and 21st centuries. To give expression to his unique musical voice, he taught himself the art of metal fabrication, transforming reclaimed industrial materials into an extraordinary family of musical instruments.
When not performing, you'll likely find Gregory exploring new compositional ideas at the piano or drums, following world events, running around Mt. Tolmie, taking Arrow and Oblio for walks, or helping Justine in the garden.
Justine Murdy
Founder + Catalyst
Justine is involved in project conceptualization, instrument design, and all facets of art direction (costumes, lighting, stage craft). She's also involved in stage direction, music critique and future developments.
Justine has always had a love for the natural environment. At university and during work placements, a passion for Environmentally Sensitive Design and Material Culture Studies developed. She became fascinated with vernacular architecture — buildings and environments built by people lacking “formal” training, yet brilliantly employing materials and traditional processes of local know-how, culture and environment. She transferred this interest to Gregory's world.
Forward-thinking (with one foot in the present), Justine is an avid organic gardener and an advocate for ancient forests. When not on tour you can find her tending habitats for the creatures she shares her perch with on Mt Tolmie, swimming in the Salish Sea, and strategizing world domination for Scrap Arts Music!
THE ENSEMBLE
L to R: Malcolm Shoolbraid, Gregory Kozak, Chris Blaber, Alex Campbell, Jade Hails.
Since 1998, Scrap Arts Music has collaborated with an extraordinary community of percussionists, each bringing their own artistry, energy and personality to the stage. Click the photo above to meet our current ensemble.
THE INSTRUMENTS
From giant springs to sculptural percussion, every instrument tells its own story. Click the image to explore the collection.