To add to the frenzy of the Figure Skating World Championships, Elite Xpression, Karl Hugo Music & Sk8mix have joined their expertise to make you dream with a world class experience to win!
We are giving away a prize package which includes a stunning figure skating dress and a grandiose original composition (Endless First Kiss).
Click on the image to participate
Karl Hugo began playing and composing on the piano as a child, creating his first concerto when he was barely a teenager. During this period, he had an epiphany while watching the movie Ice Castles: he would spend the rest of his life composing music for figure skating! In 1992, his dream came true with the release of his first piano album. He then met Ice Capades star Julie Brault with whom he filmed Broadway, an ambitious video combining piano and figure skating.
Inspired by Karl’s passion for figure skating and his grandiose musical style, Olympic medalists Isabelle Brasseur & Lloyd Eisler asked him to compose and perform original music live for their television production Dreams on Ice, an annual fundraising event broadcast on more than forty television stations for many years. This unique experience afforded Karl the pleasure of watching great figure skaters the likes of Ekaterina Gordeeva, Nancy Kerrigan, Scott Hamilton, Brian Orser, Yuka Sato, Elvis Stojiko and Kristi Yamaguchi grow and develop to the sound of his music.
It was during this period that Karl Hugo began collaborating with Hugo Chouinard of Studio Unisons (sk8mix), musical designer specializing in figure skating, synchronized swimming and dancing. This fruitful 27-year partnership has never stopped renewing itself with the seasons of sport and new generations of athletes.
After coming to the attention of IMG in New York, Karl Hugo was invited to play his compositions at professional ice-skating shows such as Champions on Ice and Skate the Dream, always accompanied by his transparent Kawai piano. He also wrote music for ice dancers such as Isabelle & Paul Duchesnay, Isabelle Delobel & Olivier Schoenfelder and Marie-France Dubreuil & Patrice Lauzon.
With his experience, Karl then offers his services to new generations of figure skaters and synchronized swimmers, athletes and teams such as Miki Ando, Patrick Chan, The Haydenettes, Madison Hubbell & Zachary Donohue, Hong Chen & Yan Zhao, Marigold IceUnity, Gracie Gold, Yuzuru Hanyu, Sara Hurtado & Adrian Diaz, Yuna Kim, Cathy Reed & Chris Reed, Adam Rippon, Joannie Rochette, The Rockettes, Julianne Séguin & Charlie Bilodeau, Les Suprêmes, Synchro Brazil and Synchro Canada.
At the 2018 Winter Olympics, Karl Hugo lent his talents as a composer, arranger, orchestrator and performer to a number of figure skaters including Anna Cappellini & Luca Lanotte (Italy), Meagan Duhamel & Eric Radford (Canada), Piper Gilles & Paul Poirier (Canada), Marie-Jade Lauriault & Romain Le Gac (France), Kavita Lorenz & Joti Polizoakis (Germany), Kaetlyn Osmond (Canada), Gabriella Papadakis & Guillaume Cizeron (France), Ryom Tae-ok & Kim Ju-sik (North Korea), Denis Ten (Kazakhstan), Bradie Tennell (USA), Tessa Virtue & Scott Moir (Canada), Shiyue Wang & Xinyu Liu (China) and Kaitlyn Weaver & Andrew Poje (Canada).
Although due to the COVID-19 pandemic the 2020 World Figure Skating Championships were unfortunately canceled, Karl Hugo still lent his musical talents to the following selected figure skaters: Jin Boyang (China), Daniel Grassl (Italy), Shoma Uno (Japon), Alicia Pineault (Canada), Maé-Bérénice Méité (France), Bradie Tennell (USA), Holly Harris & Jason Chan (Australia), Laurence Fournier-Beaudry & Nikolaj Sørensen (Canada), Marjorie Lajoie & Zachary Lagha (Canada), Gabriella Papadakis & Guillaume Cizeron (France), Marie-Jade Lauriault & Romain Le Gac (France), Lilah Fear & Lewis Gibson (Great Britain), Misato Komatsubara & Tim Koleto (Japon), Kaitlin Hawayek & Jean-Luc Baker (USA), Madison Hubbell & Zachary Donohue (USA), Madison Chock & Evan Bates (USA) and Tiffany Zahorski & Jonathan Guerreiro (Russia). Note that the music of all programs for the Worlds would have been the same as that heard in the 2019-2020 season.
This winter, Karl Hugo joined forces with The Voice of China sensation Junshu Zheng, Chinese ice dance champions Shiyue Wang & Xinyu Liu as well as the renowned Canadian choreographer Marie-France Dubreuil to create a grandiose music video. For the needs of this collaboration with the Chinese label HIFIVE Music, Karl added English lyrics to one of his instrumental composition and thus created the song I Feel Lonely, later adapted into Mandarin (孤独的雪花). Not only is the result breathtaking, but it is also heartwarming to see that such a unifying project can still exist in today’s world in crisis.
