Bruce Clinton Haack (May 4, 1931 – September 26, 1988) was a Canadian musician and composer in the field of electronic music. Biography From Alberta to New York (1931-1963) Demonstrating an early ability for music, Bruce Haack is said to have started picking out melodies on his family's piano at age four, and progressing to providing piano lessons for others by age 12. While attending college in Edmonton, Canada, at the University of Alberta, Haack began performing in local venues with a then-popular local band called The Swing Tones. While the band played primarily modern and old-time music, they also performed Ukrainian Folk music, which introduced Haack to Eastern musical motifs and themes. This exposure would prove to have a significant influence on Haack's work later in life. Prior to leaving Alberta to move to New York City, Haack assembled a large record collection of music from many parts of the world. In later years, Haack's painting of St. Basil is said to be reminiscent of his earlier years with The Swing Tones in Edmonton. Bruce Haack is remembered at this time in his development as having a surprising ability to hear music and play it back immediately from memory, and would often compose innovative riffs through improvisation. Haack was also invited by Aboriginal peoples in Canada to participate in their pow-wows, experimenting with peyote, which influenced his music for years to come. His upbringing in the isolated town of Rocky Mountain House in Alberta, Canada, gave him plenty of time to develop his musical talents. Seeking formal training to hone his ability, Haack applied to the University of Alberta's music program. Though that school rejected him because of his poor notation skills, at Edmonton University he wrote and recorded music for campus theater productions, hosted a radio show, and played in a band. He received a degree in psychology from the university; this influence was felt later in songs that dealt with body language and the computer-like ways children absorb information. New York City's Juilliard School offered Haack the opportunity to study with composer Vincent Persichetti; thanks to a scholarship from the Canadian government, he headed to New York upon graduating from Edmonton in 1954. At Juilliard, Haack met a like-minded student, Ted "Praxiteles" Pandel, with whom he developed a lifelong friendship. However, his studies proved less sympathetic, and he dropped out of Juilliard just eight months later, rejecting