In October 2022, the performance of the Grounded's score by the VCU Symphony, synchronized with the movie, was a truly unique and exciting moment for me. A few years earlier, when I composed the orchestral score for the animated film by Thomas de Maleingreau, I used virtual instruments to emulate John Williams' distinctive style, as requested by the film's director.
When my colleague, Daniel Myssyk, director of VCU Symphony, invited me to present the same music live, I felt very honored. It was a challenge to open and revise the composition produced in Logic Pro, write the orchestral score, and all the parts for the performance. Seeing the orchestra rehearsing my music, especially the violins playing rapid scales, was an amazing and thrilling experience! According to Myssyk:
What a great learning experience it was for the students to be able to follow the conductor so closely that the music would align perfectly with the action on screen.
The music gained a completely new life in the hands of Daniel Myssyk and the talented musicians of the VCU Symphony. However, on the night of the performance, I had to miss the concert for a very special reason: my wife, Thais, who was pregnant with our daughter Anna, went into labor, much earlier than expected. Therefore, I couldn't be present at the concert in person.
We watched the concert online during that night of October 10, 2022, at the hospital, and our daughter, Anna, was born the next day. It was an intense mix of emotions, but being able to watch the performance online while waiting for Anna's birth made the moment even more special and unforgettable for me.
Watch the recording of the orchestra playing the movie's score below:
The day the VCU Symphony played my score live and the birth of our daughter Anna are events that will be forever etched in my memory. Both represent moments of great significance and happiness in my life, showing that the art of music and the joy of parenthood can intertwine in unexpected and profound ways.