Karl Hugo has just launched a new instrumental single entitled Your Last Kiss. Available on most digital platforms, this vibrant piano cello duet is an extended version of the music Karl composed for the latest free program of Olympic figure skating medalist Shoma Uno. Feeling Mathieu Caron draw the single cover inspired by the iconic costume he designed for Shoma. The entire program is based on the concept of choreographer David Wilson and Karl’s partner in figure skating music, music designer Hugo Chouinard.
If you need Karl Hugo’s musical talents for figure skating or synchronized swimming, please contact info@sk8mix.pro (514) 570-4846
COMPOSITION
This is a medley of Karl Hugo’s original music specially composed for skaters and synchronized swimming teams.
For the Shoma Uno’s long program (2019-2020), Karl Hugo composed and performed Your Last Kiss which is used in the first part and in the middle part of this program based on the song Dancing on My Own by Robyn performed by Calum Scott.
For the central part Karl Hugo composed for Gabriella and Guillaume a grandiose bolero entitled Love and Splander.
Gabriella Papadakis & Guillaume Cizeron 2016-2017 SD
For the central part Karl Hugo composed a very moving embrace on ice for Tessa and Scott entitled You Upset My Life.
Tessa Virtue & Scott Moir 2016-2017 FD
For the central part Karl Hugo composed for Laurence and Nikolaj an exciting waltz entitled Summer Waltz.
Laurence Fournier & Nikolaj Sorensen 2014-2015 FD
This program represents the quintessence of Karl Hugo’s work composing original music for the beginning and the central part (instrumental) and adding new instruments such as piano to a song entitled Je suis malade (Lama/Dona) performed by Lara Fabian.
Kaitlyn Weaver & Andrew Poje 2017-2018 FD
In this program, Karl Hugo composed a strange and burlesque waltz called Pantomime Waltz.
Meraki Synchro Senior Free 2015
For central part of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah performed by K.D. Lang, Karl Hugo composed for Madison and Zachary a spiritual march entitled March of Angels.
Madison Hubbell & Zachary Donohue 2015-2016 SD
RECOMPOSITION AND ADAPTATION
For Hubbell and Donohue’s free dance, Karl Hugo composed a grand finale recalling the beginning of thier program and blending perfectly with Kissing You performed by Des’ree to ultimately create a kind of original mashup.
Madison Hubbell & Zachary Donohue 2018-2019 FD
Karl Hugo created at the piano a delicate introduction inspired by the melody of the song S.O.S d’un terrien en détresse from Starmania (Plamondon/Berger) performed by Dimash Kudaibergen,
Denis Ten 2017-2018 LP
Karl Hugo created an orchestral central part inspired by the song Hometown Glory by Adele.
Meagan Duhamel & Eric Radford 2017-2018 FP
In order to offer more relief essential to figure skating, Karl Hugo adapted the song The Blower’s Daughter by Damien Rice using among others, piano, Irish fiddle, cello and guitar.
Jessica Dubé & Bryce Davison 2008 LP
Karl Hugo recomposed this music freely inspired by themes from Madama Butterfly by Giacomo Puccini. He orchestrated the music using not only Occidental and Japanese instruments but also gorgeous ethnic vocals without words.
Marie-France Dubreuil & Patrice Lauzon 2002 FD (Olympic program)
Karl’s very personal adaptation and performance of the famous You Are So Beautiful (Fisher/Preston) made popular by Joe Cocker.
Cynthia Phaneuf 2008 SP
ARRANGEMENTS AND ORCHESTRATION
Inspired by the musical themes of the program while maintaining the same texture, Karl Hugo created this Olympic final.
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[audio src="https://karlhugomusic.com/cp-admin/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Bradie-Tennell-2018-After.mp3" /]
In order to legalize and flesh out the last part, Karl Hugo added an orchestral beat that was initially subtle and more and more powerful and complex to a triumphant finale.
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In order to intensify the last part, Karl Hugo has added a string orchestra that envelops the singers.
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Karl Hugo transformed a Capriccio spagnolo short excerpt in a paso doble.
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Karl Hugo created a layer of orchestra and choir as well as an epic finale.
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Karl Hugo created a grand finale to this Anne Hathaway’s version of I Dreamed a Dream from Les Misérables.
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Because the original version of Cheek to Cheek was too smooth, Karl Hugo used an old time orchestra to beef up the finale.
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Karl Hugo “legalized” the beginning of The Prayer by adding orchestral pulses overdubs and instrumental flourishes.
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It is quite possible to “legalize” a program by adding beats to classical music with taste and subtlety.
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