Featured Artist in the Alcove: Ryan Marvel

It’s 2021! Welcome, and happy new year to all of our readers, listeners, and supporters who make what we do at Off The Hook Arts possible. We are excited for the new year, excited you are here, and grateful for your support. It’s because of viewers and listeners like you, Off the Hook Arts can feature and support so many talented artists, so again, thank you very much!

Challenges of Hope

Sometimes life’s journey is unknowable, yet inevitable. Sometimes life’s crossroads lead us back to our roots. That’s how this weeks featured artist, Ryan Marvel, explains his journey back to music, back to what he loves. In our podcast interview with Ryan, he talks about his journey back to music and how music connects him to the world around him.

Ryan Marvel is an award-winning pianist, composer and arranger living in Fort Collins, Co. His unique musical vision combines emotion and vulnerability to connect his audience to the deeper affective quality of his music.

In his piece,“Changing Light,” you can almost feel the morning sun awakening to move slowly over the winter snow, then dancing and bouncing gracefully over hills and valleys. Listening to Ryan’s music is unquestionably an emotive experience. His music has a philosophical quality that draws you into a thoughtful contemplation.

When listening to his piece “Horizons,” featured in the Alcove, you can feel a rhythmic, almost mediative quality that leads you into the greatness of the piece—the reflective ripples of each key that seem to echo your hopes, leaving you absorbed in rumination.

Ryan’s music is a calming respite drawing you out of the “noises of our time, “ as he puts it. His creative process is about mingling classical theory and his textured experiences of life.

In his podcast interview, Ryan talks about some of the contemporary challenges of being a musician in such a fast-moving, socially-driven economy and how communicating his voice to his audience will always take precedence over profit and numbers.

There is a deep thread of connection flowing through Ryan’s music, his creative process, and the way he shares with his audience. A connection that becomes a distinct sensation apparent from the very first notes you hear.

You can hear more of our interview with Ryan Marvel on the Off the Hook Arts podcast episode called, “Rising to the Challenge of Hope.” While you’re there, check out some of our past episodes highlighting many of our talented artists supported by Off the Hook Arts, and listeners just like you.