"I greatly enjoyed my 'Ready Session Go' with conductor Jim Anderson. He came into the meeting having already looked at my piece and prepared questions and advice ahead of time. He was incredibly kind with his feedback, and it was exactly what I needed in order to finalize and submit the score for my upcoming summer festival performance. Since Jim pointed out areas that may cause questions from other conductors, I was able to go back into my piece and find solutions to make the score even clearer. I now feel more confident that each rehearsal will be spent focusing on the expression of the music itself instead of using up precious rehearsal time answering questions. A very valuable experience!”
Danielle Bees, Composer
“I just had a "One on One Session” on the SoundScore platform with the amazing flutist, Tara Helen O'Connor. During this hour-long working session, we looked at my piece “Onyx is the color during the Silence of Järvenpää” for flute and electronics. Tara had marked my score thoroughly beforehand, and walked me through all my notational questions about extended techniques, with lots and lots of demonstrations. Working with a professional player on my piece was a transformative experience and the SoundScore platform provides this valuable tool for all composers! If you have a new piece, there are so many amazing SoundScore artists ready to help you!”
Victor Cui, Composer
“I want to tell you about my learning experience working with John Kaefer inside Soundscore. The brilliant vision of its creator Molly Morkoski is to serve composers at any level of training to have real time feedback and insight with conductors, composers and instrumentalists that are of a very high calibre, bringing new visions and input on your development. Molly contacted me and offered an online coffee conversation in which we determined that it would be great for me to show my work to John Kaefer, who's also in the film industry but a bit higher in the food chain, John was not just lovely and honest but very insightful in his observations and suggestions as well as very knowledgeable in the practices of preparing and editing a score for a film orchestra. I felt seen and heard by both Molly and John, and I would highly recommend this service to any composer who is advanced, intermediate or even starting out their journey preparing scores, both in the concert hall and for film/theater, and games.”
Gonzalo Zubillaga, Composer
“The SoundScore experience was AMAZING! I went in with no expectations whatsoever, and I was blown away by the wonderful feedback provided by conductor James Anderson. I enjoyed the dialogue, the honest feedback, and especially the full analysis and attention to detail that James provided. I highly recommend the SoundScore offering to all composers no matter where they are in their career.”
Kerwin Young, Composer
“I participated in a One-On-One Soundscore session with Alex Sopp with the help of the Gabriela Lena Frank Creative Academy of Music, and it was an incredible experience! Soundscore offers a variety of great services, from recording sessions to score readings and more! The interface itself was very easy to use, and I really appreciate that Soundscore allows you to connect with a large variety of artists that specialize in any skillset you may need. During my One-On-One session, I shared one of the singles from my upcoming indie rock album, and also had the privilege of listening to Alex’s music as well. I was able to get some awesome feedback from Alex about how to take a mixed chamber ensemble song to the stage, what to think about when arranging and creating a live score and parts for the musicians involved, and learn more about her performance experience and personal songwriting process. I really appreciated our conversation and am feeling so inspired and excited. I would absolutely recommend Soundscore in a heartbeat! Molly was wonderful to communicate with, very responsive, and helped foster some important moments during my conversation with Alex. I really appreciate that Soundscore is a place for artists of many different backgrounds and experiences. I was able to take a more "untraditional” approach with the session, and I’m really grateful for the experience. Thanks, Soundscore!”
Hannah Boissoneault, Composer
“I had a wonderful experience meeting with Alan Pierson through SoundScore. His feedback on the technical aspects of my score helped me refine my orchestration. Alan also shared valuable advice on getting work performed and applying for grant opportunities. Gaining insight from an established practitioner outside of my immediate circle was valuable and illuminating. Highly recommend for composers at various stages of their career! “
Inga Chinilina, Composer
"Getting to work with Vincent Povázsay through Soundscore's 'Ready-Session-Go' was an invaluable experience. Soundscore has helped to take the guessing game out of presenting my music to conductors, with the added bonus of dedicated feedback and high-caliber insight into how to make the jump from the score to the stage. I would highly recommend SoundScore's services to composers and music-makers at all stages of their careers.”
Nick Bentz, Composer
“The time with Jessica was both insightful and encouraging. Having my music read and played by a true expert was exceptional, but her approach to the music, her attention to detail, and her feedback were just priceless.
I hardly would find this kind of insight without talking and workshopping with Jessica on SoundScore. It is all about learning how the players think and their approach to the material which is completely different from my approach as a composer that makes every second of this time together worthwhile.”
Eliana Echeverry, Composer
“My session with Vincent was extremely helpful and insightful. As someone who's just stepping in to the concert orchestra world, it was awesome to explore the finite details of my score, and learn about the differences between practices in symphonic vs. film music. Getting feedback from a conductor, who anticipates the needs and challenges of each instrument and brings the final product together was invaluable! Thank you SoundScore for including me in this opportunity!”
