For almost two decades, Carmel Freeman has been gaining a reputation as a genre-bending and innovative composer, improviser and multi-instrumentalist. A conservatory education in both jazz performance and classical composition, a passion for electronics and computer music and time on stage playing a myriad of genres have fostered a unique and distinct musical voice. 

     

Born in Israel to parents of Moroccan, Iraqi and European heritage, and raised in Toronto, Canada from childhood Freeman was exposed to a unique blend of music traditions which over time only continued to diversify. 

 

He completed his masters degree in classical composition at Codarts University for the Arts in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.  His research explored the corporeal and visceral possibilities of compositions that utilize speech sounds, which culminated in works  such as "Lingua Franca", "Gut", "Haaam", and "Oiseau". At this time, in part due to the isolation of the Covid pandemic, Carmel  began working extensively with Max/MSP and SuperCollider to create new fixed media works. At Codarts, Freeman was awarded the €5000 Holland Scholarship. 

 

 Before moving to the Netherlands, Freeman spent two years at York University completing an undergraduate degree in jazz performance, where he studied guitar with jazz legend Lorne Lofsky (of the Oscar Peterson Quintet), piano with celebrated improviser Casey Sokol, and composition with Randolph Peters. At York, Freeman was the recipient of the Oscar Peterson Scholarship, the Karabekos Award for non-Western composition, the Sterling Beckwith Award for musicianship, the Dr. Peter Zaparinuk Memorial Scholarship for composition, the Harvey-Marsden Music Award and the Peggie Sampson Scholarship., the Marion Lower Prize in Composition, the Alan Lessem Memorial Award for outstanding scholarly work in music, the Harry Rowe Bursary and the Jazz.FM91 Scholarship in Jazz. Prior to York, e began his jazz studies at the prestigious University of Toronto jazz performance program, studying with Tim Ries, David Occhipinti and Geoff Young. 

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Carmel is currently based in The Hague, Netherlands. He is now branching into film and video game scoring and also performs weekly at SETH in addition to other venues.