Learn the art of scoring for video games from some of the most renowned composers in the industry.
Undergraduate: MUSIC 420, 3 units Graduate/Post-baccalaureate: MUSIC 620, 3 units
Composers and musicians who have a background in concert or popular music and are interested in learning how to compose for video games are highly encouraged to apply. However, anyone with a passion for music and video games should consider as well! It is recommended that all applying students know how to read music.
Professor Kenneth Froelich
Jason Hayes – http://criticalhitband.com/musicians/jason-hayes/
A multiple-award-winning composer, Jason Hayes is well known for his long-standing relationship with Blizzard Entertainment, contributing music to its games set in the popular worlds of “Warcraft," “Starcraft" and “Diablo." He was the lead composer of the original release of “World of Warcraft," the most successful online game in the world. Hayes's music has been performed by symphony orchestras all over the world in various concerts, including the show "Video Games Live," which debuted at the Hollywood Bowl with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and continues to tour internationally.
Garry Schyman – http://garryschyman.com
Composer Garry Schyman's award-winning music can be heard in nearly every audio-visual media, including feature films, prime-time television and video games. His haunting orchestral scores for the globally acclaimed video games “BioShock," “BioShock 2" and “BioShock Infinite" have earned him multiple awards, including top honors for Best Original Score from the British Academy of Film and Television (BAFTA) and the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. As one of the world's most celebrated composers of video game music, Schyman is notable for his versatility of style and unique ability to fluidly draw from multiple eclectic sources of inspiration.
Michael Krikorian – https://www.michaelkrikorianpianist.com/
Michael Krikorian, Ph.D., is a Los Angeles-based pianist and composer. He recently earned his doctoral degree in piano performance from the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, where he worked closely with composers Garry Schyman and Dan Carlin to complete a specialized field in Scoring for Visual Media. His most recent work was the score for “The Fidelio Incident," a narrative-focused video game loosely based on Beethoven's opera “Fidelio." This project allowed him to bridge his background in classical music with his lifelong passion for video game music. Dr. Krikorian is a native son of Fresno and an alumnus of California State University, Fresno and CSU Summer Arts.
Peter Scaturro
Peter Scaturro, senior music producer at Sony Interactive Entertainment, has produced scores for many PS4 and PS3 video game titles over the past decade, including the highly praised “God of War,” for which he received a 2019 Original Music BAFTA. Scaturro has also produced scores for other leading developers and publishers, including the upcoming “Call of Duty Modern Warfare,” “Anthem” and the award-winning eclectic title “What Remains of Edith Finch.” Prior to his work at Sony, Scaturro composed music for many hit television shows, including the theme to “The Practice,” for which he received three BMI Film & Television Composer Awards.
Edouard Brenneisen
Edouard Brenneisen is a composer for games, film and television. On “League of Legends,” he's written music for several popular champions, skins, cinematics and game modes. His work runs the gamut from animation (the “Yu-Gi-Oh!” series) to documentaries (David Attenborough's “Micro Monsters”), episodic television (Anthony Zuiker's “Cybergeddon”) and independent film. Brenneisen's music has been performed in concert halls in the U.S., Europe and China. He currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife, Billye, their daughter, June, and wizard dog, Potter.