This Week At MusicBox Studios [11/12/18] Jeff Russo Hosts AWFC Seminar!

Jeff RussoMusic Box Recording

Friday evening, November 16, Jeff Russo and Perrine Virgile hosted an event for the AWFC, a community of composers and colleagues who strive to support and celebrate the work of women composers through advocacy and education. Through support and awareness, the Alliance for Women Film Composers aims to increase the visibility of women composers active in media scoring. The AFWC advocates for the inclusion of women composers within industry events, supports filmmakers, game developers and studios in their inclusion of women composers, and educates, mentors and inspires emerging women composers.

This Week At MusicBox Studios [10/12/18]

Jeff RussoMusic Box Recording

This week we recorded the score for the premiere episode of the second season of CBS All Access’s Star Trek: Discovery at Warner’s Eastwood Scoring Stage. Keep an eye out for episode 201’s release date!

Don’t Miss:

Streaming Star Trek: Short Treks here!
CBS will release a series of shorts that dive deeper into the Star Trek universe. This mini-series will be standalone short stories featuring new and returning characters, launching monthly starting October 4 through January 2019.

This Week At MusicBox Studios [9/18/18]

Jeff RussoMusic Box Recording

This week we stepped back a few decades to record a jazz trio in attempts to recreate sultry and enigmatic sounds from greats like Coltrane, Oscar Peterson, and Bill Evans. It’s amazing how quickly the live room walls faded to grey revealing a candle-lit smokey ’60s lounge with the likes of Brigitte Bardot and Paul Newman sipping on old fashioned cocktails.

With the right combination of engineering expertise, adaptive mic technique, and musicianship, music can transport you through decades. The recording engineer worked with the mixing engineer to dampen sounds, select the right drumset, isolate instruments, and create the perfect tone for that era. The language of music is powerful and it’s especially pertinent in live jazz improvisation. Check out some photos from the session below!

 

 

 

 

 

 

This Week At MusicBox Studios [8/6]

Jeff RussoMusic Box Recording

This week, you could say we made history at the Star Trek Convention in Vegas. Jeff arranged a musical suite including music he wrote for the most recent Star Trek: Discovery franchise that culminated with an updated version of the original Star Trek’s Main “Courage” Theme composed by Alexander Courage back in the mid ’60s. Much to the delight of the surprised convention attendees, Ayana Haviv performed soaring operatic vocals accompanying the Nevada Pops Orchestra conducted by Jeff. The audience went wild celebrating this rare resurgence of historical music that shaped the lives of so many dedicated fans.

“Star Trek had to open with some kind of something or other. Little did I know when I wrote that first A-flat for the flute, that it was going to go down in history somehow. It’s a very strange feeling.” — Alexander Courage

Check out clips of the show below:

This Week At MusicBox Recording Studios! [7/30]

Jeff RussoMusic Box Recording

Catch Jeff at the Official Star Trek 2018 Convention at The Rio Suites Hotel in Vegas this weekend!

He’ll be conducting the Nevada Pops Orchestra performing a world premiere of the Star Trek: Discovery score featuring guest vocalist Ayana Haviv. In addition, fellow composers Michael Giacchino and Dennis McCarthy will be conducting original works Saturday (Aug. 4) evening at from 9:00-10:30 pm. The entire 90-minute concert is priced at $50 for General Admission, with ticket purchase available at the Ticket Booth in the Gala.

Jeff, Michael, and Dennis will also be participating in a Behind the Music panel Saturday afternoon starting 1:30 pm in Rio’s Pavillion.

Grab your last-minute tickets here, and don’t forget to bring along your favorite Nemesis uniform! Check out the behind-the-scenes footage of the Star Trek: Discovery score recording below!

This Week At MusicBox Recording Studios! [7/20]

Jeff RussoMusic Box Recording

The best part of MusicBox Studios is that the day-to-day environment is entirely shaped by the projects at hand. One week can be entirely spent in between spotting sessions, meeting with directors, and coordinating internal logistics within the office. This week was no less of a whirlwind with playback meetings, in-house recording sessions, writing, and problem solving. When that extra dose of humor was needed for a cue, and the quintessential triangle surfaced in the studio, the obvious answer seemed in sight. However, without its accompanying hardware, there was a brief moment of questioning how to find a stop gap so the cue could be finished. Jeff took it upon himself to go back to his roots of rocking out with his Grammy-award-winning band TONIC and turn a guitar string into the perfect temporary holder for the triangle. It’s moments like these when you realize how thinking outside the box is not only occasionally useful, it’s sometimes the difference between finishing the job in a timely manner or not. Happy problem solving!