Soundtrack Recording Session #1

ten hours of their time to record the first round of samples that will become "Misa's Fugue." In total, 30 young musicians contributed to the recordings, including members of the chorus, orchestra, and symphonic band. All in all, the results are something I am proud of and I believe will provide emotional and dramatic effect to the film; this music will most definitely enhance the finished product of "Misa's Fugue."

An hour before recording each day, I came to the stage to set up the microphones and create a "studio" or sorts. I set up sound panels to channel the sound, risers for the choir, and between 10 and 12 microphones. After performing a preliminary sound check and ensuring we were technologically ready, we began to record.

The first time I heard the music, my music, being performed by a live group of musicians, I was nearly beside myself. The emotions that I had tried to capture, the feelings of the oppressed, came to life within the lines that I had written a few months earlier. Up until this point, I was the only person from the production team to have heard any of the soundtrack, and what I heard was a computer simulation of notes and the ideas in my head; a far cry from actual music. I looked at Mr. Gaston, who was assisting with the recordings and capturing video of the performance, and I believe we both felt immediately that this music was going to work incredibly well. Being the composer, sound technician, recording engineer, mixer, and the one in charge of

mastering has taught me a lot about the painstaking process of producing a finished project. I am so happy that I was able to write music that perpetuates the emotions found in the film, and the feelings that a person can experience or at least acknowledge when thinking about the Holocaust. Please take a moment to listen to what we've recorded so far. I think you'll be both impressed and appreciative of what we're trying to do and the sentiments that I tried capture in the music.