Accomplished film and television composer, Gary Chang, (www.garychang.net) accepted an invitation to address the students at Boston’s esteemed Berklee
College of Music from November 1st – 11th.
Chang’s seminar continues
the efforts of Berklee’s artist-in-residence lecture series, which aims
to bring in the leaders in respective musical fields to speak with and teach
students.
Accomplished film and television composer, Gary Chang, (www.garychang.net)
known for his extensive work with the late John Frankenheimer, and most recently
on Stephen King’s Kingdom Hospital for ABC, accepted an invitation to
address the students at Boston’s esteemed Berklee College of Music from
November 1st – 11th. Chang’s seminar continues the efforts of Berklee’s
artist-in-residence lecture series, which aims to bring in the leaders in respective
musical fields to speak with and teach students. Other Music Technology Division
artists-in-residence include electronic composer and film scorer, BT, as well
as Nathaniel Kunkel and George Massenburg.
Chang addressed the students in the Music Technology program, discussing with
them his body of work, the nature of the industry, and the changing face of
music in today’s technological age. Chang also provided insight and knowledge
to Berklee’s Film Scoring majors.
Chang is a perfect match for Berklee’s program, having vast experience
as both a sound engineer and composer. His years working in engineering have
given him the proper insight to speak on virtually any subject in the music
technology field. Chang also built and works from one of the most technologically
advanced home studios in the world, utilizing hardware from Daking Audio, Blue
Sky Labs and TC Electronics, his studio has been featured in publications such
as Electronic Musician. Chang’s film and television work, ranging from
the classic teen feature, The Breakfast Club, to the recent ABC Steven King
series, Kingdom Hospital, allows him to speak in detail on how the entertainment
business really works and provide an insider’s perspective.
Berklee is the only college to offer an undergraduate degree in film scoring,
and it’s one of the fastest growing majors in the college. Six film scoring
labs offer students the opportunity for hands-on-study in the areas of film
music composition, editing, and sequencing, and of computer applications incorporating
digital audio. Some of the technical specs include two 16mm six-plate flatbed
Moviola editing machines, a complete 35 mm lab with 35mm Moviolas, editing bench
with rewinds, syncs, sound readers and splicers; two computers featuring Auricle
film scoring software and three screening rooms with keyboards and video playback.
There is also a dedicated digital audio editing lab using DigiDesign ProTools
hardware and software.
“I am flattered that such a well known and deeply revered institution
such as Berklee extended me the opportunity to teach their up-and-coming musicians,”
said Chang. “I feel that electronic music is the future of the film industry,
and it was great to get back into the classroom and share my knowledge. I actually
found myself being challenged by Berklee’s students and learning something
myself!”
“I’m absolutely thrilled that Gary could make the trip to Berklee
and I know the students appreciated learning from someone with such long and
impressive credentials. Gary’s in-depth knowledge of scoring for the film
and television industry, and his deep technical knowledge of the audio systems
involved made him a perfect choice to address our students,” said Stephen
Croes, Dean of Music Technology at Berklee.
Gary Chang, an esteemed musician and composer, is one of the entertainment
industry’s most celebrated soundtrack artists. Chang’s style uses
an array of innovative expressions by incorporating atmospheric sounds with
a variety of instruments and melodies. He has been scoring films since 1984,
and has over 70 film music projects including 19 feature films to his credit.
