Berklee today is the official alumni publication of Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. It is a forum for contemporary music and musicians.
Issue link: http://berkleetoday.epubxp.com/i/827757
22 Berklee today nightclubs and as a guest DJ in cities along the eastern seaboard and in Switzerland. While searching out her career path, Moore also tried her hand at software programming at RI SoftSystems, Woonsocket, RI. "I left that job after a year because it took me too far away from my passion for audio and music," she says. She made her living through a handful of freelance jobs, in- cluding designing nightclub sound systems and doing DJ tech- nology research for the Numark and Alesis corporations. A Brown University schoolmate, Donald Wood (aka "Cleveland Allen"), began creating dance remixes for labels such as Epic and Motown Records and brought Moore in as his engi- neer for several projects in New York's top studios. The experi- ence solidified her determination to base her in career in Boston. "I didn't like the traditional model of how you rise up through the internship process to become a staff engineer at a big studio," she says. "I didn't have the patience for get- ting people coffee and cleaning toilets, but I have respect for those who have taken that route. So I had no drive to increase my studio options by going to live in New York, Los Angeles, or Nashville." In 1998, Moore hit a dry spell with her New England free- lance work and made a call to WGBH. Serendipitously, one of its part-time engineers was leaving. Moore was a known com- modity to the WBGH staff and got the position. "They needed an uplink radio engineer to be responsible for the distribution of The World program, which is a coproduction by Public Radio International, WGBH, and the BBC," she says. "The show goes to 300 station nationwide through the National Public Radio network via satellite six times a day so local markets in various time zones can take whichever feed is appropriate for them. My job is to make sure it goes up success- fully and to solve any problems that might arise." Before that step, Moore mixes live introductions by the show's host along with the packages that have been preproduced, and edits and cuts music segments for transitions and station breaks. She also does sound restoration of audio captured by reporters in the field with handheld recorders. Moore also engineers popular WGBH programs such as A Celtic Sojourn with host Brian O'Donovan and Classical Performances; live-to-air concert performances. She is the re- cording, mix, and mastering engineer for Front Row Boston, fea- turing folk and rock bands playing live in WGBH's studio, and In-Studio Jazz 24/7, a show that goes live to Facebook. As for future ambitions, Moore enjoyed recent sessions re- cording orchestral tracks for video game scores and audio for video productions and looks forward to more work in those areas. "Video is challenging," she says. "It's crucial to capture everything because if someone is playing something in a shot and the sound isn't there, it really sticks out. You have to raise the bar with video to make sure the audio matches it. When I'm working with exceptional players and people who pay attention to the details, this work is very satisfying to me." Moore, who is married and has a five-year-old daughter, has found in Boston a balance between home and professional life. A staff engineering position with a union contract that provides benefits and the freedom to take freelance work is for her an ideal situation. Where He Needed and Wanted to Be Gunter Schroder '00 recalls a tearful farewell when he left his family and friends in South Africa to come to Berklee in 1997. "I remember crying at the airport saying goodbye to ev- eryone," Schroder says. "I had a girlfriend and was in a band that was starting to break in South Africa, so it was a big de- cision to give all that up and come here. I didn't know what to expect going to a new country." Two decades have passed, and Schroder is flourishing in America—more specifically in the Boston area. In April, he was named vice president of the international booking division at the Ted Kurland Agency in Allston, MA. One of the top bou- tique booking and management firms in the United States, TKA currently represents artists such as Pat Metheny, Chick Corea, Wynton Marsalis, The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, and Béla Fleck among others. Growing up in Pretoria, South Africa, Schroder was sur- rounded by music. His father, Robert Schroder, is a producer who has worked with Ladysmith Black Mambazo, pop act Mango Groove, and traditional African musicians. He's also an award- winning jingle writer and has done work for Mercedes Benz, Coca Cola and other major companies. Gunter spent lots of time in his dad's studio and played piano, drums, and guitar as a youth. He declared drums as his principal instrument at Berklee. "I liked being behind the kit rather than up front onstage," he says. "A drummer is behind the scenes and that set me up for what I'd do later in life." Schroder started as music therapy major at Berklee but later pursued a dual major in songwriting and music business/management. As an international student, after graduation Schroder had one year to build his résumé to the point where he could se- cure a work visa to permit him to continue working and living in America. "I'd fallen in love with the States and wanted to make this country my home," Schroder says. "I took internships and a management company, a publicity firm, and a booking agency, all aspects of the music business. I didn't want to go to New York or Los Angeles because I loved Boston. I started calling every company I could think of to get a job." He was hired by an agency booking general business bands. To prove his worth, he helped redesign the company's website. He also got the company to branch out into managing bands doing original music. They signed some acts and Schroder or- ganized a successful showcase for their best bands at the Somerville Theater. He rallied personnel from rock radio sta- tions, music vendors, and others to attend the company's first successful showcase. Shortly thereafter, he heard of an opening at Ted Kurland Agency and accepted a position as a receptionist. "I was qualified to do more than that, but I knew this was a path I needed to follow," Schroder recounts. "I started that job in 2002 and did it for two years." He also undertook set- ting up the company's media library so clients could access Kurland's system and listen to whatever artist's music they were interested in. "I was trying to come with new ideas for the company rather than just sitting there answering the phone," Schroder says. "I wasn't doing it to impress them, it was my internal drive." In 2004 he became Ted Kurland's executive assistant and two years later he became a European agent. He has continually proven that he was ready to handle more responsibility. Today 15 years after joining the firm, Schroder is its fourth most senior employee. "I'm very pleased with the VP position," he says. "I am re- sponsible for booking the European market as well as North and South Africa, the Middle East, and Israel. Another agent books Asia, South America, and Australia. My goal is to oversee the in- ternational side of things to show that our clients are getting booked in those territories and progressing in those markets. On average, I book between 250 and 300 shows a year in Europe for our roster." Schroder recently booked Pat Metheny for a fall con- cert in Iceland, the Grammy-winning guitarist's first appearance in that country. "All of my friends went to New York or L.A. and said I should go with them," he says. "But I love Boston, it's the most amazing city. I feel that I'm where I need and want to be. I had to create my own scene in Boston. I was pretty reserved when I got here, Berklee gave me my voice." Since he is in the neighborhood, Schroder periodically comes to campus to present masterclasses for the music business/ management department at the invitation of Don Gorder and Jeff Dorenfeld. His advice to current Berklee students is: "Keep an open mind and do as much as you can. Don't doubt yourself and continue to set goals." Robin Moore'93 Mark Small Gunter Schroder '00