About Us
David Alter - Creator, Composer, Producer
David Alter is the musical brainchild and original creator of the religious satirical rock musical, Resurrection. But his career journey has always felt out of step as compared with many of his peers. “Like a square peg in a round hole”, David sees himself as a doctor who only ever wanted to be.... a musician.”
As a whole, it’s something of a life story document. David grew up surrounded by music. His late mother was a lyricist; his father a prominent bandleader who supported a family through wedding gigs, but discouraged David from pursuing the difficult life of a musician. “My father is my idol, I love my dad. He was a very successful showman but the journey as a musician to make a living was always a challenge. We lived modestly. There were certain things on menus that we couldn’t even look at. He didn’t want me to struggle,” he says. David studied piano at a music conservatory, but ultimately decided on a career in the medical profession. He’s currently a highly esteemed cardiologist and an epidemiologist scientist that’s published over 175 manuscripts and in 2010 founded a music-medical research lab and Vigour Projects, a pioneering organization dedicated to applying, evaluating and promoting the benefits of music on health and medical outcomes.
“As much as I place medicine high, it’s the story of the girl you didn’t ask to the prom that you should have. I always wondered about music because it was a part of me that never left. I’m consumed by it, that has been the conflict,” he says. The final decision to pursue his music came from a wonderfully unexpected source. “Several years ago, My ten year-old at the time, heard my music and said ‘This stuff is great, you gotta do it, you gotta live your dreams.’ That was the defining moment for me.”
David’s musical compositions have been plentiful…over 1500..by his last count. “I still remember my first radio airplay back in 2009’ (“Legend in the world”), where a radio DJ from Australia left me a voice-mail message personally congratulating me on my song, and letting me know its being spun down-under”. “I kept the voice-mail message to this day. That was a thrill for me!” His first album, “Songs for Sale” (released in 2013) was highly critically appraised, receiving international attention and songwriting awards. David’s latest project, Resurrection, goes one step further. A social commentary packaged to music in a rock album turned-musical, with sounds that harken back to the golden era of classic rock.
Calyx Passailaigue - Screenwriter
Calyx Passailaigue is an award winning writer, director, producer and editor. Their projects are Official Selections at many international film festivals including Beijing, Adana, Oakville, the Montreal Black Film Festival, the Toronto Black Film Festival, the San Francisco Black Film Festival and Caribbean Tales International Film Festival. Calyx is a winner of the Jeff Young Drama Award, the Jack Kuper Film Award, the Universal Studios Canada Scholarship in Filmmaking, the Merit Award at the Canada Shorts Film Festival, Best Film/Screenplay at the Miami 4 Social Change Film Festival, Best Medium Length Narrative at the Trinidad + Tobago Film Festival and Best Toronto Based Filmmaker at the Toronto Arthouse Film Festival. In 2017, Calyx earned their Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree for Film Production from Ryerson University..
Aaron Alter - Director, Screenwriter
Since graduating from Ryerson University’s Image Arts Film Program, Aaron Alter has strived to create powerful, narrative-driven content through his work as a cinematographer and director. As a member of the TrePalm production company, he has shot and directed music videos for emerging Toronto artists such as Allan Rayan, Dionysia, Danielle Knoll and Oriion. His work as a cinematographer has appeared at numerous international film festivals throughout the world, screening in London, Mumbai, Boston, Austin, Buenos Aires, Cologne, Hong Kong and his home town of Toronto. Throughout his career, he has produced, directed and shot numerous feature films, including the ambitious musical comedy “A Dog in Paris”. He has also shot commercial spots for Cheerios, Nike, Philips, Canon, Knix Wear and Nature Fresh Farms.