Just over a year after successfully reaching his Kickstarter goal, Canberra composer Matthew J Webster is set to release his crowdfunded album, This Too Shall Pass, on Thursday 30 November.

More than 180 people supported the Kickstarter started by Mr Webster to raise funds for a live orchestra to record the album. Through his music, the self-taught composer shares his journey with severe medication-resistant bipolar disorder, and his first treatment and recovery through electroconvulsive therapy in 2019.

While he originally released the album in 2019 with the use of digital composing software, Mr Webster always dreamed of recording with an orchestra. Throughout the pandemic lockdowns, he took to social media, increasing his presence and gaining traction.

His open and honest dialogue around mental health and various treatments through his music hit a chord with people around the world. The encouraging support from followers gave him the confidence to proceed with the Kickstarter which raised over $20,000.

“I feel so blessed and honoured that people trusted me and wanted to help me with my dream. It has definitely helped me keep going with life, especially on really bad depression days,” says Mr Webster. “Knowing I matter to people and help them, it’s almost like a sense of responsibility to these people, and I absolutely do not want to let them down.”

Each track was rewritten with changes to the orchestration and new tracks composed, and was then recorded by an orchestra in Europe. The process of mixing and mastering each individual track was bigger than anyone involved expected.

“Each track had around 46 individual microphones covering the whole orchestra and individual instrument spot mics. Then we have however many takes it took to record an individual piece and splicing all the mics and tracks together to form one continuous take.”

Ensuring balance across the instruments was kept and highlighted as needed, were two mixing engineers based in the USA. Mr Webster says the engineers have worked on and with orchestras and in film studios in LA and Hollywood.

“The fact they loved my music so much and wanted to be a part of the project was a nice ego boost, I can’t lie – I was told they believe I am the next John Williams, which was just ridiculous to hear,” smiles Mr Webster.

The process took longer than he initially anticipated. Working with multiple files and time zones while still undergoing electroconvulsive therapy at times presented challenges. However, he says the finished work was worth the wait.

Feeling a mixture of excited and terrified, Mr Webster says the work is a musical expression of his soul, his intense struggles with bipolar and his overall existence.

“It is a terrifying thought that people won’t connect with that, or they won’t like it and that is a normal part of any art – not everyone will like everything.”

With the release date fast approaching, Mr Webster has been drawing on therapy techniques to calm his brain and to remind himself his worth is more than what he creates and people’s responses to that art.

“It’s kind of funny that I am struggling with that currently when such a large part of my mental health awareness platform is trying to remind people they are not their illness, they have value to bring the world just by existing.”

Helping to balance the terrified moments is the excitement of achieving something a younger version of himself would have never thought he could is a wonderful and warm feeling. 

“I have had a dream since I started composing at 15/16 years old to one day record a whole album with a live orchestra and here we are now!” he smiles.

The composer has committed to donating 20 per cent of proceeds from album sales, with hopes to increase the amount over time. The first charity he has decided to support is Bravehearts Foundation, an Australian not-for-profit dedicated to the prevention and treatment of child sexual abuse.

“As a survivor myself, I know the damage it can cause and it is something I want to fight to eradicate in the world and support anyone who has gone through it themselves,” Mr Webster says.

Hoping that music lovers who have experienced mental health concerns and those who haven’t will be drawn to the tracks, the main thing he wants people to feel when listening to his music is how valued they truly are.

“I want people to listen to the album, whether they have mental illness or not, and really realise and feel how important they are as humans, and that even if life can be brutally hard, they are not alone or unloved.”

After the release, Mr Webster will be finishing the last of the Kickstarter rewards and will start to consider his next works. He says if the album is well received and he continues to gain attention, it would make further albums and works easier to create. Through the connections made through This Too Shall Pass, some film composing opportunities may be on the horizon, but for now, he is just focusing on the moment.

“I am just taking life one day at a time and doing what I can to make the world a better place,” he smiles.

This Too Shall Pass will be available on all streaming services and available for purchase on iTunes from 30 November.

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