Hello and welcome to my website!
I am a musician and a nature photographer. I compose and improvise contemplative music and I love to combine my two passions (nature and music) by creating nature videos with my photographs, playing various instruments to accompany the images.
My career began as a wildlife biologist and also as a classical musician. I’ve played the piano since I was 7 years old and one of the happiest moments of my life was when a big black upright came into our family home on a Christmas Eve many years ago. Since then, I’ve been a classical pianist, performer, teacher, accompanist, and singer/ chorister.
I was trained as a classical pianist (with a Bachelor of Music Education from Université du Québec à Montréal and a Masters in Music Performance from Université de Montréal) and taught and performed for many years until an accident radically changed my life. The pain and suffering that ensued opened my heart and brought me to search my inner life for answers. This spiritual journey has resulted in music that comes from the depths of my soul and touches others by its sincerity and embracing presence.
What I love about improvising is that I am utterly present for what wants to come next, vulnerable in not knowing how it will sound, yet trusting that Spirit flows through me and that whatever occurs is perfect and exactly what is needed in the moment.
Eventually, my music expanded to include voice, percussion, and a new passion in the Native American Style Flute. Most recently, I’ve been focusing on meditative healing music including these instruments in different combinations.
I now live in a large forested area in the Eastern Townships of Quebec. My healing path led me to deepen my connection with Mother Earth and all her nature beings by studying Herbalism, Plant Spirit Medicine, and Shamanism. I commune with my nature spirit guides every day. They are teaching and inspiring me to further healing and wisdom so that I can express my authentic being through my art. I am learning to reach for more and more presence and heart in my musical expression with the intention of sending harmony and healing out into the world and uplifting others on their own healing journeys.
Translation of an article written by Madeleine Roy for CVS (Conservation des vallons de la Serpentine), available under “Press”.
Series: Characters of the Vallons
Anna Brzeski: Contemplative Musician and Photographer
Anna Brzeski: Contemplative Musician and Photographer
I have an appointment with Anna Brzeski, arguably one of the most original citizens of our little corner of the world.
On her 80-hectare property, along the edge of Bellevue Road in Bolton-Est, Anna lives alone in a charming wooden house, in the company of two cats, a dozen large flutes, and a magnificent grand piano.
I felt compelled to write about her because almost every day, the musician shares photos on social media that absolutely move me with their beauty.
I'm a bit intimidated. But as soon as the door opens, the feeling disappears. Anna is there: warm, open, radiant. Two glasses and a large pitcher of fresh mint-infused water sit on the table.
She explains to me that she took courses in contemplative photography—an approach inspired by Tibetan Buddhism that emphasizes observing the world as it is, without trying to judge, alter, or beautify it. It's a practice at the crossroads of art and meditation.
"I walk around my land with my heart wide open and photograph whatever stirs an emotion in me," says Anna. "I have a very small camera. Nothing fancy. I simply capture what appears, without trying to improve it."
For Anna, nature is a sacred, sensitive, conscious world. She confides that every morning, when the weather allows, she meditates outdoors. She speaks to the stream that runs through her land, asks the trees for guidance, and thanks the flowers and wild plants for their beauty.
"I feel vulnerable saying this," she admits. "Many people might think it's a little crazy. But what can I say? I feel nature deeply. I feel like I’m a part of it, in symbiosis with it—and I have since I was a little girl."
This intimate connection with all living things is something Anna shares not only through her photographs but also through her music. On her YouTube channel, she offers improvisations that instantly uplift the heart and soul.
Anna had a long career as a piano performer and teacher. In recent years, she has also taken up playing Native American style flutes; she owns several instruments crafted from fallen branches of trees she knows intimately—spruce, white pine, yellow birch... These flutes, made by artisan Stephen Rensink (Makwa Flutes), resonate with a bewitching sound. Every summer, Anna uses them to accompany guided meditation sessions held in nature by CVS.
Some of these flutes, made by artisan Stephen Rensink (Makwa Flutes), vibrate with a captivating sound. Every summer, Anna uses them to accompany the guided meditation sessions offered by CVS in the great outdoors.
On July 13, Anna will also give a workshop on contemplative photography to CVS members and their guests.
As you've probably gathered by now: Anna is a generous soul. In 2017, she donated part of her property to CVS, and she has already expressed the wish to one day give away the rest, so that its wild beauty may be preserved forever.
Before I left, Anna insisted on giving me a gift. She asked me to choose a flute, to sit down, and to focus on an intention or a desire. For a few minutes, she improvised and recorded a melody just for me—a melody I can listen to whenever I need comfort.
An exceptional woman, I tell you. Truly exceptional.
To learn more about Anna's photos and music, visit her Facebook page or YouTube channel.
