About The Band
American Prize (2023) and Four-time Telly Award winners (Gold, Silver & Bronze, 2021 – 2023), composer Emil Adler, writer Julie Flanders and vocalist Marina Belica of October Project are award-winning, genre-defying recording artists and producers who collaborate in the creation of musical recordings and events.
Powered by Flanders’ words, Adler’s music, and the group’s trademark harmonies, their earlier work with SONY/Epic and subsequent recordings on their October Project Music label have been enjoyed by millions. Bridging the worlds of pop, classical, a cappella and choral, they continue to innovate the landscape of Independent Music.
Their 2024 full-length release, The Ghost of Childhood features lead vocalist Belica in close harmony with Flanders on an album of eleven songs. Co-producers Adler on keys and Julian Coryell (Alanis Morrissette) on guitars are joined by Mark Schulman (Pink) on drums, with brass, strings, choir and Flanders’ spoken word woven throughout.
The release of the album was preceded by five singles (“Changing Light of Love,” “This Is For You,” “Lost,” “Angels in the Garden,” “Rage of Days”).
Music videos for two of the album’s singles were created in collaboration with acclaimed Ukrainian sand artist Kseniya Simonova. “Angels in the Garden,” won a Silver Telly and was up for a Music Video GRAMMY in 2024, marking the band’s 9th GRAMMY ballot appearance. The band maintains an ongoing fundraiser, Angels For Ukraine, for the International Rescue Committee’s efforts to help women and children affected by the war there.
The music video for “This Is For You,” broke new ground with the digital animation of Simonova’s color paintings and was an Official Selection at the 2024 American Documentary and Animation Festival. It is in contention for Best Music Video this year, marking the band’s 10th GRAMMY ballot appearance.
2024 also marked the 6th Anniversary of the October Project Annual Poetry Contest. Poet/Lyricist Flanders is a three-time Amazon Bestseller for her poetry books Watermarked (2024), Shadow Breathing (2018), and Joyride (2015). Following upon the success of her animated poem Doubts (2018), an Official Selection at nearly 30 film festivals, an experimental short of her poem The Big Sadness (2023), which surged to over 250,000 YouTube views in its first month of release, was awarded a 2024 Bronze Telly.
October Project continues the trail blazing work it began in choral music with The Book of Rounds (2016, 2021), a new brand of ‘conscious rounds’ featuring positive messages. Their widely heralded Virtual Choir of Joy, produced during COVID, won a Telly and Anthem Award (2021). Their subsequent Worldwide Choir of Return To Me, featuring performers from 18 countries, was awarded both a Gold Telly and American Prize (2023).
Following upon a Genesis Prize and performances at the Kennedy Center and Carnegie Hall (2023) for their first work together, Holding Our Breath, Flanders continues to work on new choral commissions with Venezuelan composer Carlos Cordero. Plans for a new Flanders/Adler choral work are underway.
