Episodios

  • Using Extended Techniques with Composer Juan Cortés Arango

    Using Extended Techniques with Composer Juan Cortés Arango
    Jul 23 2025
    Today I chat with Columbian composer Juan Cortés Arango as he shares his creative process behind The Head Season 3 and his innovative approach to extended techniques. In this episode we discuss *Juan's transition from cello performance to composition due to tendinitis *Creating organic sounds that feel electronic using extended techniques *Working with prepared piano, unusual woodwinds, and unconventional string techniques *The philosophy behind choosing acoustic instruments over synthesizers *His collaboration process and the importance of documentation in composition *How the music industry is evolving and what it means for composers. About our Guest: Juan Cortés Arango is a versatile Colombian composer based in Los Angeles. Juan’s portfolio includes such notable works as Mala Fortuna, Anywhere With You, and Above the Yangtze River. As an additional composer, Juan worked on Pablo Larrain’s Golden Globe-nominated Neruda, as well as Judd Apatow’s HBO docuseries George Carlin’s American Dream, and Amazon Studios’ Life Itself, starring Oscar Isaac and Olivia Wilde. Through his close relationship with Richard Ludlow’s Hexany Audio, Juan also orchestrates for a wide variety of video games, virtual reality, and interactive media projects, including Honor of Kings and Arknights. He also co-founded Salon de Paprika, a boutique film production house. Both ventures have developed a global clientele since their founding. He is currently building an orchestration collective. Juan graduated from Berklee College of Music in 2014 with a double major in Film Scoring and Electronic Production & Design.
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    41 m
  • A Music Industry Reality Check with Brian Steckler

    A Music Industry Reality Check with Brian Steckler
    Jun 30 2025
    Veteran composer Brian Steckler takes us through his fascinating 30-year journey in the ever-changing music industry, from his unexpected start with the iconic Budweiser Frogs Super Bowl commercial to scoring the Sundance Film Festival selection “Sunfish (& Other Stories from Green Lake).” In this episode, Brian shares: • How a piano performance degree led him from Nashville to LA’s music scene • Working with artists like Paul Stanley (KISS) and Tony winner Billy Porter • The reality of the music industry and adapting to survive • Innovative scoring techniques for the acclaimed film “Sunfish (& Other Stories from Green Lake)” *plus his favorite mic placement for recording piano* • Behind-the-scenes stories from jingle houses to reality tv productions • Honest advice for aspiring musicians entering today’s competitive landscape
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    45 m
  • Alexander Parsons: The Intersection of Music and Technology Part I

    Alexander Parsons: The Intersection of Music and Technology Part I
    Jun 16 2025
    Today is the first of a two-part series with our guest, musician and composer Alexander Parsons. In Part I, we’re discussing Alexander's score to the upcoming film, "Flight 149: Hostage of War," the extraordinary story of passengers and crew who become unwitting hostages during Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait. We also discuss the impact of music teachers on their students, and how his own teacher influenced his life. https://alexparsonsmusic.com/
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    31 m
  • Jennifer Roig-Francolí and The Art of Freedom: Learning about the Alexander Technique

    Jennifer Roig-Francolí and The Art of Freedom: Learning about the Alexander Technique
    Jun 2 2025
    Today we learn about the Alexander Technique and improving our musicianship with the incredible Jennifer Roig-Francolí! We talk about the power of awareness, the sneaky thoughts and obstacles we put in our own way, and Christine even gets a quick lesson on a tension/awareness exercise we can all use in our own practice! Jennifer's Website: https://artoffreedom.me/
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    43 m
  • Composer James Allen Roberson on Bridging the Taste Gap

    Composer James Allen Roberson on Bridging the Taste Gap
    May 10 2025
    Composer James Allen Roberson has a great quote on his wall by Ira Glass that explains that the gap between our ability and our taste is only bridged by a lot of work. In today's episode, James sits down with us to discuss his own creative development and the hard work that went into it. We talk about maintaining and attitude of humility and learning lessons from unexpected places, living in the studio, how to find the right sound for a project, and mourning the end-of-life of Finale. https://www.robersonsound.com/
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    49 m
  • The Music of the Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim with Stephen Gallagher & Mark Willsher

    The Music of the Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim with Stephen Gallagher & Mark Willsher
    May 6 2025
    Today we visit Middle Earth and discuss the score to "The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim" with Emmy award-winning Composer Stephen Gallagher and Grammy award-winning Producer/Engineer Mark Willsher. Their goal in this project was to “honour the narrative of the film by blending the beloved design and musical language of the original Lord of the Rings trilogy with ideas befitting Kamiyama-san's beautiful hand-drawn anime.” We discuss learning from and enjoying the differences between "The War of the Rohirrim" and the original live action LOTR trilogies in terms of workflow and creative style. We also cover thematic material, composition/mixing techniques and the value of having a trusted collaboration! "Overture" from THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE WAR OF THE ROHIRRIM (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is copyrighted and used with permission from WBD Music AS(ASCAP), New Line Tunes (ASCAP) and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All rights to the music are owned by WBD Music, New Line Tunes, and Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc.
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    53 m
  • Composing Suspense and Humor: Christoph Zirngibl on AppleTV+'s "Where's Wanda"

    Composing Suspense and Humor: Christoph Zirngibl on AppleTV+'s "Where's Wanda"
    Apr 21 2025
    Renowned German film composer Christoph Zirngibl joins us today to talk about his recent projects AppleTV+ “Where’s Wanda” and the animated adventure film “The Hero of Centopia.” We chat about the difference between a Palette Composer vs an Artist Composer, his own composing process, and what makes a good melody. Christoph Zirngibl is a renowned German film composer based in Munich, Germany. Among the over 120 movies Christoph has composed the music for by now, you will find some of the most-watched German prime-time TV movies and successful national feature films, as well as a diverse range of indie films, short movies, TV series and documentaries. His music has been awarded the Hollywood Music in Media Award, the Jerry Goldsmith Award and the “German Emmy” ({reis der Deutschen Fernsehakademie) and has been nominated multiple times, e.g. for the German Filmmusic Award, the European Filmmusic Award (Camille Award) and the Music & Sound Awards. At the Cannes Film Festival 2022, he was one of ten international composers being selected for the Spot the Composer Program.
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    40 m
  • The Music of Sullivan's Crossing: Collaboration in Composing with Ari Posner and Joel Schwartz

    The Music of Sullivan's Crossing: Collaboration in Composing with Ari Posner and Joel Schwartz
    Mar 29 2025
    Collaboration is the cornerstone of a musicians’ creativity and career. This is especially true in media composing. And here to talk with me about it today are my guests Ari Posner and Joel Schwartz. They worked together composing the score to the acclaimed drama series “Sullivan’s Crossing” whose 2nd season premiered in the US in October 2024 on the CW, and kicks off its 3rd season on Canada’s CTV in the spring of 2025.
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    42 m