T-Rex: The Rock Opera

Yes, you read that correctly. A rock opera. About a T-Rex.

It started with an encyclopedia page. I turned the dry facts into lyrics for a full-blown prehistoric rock opera, generated the music with AI, and then spent most of my time  building the entire visual world with detailed AI prompts, frame by frame.

Big riffs, bigger drama, and a dinosaur who absolutely commands the stage. This one is pure play, and a glimpse of what happens when I point these new tools at a genuinely ridiculous idea.

Press play. Turn it up.

Threshold – New Cinematic Piano

“Threshold” is a new cinematic piano piece I created that is based on a chorale by Johann Sebastian Bach. An immersive soundscape over 8 minutes long. I created this after attending a concert at the Seattle Bach Festival in May 2026. A friend of mine commented that they focus on the lyrics of JS Bach’s music (they are a native German speaker) and here I thought everyone focused on the music itself of JS Bach. That made me realize how many different ways we engage and enjoy Bach’s music.

The next day I started working on this piece, using the chord progressions of JS Bach’s chorale BWV 2.6 “Ach Gott, vom Himmel sieh darein” which was originally by Martin Luther (after Psalm 12) in 1524. The first performance of JS Bach’s music to this chorale was on June 18, 1724 on the 2nd Sunday after Trinity.

The video I created with a loose story line of a young boy discovering the magic of the Aurora Borealis in Norway, helped along by some Norwegian trolls. The video is just a way of creating something visual to go with the music, but I hope that that the real magical video is the one that plays in your mind along with the music.

The Coffee Shop in Bruges — and Why I Made The Wanderer

Coming home from a world tour, and building a small, quiet world.

 – Conrad Askland, May 2026

I was sitting alone in a coffee shop in Bruges, watching people walk past 500-year-old buildings on their cell phones. That’s The Wanderer. That’s exactly what he sees.

My last tour was three and a half years with Cirque du Soleil, across five continents. On tour, every night is just go, go, go. The arenas are loud. The energy is enormous. And then I came off of it, and I came back home, and now everything is very quiet and still.

When it came time to work on my next project, I didn’t want to do anything big and bombastic. I wanted to do something small and intimate.

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Style Is the Residue of Aesthetics You Refused to Let Go Of

A bust of Beethoven, forty years later, and what it taught me about taste, commitment, and why some things define us.

The top people in the arts and in business all share one thing: a strong sense of aesthetics, and the discipline to commit to it.

So what is aesthetics, exactly, and how do you develop yours?

There is a bust of Beethoven that sits on my piano. I made it when I was twelve years old. My taste has changed in many things over the years, but my taste in this has not. I still love it. And in trying to figure out why, I think I have found something important about the difference between taste and aesthetics, about commitment, and about doing the work that makes a life feel distinctly yours.

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Conrad Askland Performing Accordion as Bandleader for Cirque du Soleil’s CRYSTAL

This video captures a moment from my time performing accordion while serving as Bandleader for Cirque du Soleil’s arena ice show CRYSTAL.

CRYSTAL was Cirque du Soleil’s first production created specifically for the ice, combining live music, skating, acrobatics, and large-scale touring logistics. Performing in this environment required constant musical awareness—responding to movement on the ice, syncing tightly with technology, and maintaining consistency across a fast-moving international schedule.

The accordion is woven throughout the score, supporting the show’s shifting moods and styles. From a musical standpoint, this work was less about spotlight moments and more about reliability, adaptability, and collaboration within a very large creative machine.

I’m sharing this clip as a snapshot of the kind of projects I’ve been involved in recently—long-form productions where musical leadership, flexibility, and calm execution matter just as much as performance itself.

My response to the new political put-down term “Theater Kid”

Here’s my response to the new political put-down term “Theater Kid”.

Why You Should Want to Be a “Theater Kid”
By Conrad Askland

When the term “theater kid” is used as a political insult, what is it supposed to imply?

Overwrought?
Performative?
Naïve?
Cringe?

In other words: unserious.

But that insult relies on a caricature that has little to do with what theater kids actually are.

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Interview with PAN the musical creator Conrad Askland

 

Original article: https://stereostickman.com/interviews/conrad-askland-pan-the-musical/

Let’s talk about the new musical theatre show – a fresh direction with your production of PAN the musical. What inspired you to take on this project, and why the Peter Pan story?

PAN actually began for a very down-to-earth reason. Back in 2013, a local youth theatre group I cared about was on the brink of bankruptcy. A friend mentioned they were preparing to close their doors, and something in me just lit up. Almost instantly, the idea of creating a brand-new musical hit me. I can still remember the moment: the idea of Peter Pan and Neverland came into my mind, and I literally got a shiver down my spine. It felt like the idea chose me, not the other way around.

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PAN the musical Nov. 21 – Dec. 20, 2025 at ACT Theatre

My original show “PAN the musical” will perform Nov. 21 – Dec. 20, 2025 at the ACT Theatre in Anacortes, WA (USA). Join Peter Pan, Wendy, Captain Hook and the Lost Boys on their adventures in Neverland. Based on the 1911 book “Peter and Wendy” by J.M. Barrie. Book, Music and Lyrics by Conrad Askland.

For this run I’ve created all-new fully orchestrated soundtracks and also updated the script. PAN premiered in 2013 at the Historic Lincoln Theatre in Mount Vernon, WA. I’m really looking forward to the audience response to all the new script tweaks, updated orchestrations and of course the performances of this wonderful local cast.

Fun Fact: This is the first time I’ll be able to actually watch one of my shows from the audience because I’m usually conducting from the pit. Hope to see you there and watch out for that crocodile!