Chatting With Creators
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, I sought out a way to create contact that, like Coffee With Composers allows people to connect to musicians on a personal level. During this time, I thought we needed it more than usual. When members of the Glenn Korff School of Music reached out to me about creating videos to help keep our community connected, I thought this would be a perfect idea. Going beyond the Flyover New Music Series, in Chatting With Creators, I connect with various creatives from the music industry to talk to them about how they’re dealing with the pandemic, their advice for students, and most importantly, how we all stay connected even when we’re apart.
At first, I didn’t think that I would create a Season 2. But publicists and artists alike were still reaching out to me about coming on the show and audiences were growing… as well as my love fore creating this content. During the production of Season 2 in the summer of 2021, I did an internship with Paladino New Media through IES Abroad. With them, I created three special episodes which premiered on my Spotify Channel (which you will find on this page) and their social media pages. Thanks for listening.
Tori Letzler and IN FROM THE COLD | CwC S3E2
This week I’m joined by Tori Letzler, the genius composer behind the score for the Netflix original series In From the Cold. Letzler is best known for her work as a vocalist on projects such as Wonder Woman, Captain Marvel, American History and her work as an electronic producer under the moniker TINYKVT. In From the Cold tells the story of an American single mom, exposed as an ex-Russian spy, who must juggle family life, unique abilities, and a battle against an insidious enemy. Showrunner Adam Glass knew Tori was the perfect choice to compose the series because he wanted a synthetic score where vocals would be prominent—which Letzler definitely delivered with 88 total vocal ques! In this episode Letzler and I talk education, the nitty-gritty of her recording/composing process, and the unique way that music was used during the filming of this series.
Jimmy LaValle and "Something in the Dirt" | CwC S3E1
It’s time to kick off Season 3! Today we chat with Jimmy LaValle about his score for the film Something in the Dirt, which premiered in Sundance’s NEXT category on January 23rd of this year. An established composer also known for his solo work with his band The Album Leaf, Jimmy’s go-to sounds are synths and strings; however, he went out of his comfort zone using woodwinds such as the bass clarinet, and, yes, Levi’s flute. We chat synthesizers, clarinets, forward motions, studio setup, and the confusion between musicians with common names. Connect with Jimmy: Website: https://thealbumleaf.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheAlbumLeaf Instagram: @thealbumleaf Twitter: @thealbumleaf Soundcloud: soundcloud.com/The-Album-Leaf Bandcamp: thealbumleaf.bandcamp.com Connect with Sapphire: https://linktr.ee/Sapphire.Toth Learn more about “Something in the Dirt”: https://www.sundance.org/blogs/festiv...
Wendy Blackstone and CRIME SCENE THE VANISHING AT THE CECIL HOTEL | CwC S2E12
It's been a hot second... but we're back! Today we look at an interview from last may with Wendy Blackstone about her work on the Netflix docuseries Crime Scene: The Vanishing at The Cecil Hotel and her eclectic life as a composer. We talk about the collaborative process between composers and directors, living an international lifestyle, spotting sessions, and so much more. For more from me, check out my Link Tree.
S2:E11 Bernhard Lang and WORKS FOR PIANO
This week I chat with Bernhard Lang about his latest album of Works for Piano. We talk about his creative process, living in a state of in-betweens, the importance of understanding instruments, and the movement from performer to composer. For more about Mr. Lang's career check out his website. Thank you to Paladino Media and IES Digital Internships for making this possible. For more information about my work, check out my linktree. Photo in thumbnail © Harald Hoffmann, used with permission.
S2:E9 Eric Lamb and ICONS 2
Today I'm joined by flutist Eric Lamb to talk about his album Icons 2. We chat about repertoire in academia, stylistic choices as a performer, the international music scene, and dogs. Thank you to Paladino Media for making this interview possible through IES internships.
S2:E8 Raphaelle Thibaut and SECRETS OF THE WHALES
This week I'm joined by Raphaelle Thibaut to talk about her career in film composition, her personal career journey, issues in classical music academia, her technique, and her work on National Geographic/Disney+'s Secrets of the Whales! And, of course, why clarinet is one of the best instruments in the world.
S2:E7 Philip Klein and WISH DRAGON
I'm joined today by composer Philip Klein about his work on Wish Dragon (watch it now on Netflix!), his use of traditional Chinese Instruments, the score's strong orchestra presence, his time at Northwestern and more!
S2:E6 Reza Safina and YANG
On this episode of CwC I’m joined by composer Reza Safina about his new electronic album YANG, creative meditation, nirvana, and his score for the Cinemax series WARRIOR. Read more about Reza’s forceful career HERE. Listen to his orchestral solo album YIN. Listen to his electronic solo album Yang. https://rezasafinia.bandcamp.com/albu...
S2:E5 Stephenie Economou and JUPITER’S LEGACY
Was the delay for this week's episode worth it? I think so! Today, the day of the premiere for the Netflix Series Jupiter's Legacy we speak to the composer of the score. We chat about Latin, choral writing, score scripting, character theme development and dry shampoo. For more, check out my links.
S2:E4 Dino Meneghin and DOTA Dragon’s Blood
This week I chat with Dino Meneghin and his work on DOTA: Dragon's Blood. We discuss spotting sessions, interpreting directors' and producers' visions, scoring action ques and so much more.
S2:E3 Andy Bean and KID COSMIC
This week on Chatting with Creators I talk to Andy Bean about his rockin' score for the Netflix series Kid Cosmic. We get into the weeds of sample libraries, score mixing, working with multiple ensembles... and being a math major. Thanks to the awesome guys at White Bear PR for helping put this together!
