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/180042
L.A. Newsbriefs This summer featured a furry of activity among members of Berklee's L.A. community. Elik Alvarez '00 won the Goldspirit award in the Best Documentary Score category at the International Film Music Festival in Córdoba, Spain, where he served as the guest conductor of the Córdoba Symphony Orchestra during the awards ceremony. Marty Silverstone '03 released the EP St. Sauveur that features original music and has become affliated with the Boston-based charity Artists for Humanity. Silverstone and Johannes Rassina '04 coproduced the record and Evan Brown '05 played guitar. Vivian de Aguiar-Buff '12 is a technical score engineer for movies working with composer Henry Jackman's company Sacred Tiger. She has worked with Jackman on the animated flms Turbo, G.I. Joe: Retaliation, and This Is the End. On her own, she's composed for short flms Na Cama, Stiff, and Moneytubes. Thus far the vocal trio KING, has enjoyed a banner year. Comprising Paris Strother '08; her twin sister, Amber Strother; and friend Anita Bias, the group began the year on a high note when Robert Glasper sang their song "Move Love" on the Black Radio recording. The album won a Grammy in the Best R&B; Album category. KING released the frst single from its upcoming album In the Meantime, and was featured in Ebony and Billboard magazines. As well, the group has offcially announced its partnership with Prince. Congratulations are in order for our Emmy Award nominees: David Schwartz '74, Rob Mathes '84, Jason Tregoe Newman '99, George Haddad '99, Daniel Colman '95, Brian Riordan '95, Pablo Munguia '97. We go to print before the September 22 broadcast and send best wishes to all seven nominees. The Berklee Center in Los Angeles has launched the Play It Forward initiative that encourages L.A.-based alumni to make a gift of any amount to the Berklee Fund. It's not the dollars that matter but the number of alumni who join us. To learn more, visit www.berklee.edu/ giving/la-play-it-forward to learn more! Also, our offce recently held a Green Room networking event that drew more than 100 people. As well, Julie Sach '09 hosted a pool party for our Women in Tune Group. The composing and guitar playing of Aaron Kaplan '96 have brought him to the forefront of a new trend: custom scoring for reality shows. Through his affliation with Barefoot Music, a collective of composers, he started working on such shows as Top Chef, Project Runway, and The Real Housewives series. Kaplan recently launched GrooveBank "microlibraries" offering defning themes and sonic branding for TV shows. With GrooveBank, Kaplan is bridging the gap between production libraries and custom scores. All the GrooveBank cues are composed, produced, and mixed in house. Additionally, Kaplan has created Moonshine Music Company, a country music library. As a studio guitarist, Kaplan played on Rod Stewart's Great American Songbook recordings and was featured on the Ironman soundtrack. Kaplan has worked with numerous Berklee alumni during his time in Los Angeles, including scoring mixer Kevin Globerman setting up the L.A. run of Bring It On: The Musical at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles. Through trusted recommendations, Lacamoire hired Wells to assist with transcriptions, orchestrations, mixing and preparing tracks in Pro Tools and Logic. This is how his L.A. story began and the initial collaboration with Lacamoire has subsequently yielded several other Broadwayrelated opportunities. Wells soon began assisting flm composer and record producer Richard Gibbs '77 in the Woodshed, Gibbs's Malibu studio. In early 2012, Gibbs recommended Wells to a couple of Malibu friends for an opportunity to run front-of-house sound for Big Bad University, an offshoot of LMFAO. That move, in turn, led Sky Blu of LMFAO to hire Wells to join the group's tour of North America. By then, Wells was writing and producing, as well as being a road manager. By mid-2012, Wells returned to Los Angeles and almost immediately received an offer to score his frst feature-length flm, Game, by a Dutch company. It will premiere later this year. After that project, Wells was recommended to up-and-coming Canadian vocalist Nikki Yanofsky, who was searching for a music director. Wells put together an all–Berklee alumni ensemble to audition for the gig and was hired. Wells then took that band into Capitol Records studios to record a national promo for Yanofsky's album and had the pleasure of working with her executive producer, Quincy Jones. Wells has just completed his second tour as Yanofsky's MD, playing major festival bills alongside such icons as Herbie Hancock, Steve Gadd, and David Sanborn. A graduate isn't always ready to hit the ground running. But for those who knew Wells on campus, his activities since graduation are hardly a surprise. By his senior year, he was in high demand for high-profle projects on campus and his undergrad experiences performing, composing, arranging, contracting, and producing prepared him well. He took advantage of the Berklee Alumni Offce on campus and the Berklee Aaron Kaplan '96 '95, bassists Chris Golden and Eric Holden '99. While at Barefoot, Kaplan supervised then-intern Ali Memarian '06, who was later hired as a music supervisor. Speaking of the many professional contacts he's made in the L.A. community, Kaplan says, "I think I know more people from Berklee out here than when I was at Berklee! It's a tremendous network." That's it for now. —Justine Taormino '06 Assistant Director, Alumni Affairs, L.A. jtaormino@berklee.edu Auspicious Beginnings After graduating from Berklee in May 2011, Will Wells faced a quandary common to many of his peers: where to begin his career. He chose Los Angeles, where so many musical heroes like Quincy Jones '51 have made their way. In October 2011, he made the move and the range of experiences and successes that he has seen in his frst two years is truly impressive. At that time, Broadway music director Alex Lacamoire '95 was Will Wells '11 Quincy Jones (left) and Will Wells during a session at Capitol Records Studios. Center in Los Angeles and several of his early major breaks came through those channels. Wells's early success came through the alumni network and he's already in position to pay it forward by creating work for other alumni. His star is on the rise. Stay tuned! —Peter Gordon '78 Director of Berklee Center in LA Fall2013 Fall2012 Fall2013 43 43