Spencer Edgers, Composer
“Through SoundScore I was able to work with violinist HyeYung Sol Yoon on the violin part for my unfinished Trio for Horn, Violin and Piano. Over Zoom I could hear Hyeyung and her violin clearly and we had no technical issues that slowed our session.
Hyeyung and I talked a lot about the sound I was hoping to achieve. I was looking for an aggressive, dark, gritty tone. Hyeyung had a bunch of great ideas I had not explored - staying on the G string, bowing near the frog and substituting grace notes for double stops. By the end of our session, with the changes we made, what I was hearing was much closer to what I had imagined. It felt like we had worked through changes I would make in the first rehearsal of the piece. This is the huge benefit of using SoundScore. In a situation where I could not interact with the performers I was writing for, SoundScore would give me the opportunity to flesh out details in advance of starting rehearsals. In this case, the SoundScore experience allowed me to be more prepared, more professional and enabled me to deliver a score to my violinist that I know is well thought out.”
Steven Juliani, Composer
“In preparation for a performance of my first ever orchestral premiere, I wanted to make sure my score and parts were completely air-tight so I could feel confident and calm on the first day of rehearsal. SoundScore’s Ready-Session-Go came to the rescue! I met with conductor Alan Pierson, who calmly and kindly walked me through my own score, as if he were conducting the piece— asking questions, seeking clarification, and offering options to make my work more clear for the performers and conductor without sacrificing the artistic goals of the piece. After our session, i felt excited to dive into revisions that I knew would make the overall piece significantly stronger. The first rehearsal of the piece is in a few weeks and I couldn’t be more confident about how my score and parts look. I’m eternally grateful for Alan and SoundScore for helping my piece really shine.”
JL Marlor, Composer
“ I want to tell you about my learning experience working with John Kaefer inside the SoundScore community.
The brilliant vision of its creator Molly Morkoski is to serve composers at any level of training to have real time feedback and insight with conductors, composers and instrumentalists that are of a very high calibre, bringing new visions and input on your development. Molly contacted me and offered an online coffee conversation in which we determined that it would be great for me to show my work to John Kaefer, who's also in the film industry but a bit higher in the food chain, John was not just lovely and honest but very insightful in his observations and suggestions as well as very knowledgeable in the practices of preparing and editing a score for a film orchestra. I felt seen and heard by both Molly and John, and I would highly recommend SoundScore services to any composer who is advanced, intermediate or even starting out their journey preparing scores, both in the concert hall and for film/theater, and games.
Gonzalo Zubillaga, Composer
"When James Anderson arrived for our “Ready Session Go” SoundScore session, he presented a detailed two-page document full of suggestions and comments about my composition. It was evident that he had thoroughly studied my piece, offering insights across all musical elements, from rhythm and dynamics to harmony, texture, and more. James provided an exceptional depth of knowledge and feedback on the entire orchestral work. Under his expert guidance, I'm confident that this piece is now primed for an outstanding performance. Thank you, James and SoundScore; it's been a pleasure to work with you."
Washington Plada, Composer
“Having SoundScore pair me with Iman Habibi was a treat and great experience. Not only is Iman a fine composer and a world class pianist, his guidance and suggestions helped me hear my piece in a different light. I would hope other composers and players would take the opportunity SoundScore presents and dive in and explore a new world exploding with possibilities. Thank you to Molly and GLFCAM for making this happen.”
Ben Shirley, Composer
“I had the joy of taking a "Ready Session Go" SoundScore session with conductor Vincent Povazsay, sponsored by the Gabriela Frank Creative Academy of Music. We used the time to examine an orchestral piece in my catalog and consider ways to strengthen the writing and the notation choices to make the piece as effective and easy to rehearse as possible. Getting an experienced conductor and percussionist's point of view on the best way to notate extended techniques and aleatoric instructions in the music was incredibly helpful. Vincent offered clear, actionable suggestions on edits I can make to help performers learn and practice extended techniques while keeping my score and parts as clean as possible. He also answered my questions about the balance of musical lines across the orchestra and gave me options for ways to bring out certain lines through dynamics and doubling. Opportunities to write and rehearse with an orchestra are few and far between, so getting this piece as polished as possible now will allow me to take advantage of the next performance and put my best foot forward. We also discussed broader trends in orchestral music for professionals, student ensembles, and community groups, which gave me valuable insights on how to market the piece in the future. I got so much out of this experience in a short amount of time and I highly recommend SoundScore to any composer looking to get their music polished and ready to go with the help of a supportive and energetic expert. Molly was so helpful in getting the logistics of my session set up and matching me with a musician who was the perfect fit for my needs. She was attentive to my questions and invested in my music and my success. It's clear that SoundScore is building not only a much needed service for composers but a committed community of musicians dedicated to uplifting the music of living composers. Thank you so much, SoundScore and Gabriela Lena Frank Creative Academy of Music for this opportunity!”
Lisa Neher, Composer