Gillian Stone

Gillian Stone is a multi-instrumentalist, interdisciplinary artist, and music researcher based between Vancouver Island and Toronto (Tkarón:to). Her vocally-driven work, which draws from post-rock, folk, minimalism, and experimentation, has been described as "beyond characterization" and "surreal in its composition" (The Revue). Borrowing from the Vancouver Island landscapes that raised her, Stone channels the influence of outer landscapes in her inner lyrical worlds and soundscapes. Her music is often the product of experiencing deeply uncomfortable emotions, exploring intersections between mental health, trauma processing, addicition, and destigmatization. As such, she juxtaposes sensations of overwhelm with textures that range from tender to explosive, crafting singular sonic environments.

Stone’s 2020 debut single, “Bridges”, co-produced with avant e-cellist Michael Peter Olsen (Zoon, The Hidden Cameras), was described as “a dark and beautiful song; a song of many textures” (Monolith Cocktail). The music video for her follow-up single, “Shelf”, was Stone’s directorial debut. She again collaborated with Olsen for her November 2022 debut EP, Spirit Photographs. This five-song concept album, which explored personal grief and collective trauma through the framework of Elisabeth Kübler-Ross’ five stages, was recognized as “a truly magical record, both in terms of its experimental nature and emotional core” (Find No Enemy). 

Now existing temporarily behind the creative veil, Stone is piecing together her forthcoming album with fellow co-producers Bryan W. Bray (Gates, Cetacea, RØISEN) and Timothy Condon (Fresh Snow, Picastro). By building this work through ethnography, poetry, memoir, and inter-genre soundscape creation, she is creating a capsule to contain the remarkable stories of her Icelandic-Canadian foremothers. Through music and prose, her process examines intergenerational traumas intertwined by shared gender and blood. It endeavours to arrive at new narratives by untangling the threads of interdependence that run throughout her matriarchal lineage. This work is supported by the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council, the Government of Ontario, and Icelandic Roots. 

Stone holds a BFA in Jazz Studies from Vancouver Island University and an MA in Ethnomusicology from the University of Toronto. While studying ethnomusicology she learned Balinese and Javanese gamelan, performed with Russel Hartenberger and NEXUS (Steve Reich), and studied mandolin with Brazilian cavaquinho virtuoso Henrique Cazes. Her recent academic work includes acting as an artist/researcher for Beyond Opposition, a research project based at University College Dublin that considers how recent social and legal changes to sexual and gender rights impact different people within Ireland, Great Britain and Canada - an exploration of how we can imagine new, utopic worlds where we can share everyday spaces alongside those with whom we disagree. Stone has also contributed to works by artists from music projects such as Fresh Snow, Picastro, Völur, FAWN Chamber Creative, Kira May, and Beams.