The Atheist's Guide To Miracles (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781477615188)

Peter Elyakim Taussig is a composer, author, pianist, and filmmaker. He is neither award-winning nor internationally renowned. After being born in Czechoslovakia, where he was considered a Jew, he fled to Israel where he was considered a Czech. Moving to Canada (1968-1991) he was considered an Israeli, and now in the States he is of course a Canadian. Always one step behind. The most consistent aspect of Taussig's career is a complete lack of consistency. He has a BA in Islamic studies (1965), a Masters degree in music (1970), was a concert pianist (1972-1985), an experimental video artist (1982-1990), a festival director (Stratford Summer Music 1980-82), and a stand up comedian and performance artist (1982-1989). Between 1991 and 2008 he tried various other things, including being a yogi, inventing software for handicapped pianists to record without the use of their fingers (Yamaha-"Musical Sculpting" 2001), establishing an experimental music program to teach children to read music and play the piano with computers (Lenox Mass.-PianoKids 2002-2009), and creating a math and music curriculum ("PianoMath" 2007). Presently he is a full-time has-been and a part-time composer. Over his long and unfocused career, Taussig created 14 films, an operas, an oratorio, a requiem, 5 concertos, 103 symphonies, and a single daughter. Except for the daughter, none of these have seen the light of day. His refusal to take himself seriously and talk about the content and historical significance of his work may have something to do with his near total obscurity. A couple of exceptions: his video opera "Catatatonics" was featured at the Montreal Film Festival twenty years ago, and recently (2011) his ballet "Three Dubious Memories" was premiered in New York by the Paul Taylor Dance Company. The rest of his compositions and videos clutter his basement. That is the truth. And now for some gratuitous self-aggrandizing: Peter Elyakim Taussig collaborated with some illustrious names over his career (mostly in the 1970s and 80s). Among them were Glenn Gould, Arthur Fiedler, Maureen Forrester, John Eliot Gardner, Elly Ameling, Sir Andrew Davis, Erich Kunzel, the Canadian Brass, and many more. He was a frequent soloist with most major Canadian symphony orchestras, founded the Stratford Summer Music Festival, and made over 200 broadcast recordings for the CBC. Taussig resides in Lenox, Massachusetts and Santa Barbara, California.