Weijun received his undergraduate degree in Composition from the Eastman School of Music and his doctorate from the University at Buffalo. Now working as a freelance composer of film and concert music in Los Angeles, his works have been performed by renowned orchestras and chamber ensembles across the United States and China. In this episode, Weijun shares his incredible musical journey from growing up in Shanghai, China, starting composition at the very young age of 13, and moving to the US to study music and pursue a musical career. He also shares about the fascinating world of composing music for video games.
WEIJUN’S EPISODE RESOURCES
Fav Composer: Nobuo Uematsu
Fav Piece of Classical Music: Mahler 6, the slow movement
Fav Movie/Game Soundtrack: Final Fantasy 7 and Jurassic Park
Book Recommendation: Every Good Boy Does Fine by Jeremy Denk
Admired Musician: Jacob Collier
Most Useful App on Phone: WeChat
Final Resource to check out: The real world
Audible Free Trial: https://amzn.to/3VXwMWf
Amazon Music Free Trial: https://amzn.to/3W1Ttsr
CONNECT WITH WEIJUN
Website: https://www.weijunchen.com
Listen to Weijun’s Music: https://www.weijunchen.com/music
ORCHESTRATING YOUR CAREER
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaCPf5xynqMHcFuQhCWrNCQ
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/orchestratingyourcareer
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/orchestratingyourcareer
ABOUT THE HOST
Rebekah Carpio received her BMus in clarinet performance from the Eastman School of Music. She was awarded a Fulbright grant to study at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in their Orchestral Artistry program, which was in collaboration with the London Symphony Orchestra. She then went on to receive her PhD, also from the Guildhall School, researching the impact of education and community work in conservatoire training.
CONNECT WITH REBEKAH
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bitesbybekah
Websites: https://www.bitesbybekah.com
TIMECODES
00:00 Podcast Intro
01:25 Episode Intro
02:02 Start of Interview
02:36 Weijun’s Musical Background
14:26 Applying for Music Schools
18:13 Composition Application Process
21:33 Experience at ESM
25:13 Plans for Post-ESM
25:41 The Traditional Composer Career Pathway
27:05 Going straight into a PhD
30:54 Aspen
34:05 Post PhD Studies
36:04 Visa Process After Graduating
37:33 One Way Ticket to LA
43:36 Learning from the Real World
44:10 Orchestrating Film Music
47:14 Composer Equipment
49:04 Transitioning into Career
50:29 Composing for Video Games
58:07 Getting a Brief
1:07:52 Current Career + Looking Ahead
1:13:25 Rapid Fire Q&A
1:22:02 Connect with Weijun
1:22:29 Episode Outro
1:23:54 Weijun’s Musical Score
MUSIC IN THIS EPISODE
Theme Music composed by Ben Roundtree: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0z6dZJL6GM
PHOTO CREDIT
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