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I have been interested in film music since 7th grade, after I watched Conan the Barbarian. After writing music on a MIDI sequencer for all of high school, I majored in music composition at Occidental College in Los Angeles and graduated in 2008. While there, I worked on over 30 films ranging from undergraduate projects to Masters thesis films, including a parody for the MTV Movie Awards. As part of my senior concert I conducted both the glee club and orchestra playing original works. I stayed in LA for two years after graduation, working first as an orchestrator for Stephen Endelman on the 20th Century Fox feature Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li. In those two years I worked with a writing partner on a dozen projects, including films that are currently featured in film festival and online forums. Since film music doesn’t offer steady employment, I also work as an arranger/copyist for a classical guitarist named Stuart Weber (http://www.stuartweber.com/). Our latest collaboration was featured on PBS.
I chose Columbia College because it offered what I think is the best option for getting a graduate degree in film music composition. USC’s program is certainly prestigious, but is only one year long and does not offer anything higher than a graduate certificate. I don’t believe a single year is long enough. NYU’s program offers a Masters degree in music and is two years long, but is confined to New York City itself. We are training to work in an environment that operates the majority of the time in Los Angeles. Columbia College’s program offers a Masters in fine arts and is two years long. The kicker for me is the Semester in LA program, which immediately follows graduation. During this summer semester we intern for high-level film composers, take additional classes centered on the business application of film music, and work with a studio orchestra to record our thesis scores. These three elements serve as a bridge between the academic and professional side of film music, which made Columbia College the obvious choice for me.
I am currently working on a couple of projects. I am part of the music team for a project called 228: The Life of a Positive Person. It is a 25-part web series (http://228film.com) based off the blog of man who started it the day he was diagnosed with HIV. It is a beautiful and personal story, told through two different perspectives. A new episode will stream once a week. It is a fun and different type of work, since our schedule is episodic in nature. I am also writing the music for a feature trailer out in Portland, OR called Free Box Frank. I am collaborating with another member of my program who is doing the sound design for the trailer. I scored a film for a graduate student last semester, and am reexamining the role of the music now that the festival cut as been edited together. As always, I continue to arrange pieces for classical guitarist Stuart Weber whenever he collaborates with other artists. Most recently he played a concert with the wonderful violinist Angella Ahn. I am always looking to collaborate with new people, so if you need music get in touch with me!
Do you want the student perspective on the Music Composition for the Screen MFA program?
Email our Ambassador at music.comp.mfa@colum.edu
We recently had the opportunity to record at Hinge Studios. It went very, very well. I have both audio and video to share, and some cool stories…
We recently had the opportunity to record at Hinge Studios. It went very, very well. I have both audio and video to share, and some cool stories…
Gun is a 3rd-person, open-world, cowboy western game for PS2/PS3. It is awesome. And on top of being awesome, it has unexpectedly good music.
Gun is a 3rd-person, open-world, cowboy western game for PS2/PS3. It is awesome. And on top of being awesome, it has unexpectedly good music.
We have a recording session coming up this Friday, and I have written a pretty awesome string orchestra piece featuring solo violin. But on top of a 12-piece string orchestra, …
We have a recording session coming up this Friday, and I have written a pretty awesome string orchestra piece featuring solo violin. But on top of a 12-piece string orchestra, …
We have three recording sessions this semester at the Chicago Recording Company. These guys are the real deal– with industry standard equipment, facilities, and engineers. We learn a tremendous amount …
We have three recording sessions this semester at the Chicago Recording Company. These guys are the real deal– with industry standard equipment, facilities, and engineers. We learn a tremendous amount …
Before I started at Columbia College Chicago, I was very light on the gear side of things. That has since changed, but I wish I had gone into the graduate …
Before I started at Columbia College Chicago, I was very light on the gear side of things. That has since changed, but I wish I had gone into the graduate …
Gattaca is a ridiculously awesome movie with a ridiculously awesome score. It’s just one of those films that is already great and lucks into having an even better score. Read …
Gattaca is a ridiculously awesome movie with a ridiculously awesome score. It’s just one of those films that is already great and lucks into having an even better score. Read …
I don’t think there is a single film composer out there that would argue that the recording session phase of writing music is the awesomest part. Every time. It is …
I don’t think there is a single film composer out there that would argue that the recording session phase of writing music is the awesomest part. Every time. It is …
I thought it would be cool to get the inside scoop from a faculty member in our MFA program. So I interviewed composition professor / tech guru Gary Chang, and …
I thought it would be cool to get the inside scoop from a faculty member in our MFA program. So I interviewed composition professor / tech guru Gary Chang, and …
It’s that time again, where a couple of outside projects have come along. In a wonderful case of synergy, they both are related to Columbia College Chicago!
It’s that time again, where a couple of outside projects have come along. In a wonderful case of synergy, they both are related to Columbia College Chicago!
What do you do if your friend wrote a song and wants to record it? What if you think it would be really cool to add percussion, some strings, and …
What do you do if your friend wrote a song and wants to record it? What if you think it would be really cool to add percussion, some strings, and …