S2:E2 Gabriel Hays and SECRET MAGIC CONTROL AGENCY
In this episode, I speak with Gabriel Hays about his score for "Secret Magic Control Agency" on Netflix, chatting about his approach to writing a melody, working with an orchestrator, and so much more. Huge thanks to White Bear PR for helping this episode come together.
S2:E1 Kate Simko and UNDERPLAYED
To kick off season 2 I chat with producer and composer Kate Simko about scoring the film "Underplayed" released in March 2021. We cover subjects such as Women's History Month, what it's like to be a woman in the music industry, and the semantics between titling yourself as a composer vs a producer.
SPECIAL EPISODE: An Interview with Anne Nikitin
In this special episode, I chat with Anne Nikitin about her work on the Netflix Original Series Fate: The Winx Saga and everything that went into creating that score.
S1:E16 An Interview with Matt Morton
The latest episode of Chatting with Creators featuring the amazing Andrew Barber as we interview film composer Matt Morton! I'm so glad to be back on track with this series. Thank you to Justin Richard for being my video editor! Thanks to White Bear PR for making this happen.
S1:E15 An Interview With Jongnic Bontemps Pt. 3
In the second part of the Jongnic Bontemps-Composer Trilogy featuring co-hosts Daniel Christian Ikpeama, Bryan Grosbach, and Gracie Fagan! We talk about diversity, conducting, collaboration, and more!
S1:E14 An Interview With Jongnic Bontemps Pt. 2
In the second part of the Jongnic Bontemps-Composer Trilogy featuring co-hosts Daniel Christian Ikpeama, Bryan Grosbach, and Gracie Fagan! We talk about The Criminal Justice System, his journey transitioning from working at HP, family life, project management, building connections, his studio setup, and more!
S1:E13 An Interview With Jongnic Bontemps Pt. 1
Some computer issues this past week, but I'm happy to say that I have things back up and running! In this week's episode, we start the epic Jongnic Bontemps-Composer trilogy featuring co-hosts Daniel Christian Ikpeama, Bryan Grosbach, and Gracie Fagan! We talk about computer science, academia, melody, orchestration, criminal justice, and raising kids during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
S1:E12 An Interview With Matthew Ciuffitelli Pt. 2
In the second part of this interview with Matthew "The Opera Guy" Ciuffitelli we continue talking about Young Artist Programs, Conservatory Culture, Musical Theater vs Opera, puppies, and more! This episode contains guest questions from opera singer Elaina Matthews
S1:E11 An Interview With Matthew Ciuffitelli Pt. 1
In this episode, I'm joined by Patrick McNally and Daniel Ikpeama to chat with Matthew "The Opera Guy" Ciuffitelli about Disneyland, The Sharpe Family Singers, COVID-19, TikTok, Young Artist Programs, and his advice for emerging artists.
S1:E10 An Interview With Louis Raymond-Kolker
This week Jonah Payne and I chat with Louis Raymond-Kolker M.M. about how he is keeping up with his carer as both a performer and composer during the COVID-19 Pandemic, steel pans, and legos.
S1:E9 An Interview With Mizer & Moore Pt. 2
In this episode I speak with songwriters Mizer and Moore about their thoughts on collaboration, learning the story of how they got their start at Northwestern and their advice for people looking to collaborate during the pandemic. We look at their ideas for a dream project (Disney if you're listening... I have some people you should talk to), their work on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and hear about their first project (that could premiere someday if Woody Allen ever gave them the rights *wink*).
S1:E8 An Interview With Mizer & Moore Pt. 1
In this episode of "Chatting with Creators" I talk to the minds behind "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" Season 3's original music and crafting the sound of character Shy Baldwin. We dive into their creative process, their advice for students, and what it's like to work on a show like "Maisel."
S1:E7 An Interview With Chandler Poling
In this week's episode, I interview the fantastic Chandler Poling, co-owner and publicist at White Bear PR, about his work with composers in new media. Poling has worked on everything from awards campaigns to Comic-Con panels. He tells stories and provides advice for college students looking to get into the music or PR industries. Join us for this, 90's anime, and more on this week's episode of "Chatting With Creators"!
S1:E6 An Interview With Alessandro Saini
In this episode of "Chatting With Creators" I speak with media scoring composer Alessandro Saini about his work on feature films as both a primary composer and as an assistant. We break down what it means to be a composer's assistant, Marvel, working in Hollywood, his composing strategies, and more.
S1:E5 An Interview With Julie Elven, Pt. 2
In this episode I am joined by Bryan Grosbach M. M. and Daniel Christian Ikpeama M.M. in part two of this interview with Julie Elven about her career as a soundtrack vocalist, being a concert soloist for James Newton Howard, her classical training, marketing, and more!
S1:E4 An Interview With Julie Elven, Pt. 1
In this episode I am joined by Bryan Grosbach M. M. and Daniel Christian Ikpeama M.M. to chat with Julie Elven about her career as a soundtrack vocalist, being a concert soloist for James Newton Howard, her Sims playing habits and more!
S1:E3 An Interview With Freddie Wiedmann, Pt. 2
I had the awesome opportunity to talk with Frederik Wiedmann about the start of his career, parenting, teaching at USC, and his advice for young composers trying to break into the film score industry. There was so much to say I had to break it into two parts!
S1:E2 An Interview With Freddie Wiedmann, Pt. 1
I had the awesome opportunity to talk with Frederik Wiedmann about the start of his career, parenting, teaching at USC, and his advice for young composers trying to break into the film score industry. There was so much to say I had to break it into two parts!
S1:E1 An Interview With Oscar Jasso
In this first episode I interview the amazing Oscar Jasso about his career as an independent film composer. As you may have seen, the original interview had some technical issues, so a GIANT thank you to Oscar and his wife for re-filming some of his answers.