Riparian Media

David Occhipinti
Looking Glass

Out: June 12th, 2026 on Elastic Recordings/ Occdav Music (ER 027/ OM 009 – CD & DL)
DAVID OCCHIPINTI: DAVIDOCCHIPINTI.COM
ELASTIC RECORDINGS: ELASTICRECORDINGS.COM | ELASTICRECORDINGS.BANDCAMP.COM

June 12th 2026, Toronto’s David Occhipinti launches his new album on Elastic Recordings, Looking Glass, which—like his other recent offerings—showcases his intricate vision of ensemble writing alongside his formidable and singular guitar work.

Occhipinti’s music delights in its exploration of harmonic and timbral hue, working with elegant chromaticism and subdued use of extended/ unconventional techniques. He’s joined here by his previous collaborators Aline Homzy (violin)and Steven Dann (viola) as well as Maria Zachariadou, associate principal cellist of the BBC Philharmonic. In addition to this core ensemble, he also brings guests aboard for particular cuts, namely the percussionist (and Officer of the Order of Canada) Beverley Johnston, mezzo soprano Alex Hetherington—a protagonist of the Canadian Opera scene, and soprano Charlotte Mundy, known for her boundless versatility—she has been heard alongisde everyone from the TAK Ensemble to Liturgy, from Bekah Simms to Eluvium.

“Six Bagatelles” opens the disc, presenting succinct plunges into different musical palettes derived from guitar and the violin-viola-cello trio. This colourful series is followed by the album’s longest work, the Lewis Carrol homage “Frumious Bandersnatch.” Here, the bowed strings weave into the rich colours affored by Occhipinti’s customized guitar — he installed an extra pickup near the nut, granting him to access to a constellation of microtonal pitches that sound above where his fingers are placed. Following the luminous collaboration with Johnston, “Sonyshnyky,” the latter portion of Looking Glass leans toward Occhipinti’s savvy vocal writing, which sometimes teases and other times reaches into visceral depths.

Encompassing the playful to the melancholic, the dissonant to radiant modal figures, this recording covers considerable emotional territory, and yet its composer’s identity shines, imparting subtle cohesion amidst its diversity.

Share this: