Los Angeles Film Conducting Intensive Set For This Summer

Hollywood's studio elite will convene this summer to provide a unique musical opportunity at Warner Bros. Studios for musicians interested in learning how to perform in the recording studio environment thanks to the undertaking of Los Angeles Film Conducting Intensive (LAFCI).

"This has been something our faculty and I have chatted about for some time and has grown out of our annual College Day during The Intensive, our main workshop for media composers who wish to hone in on their composition and conducting skills for the big screen", said co-founder/director Angel Velez. "During College Day we allow local university students to come in and spend a day working with our composition and conducting faculty as we focus on working with the composers, but this time we're focusing on the orchestra and bringing in Hollywood's A-list studio musicians to provide orchestral musicians the support they need in order to be successful at the professional level of studio recording".

LAFCI's programs include their flagship workshop, The Intensive, at Warner Bros. Studios where composers from across the globe such as Academy Award winner Ludwig Göransson (composer for Oppenheimer) or Ted Lasso composer Tom Howe convene for a week of study with veteran composers and conductors such as William Ross (composer, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets), Conrad Pope (orchestrator, Jurassic Park), Angel Velez (conductor, Star Wars: The Clone Wars) and special guests such as renown conductor Marin Alsop, American Society of Cinematographers president, Shelly Johnson and others. In addition to The Intensive, LAFCI has partnered with orchestras throughout the world as part of their Summer Session workshop with orchestras in Thailand, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Czech Republic and others including their recently created Masterclass series which returns to Buenos Aires later this year.

"To paraphrase a colleague of mine, 'we are in the recording business, not the music business'", said Velez. "Most classically trained musicians are being prepared for work in a traditional symphony orchestra and usually don't have the experiences or understanding of the expectations of how to work in the very fast-paced recording environment where you certainly focus on playing music at the highest levels but also under very different circumstances such as quickly changing musical styles, and all with no time to rehearse. That's why this dream team of some of Hollywood's most experienced musicians is so critical, they know how to get any job done and usually make it seem so easy in the process. There's a technique to all of that and that's the goal for the Studio Intensive at Warner Bros. Studios, to share this knowledge and experiences under the guidance of these legendary musicians."

The faculty for the Studio Intensive at Warner Bros. Studios represent almost every major film in the past quarter-century including harp faculty member Gayle Levant who played for the likes of Ray Charles and Frank Sinatra. Los Angeles Philharmonic's First Associate Concertmaster Nathan Cole, who has played on films such as DC's Black Adam and Disney's 2020 live action remake of Mulan will join Alyssa Park, who can be heard on the last three feature length Star Wars films and countless others, on the violin faculty. From the Toy Story franchise to Avengers: Endgame, from Jordan Peele's thriller Nope to Forrest Gump, and everything in between, the listing of faculty members is truly Hollywood's studio A-list.

The Studio Intensive at Warner Bros. Studios will be from August 10 - 12, 2024 in Burbank, California. Application and audition information can be found at www.lafci.org/studiointensive.

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